Bolivia Stamps Profile

Bolivia is a small land-locked country in South America bounded by Chile & Peru to the West, Brazil to the North & East, Argentina & Paraguay to the South. Bolivia has a total land area of around 425,000 square miles and a population of just under ten million making it a sparsely populated country at around 23 per square mile. The country consists of the western highlands in the Andes Mountains and the eastern lowlands with large areas of Amazonian rain forests and the Chaco Plain. Bolivia became landlocked after the war of the pacific (1879) when it lost the coastal area of Litoral to Chile. The province of present day Bolivia was part of the Inca Empire until the Spanish empire conquered the region (called “Upper Peru” at the time) in the 16th century. Bolivia, named after Independence leader Simon Bolivar, was established as a republic after the 16-year war that commenced in 1809 when they declared independence. Bolivia’s history following independence was especially painstaking due to political instability – almost 200 coups and counter-coups ensued during the years until democratic civilian rule was established in 1982. Bolivia is rich in natural resources but it is still one of the least developed countries in South America. It per-capita GDP (ppp) stands at around $4300. Political instability and racial tensions are the root causes. 2005 saw a significant shift in Bolivia’s political climate with the election of Socialism leader Evo Morales and his re-election in a landslide victory in 2009. Nationalizations of hydrocarbon assets along with giving more power to the indigenous majority population (55% Amerindian) are the main themes of his government.

The first stamps of Bolivia were a set (Scott #1 to #8) of eight in single color Imperfs showing the Andes Condor released in 1867. Several varieties and types of these early issues exist. The stamps catalog for between $5 and $400 with the lower denominations cataloging lower and progressively getting higher. The most valuable is the 50c Blue and the Dark Blue variety which catalog for around $400 MNH and $100 Used. Reprints of many of these issues also exist and are more common with catalog values in the $5 to $25 range. Pen cancellations (fiscal use) are also common with catalog values in the $1 to $60 range. This was followed by a few other issues in the Coat of Arms and Arms and the Law themes. Those issues dominated the scene until 1896. Many of those stamps are also very valuable with catalog values in the dollar range for lower denominations to around $150. One exception is the 500c black Coat of Arms Issue (Scott #19) which is valued at over $2000 for MNH or Used (Eleven Star watermark variety – the Nine Star variety fetch about one-third this amount). Other significant Bolivian issues from the classic period (till 1940) include:

1. A set of eight stamps released in 1897 in the Patriots, Generals, and Coat of Arms theme. The set (Scott #47 to #54) catalogs for around $60 MNH or Used. The patriots and generals of Bolivia represented are President Tomas Frias, President Jose M. Linares, Pedro Domingo Murillo, Bernardo Monteagudo, General Jose Ballivian, General Antonio Jose de Sucre, and Simon Bolivar. These issues are affordable and catalogs for between a dollar and $6. Genuine Vertical Imperf pairs exist for Scott #47 and #51 and they catalog in the $75 range. The most valuable issue in the set is the mult-colored Coat of Arms stamp (Scott #54) at around $40 MNH and $50 Used. Acquiring a genuine one will involve some work as excellent forgeries exist.
2. A set of six stamps released in 1916 in the Nature and Architecture themes. The set (Scott #111 to #116) uses a bi-color design in the classic Keytypes mold. Monolith of Tiahuanacu (a statue found in the mysterious prehistoric city of Tiahuanaco that has an inferred date of 12,000 BC), Mount Huayna Potosi, Lake Titicaca (largest lake in South America by volume of water located at the Peruvian border - over 200 cubic miles, over 3000 square miles surface area), Mount Illimani, and Legislative Building.
3. A set of two triangular-shaped stamps released in 1931 to mark the revolution of June 25, 1930 that resulted in General Carlos Blanco Galinda's military Junta taking over power. The set (Scott #205 and #206) is inexpensive at around $3 MNH and a dollar for Used. Imperf pairs exist which fetch a premium ($15 to $20). The issue is significant in that it marks the beginning of Bolivia's transformation from laissez-faire policies that ignored the needs of the majority native population.
4. A set of nine stamps released in 1938 in the Industries theme. The set (Scott #242 to #250) catalogs for around $15 MNH and around $4 for Used. The design uses conservative single-colors and the depictions are: Native School, Oil Wells, Modern Factories, Torch of Knowledge, Map of Sucre-Camiri Railroad, Allegory of Free Eduction, Alligorical Figure of Learning, Symbols of Industry, and Modern Agriculture. This is another important issue that marks Bolivia's early attempt at political transformation.

The first stamp of Bolivia after the classic period was the “Flags of 21 American Republics” to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Pan American Union. The stamp (Scott #269) is a beautiful multi-colored issue and is remarkably inexpensive at around $2 MNH and a dollar for Used. The issue is significant in Bolivia has a significant claim to the formation of the Union - Simon Bolivar conceptualized such an organization aimed at regional solidarity at the 1826 Congress of Panama as early as 1826 although the formation of it took another 64 years. Other significant issues since the classic period include:

1. A set of seven stamps released in October 1942 to mark the first school philatelic exposition held in La Paz the previous year. The set uses a single color multiple-stamp-on-stamp design. The stamps depicted are Bolivia's first postage stamp and the airmail stamp of 1941. The set (Scott #274 to #280) catalogs for around $20 MNH and around $15 Used.
2. A set of fourteen stamps released on July 1, 1951 to commemorate the fifth athletic championship matches held at La Paz in October 1948. The beautiful set (Scott #352 to #358 and #C150 to #C156) catalogs for around $8 MNH and $6 Used. The sports depicted are Boxing, Tennis, Diving, Soccer, Skiing, and Handball on the regular issues and Horsemanship, Basketball, Fencing, Hurdling, Javelin throwing, Relay race, and La Paz Stadium on the airmail variants.
3. A beautiful set of ten stamps issues on April 24, 1970 in the Butterflies theme. The set (Scott #521 to #525 and C302 to C306) which uses a single-color background and butterflies in original colors catalogs for around $25 MNH or Used. The butterflies depicted are Papilio Crassus, Catagramma Cynosura, Eunica Eurota Flora, and Ituna Phenarete in the regular issues and Metamorpha Dido Wernichei, Heliconius Felix, Morpho Casica, Pailio Yuracares, and Heliconius Melitus in the airmail variants.
4. A beautiful Parrots set of eight stamps released on May 11, 1981. The set (Scott #661 to #668) catalogs for around $15 MNH and around $5 Used. The parrots depicted are Ara Macao (Scarlet Macaw), Ara Chloroptera, Ara Ararauna, Ara Rubrogenys, Ara Auricollis, Anodorynchus Hyacinthinus, Ara Militaris, and Ara Severa.
5. Three sets of stamps released in 1997 in the Tourism theme. The sets (Scott #983 to #988, #989 to #994, and #995 to #1000) together catalog for around $30 MNH and a little less for Used. The designs show Miners' Monument, Folklore Costume, Virgin of Socavon, Sajama Mountains, Chipaya Child, and Raul Shaw Moreno in the first set (Tourism in Oruro theme), La Glorieta, Governor's Palace, Dinosaur Tracks, House of Liberty, Tarabaqueno, and Statue of Juana Azurduy of Padilla in the second set (Tourism in Chuquisaca), and House of Culture Dorada, Church of Entre Rios, San Luis Falls, Monument to the Chaco War, Temple & Statue of the Virgin Mary Chaguay, and Eustaquio Mendez House in the third set (Tourism in Tarija theme).

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Last Updated: 07/2011.

Bhutan Stamps Profile

Bhutan is a small land-locked country in South Asia sandwiched between India & China. The Kingdom of Bhutan has a total land area of just under 15,000 square miles and a population of around 650,000. Bhutan has a varied climate with the tropical Southern plains, cool winters and hot summers in the valley, and extreme winters and cool summers in the northern Himalayan ranges. Bhutan’s landlocked borders were established around the 7th century. Remarkably, since that point, the area has remained an independent entity in-spite of the existence of two large powerhouses in India & China at its border. It is however considered as one of the most isolated areas of the world – a prime example of this status is the fact that it took until 1962 for Bhutan to release its first postage stamps for international use. Even today, Bhutan has just one airport – the airport in Paro which is considered one of the most challenging airports in the world due to its location in a steep valley. Bhutan's economy is based on agriculture, forestry, tourism, hydroelectric power exports to India, and the sale of postage stamps. More than half the country’s population is engaged in sustenance farming. Bhutan is using a balanced approach toward modernization with a focus on Gross National Happiness. In 1999, it became one of the last countries to introduce television with the lifting of a ban on television and internet. The per-capital GDP (ppp) stands at around $5000 with the economy growing at a very rapid pace in the last few years.

The first stamps of Bhutan were a set of seven designs in conservative tri-colors showing local scenes released in April 1962 for inland use and reissued in October 1962 for International use. The set (Scott #1 to #7) designs were Postal Runner, Archer, Yak, Map of Bhutan, and a portrait of Druk Gyalpo the Dragon King Ugyen Wangchuk and Paro Dzong the fortress-monastery. The set catalogs for around $5 MNH or Used. This was followed by a few issues in other local themes and certain international themes. Significant among them are the following issues from the 1962-66 time period:

1. A set (Scott #8 and #9) of two stamps released on October 10, 1962 to mark the World Refugee Year. The issue is significant in that UN declared 1959-60 as the World Refugee Year and the issue came two years later. Of course, this is because Bhutan hadn’t started issuing stamps in 1959-60 time frame. The set catalogs for under $10 MNH or Used. 5ch surcharges on these 1nu and 2nu stamp respectively issued in 1965 are rare and valuable. Each of those (Scott #68 and #69) catalog for around $35 each for MNH or Used.
2. A set (Scott #15 to #23) of nine stamps released on April 16, 1964 in the “Bhutanese Dancers” design. The colorful set is also fairly inexpensive at less than $5 MNH or Used. Surcharges on part of this set were issued in 1965 and they are more valuable. Each of those (Scott #70, 71, 74, 75) catalog for around $12 MNH or Used.
3. A set (Scott #31 to #33) released on November 22, 1964 in memory of those who served in the service of their country. The design shows “Flags of the world at half-mast” in gray, silver, and gold backgrounds respectively. The stamps are valued at around $5 MNH or Used. Imperf versions and a souvenir sheet also exist which are valued somewhat higher. Although the theme is global, 1964 was an especially tumultuous period in the country’s history – in April 1964, Jigme Palden Dorji, the prime minister was assassinated by an army corporal. An assassination attempt on the third Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King), Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, followed in 1965. The underlying reasons for the problems are unclear – distrust between the Wangchuk & Dorji families, opposition to India’s interference in Bhutan, and power struggle between the Dorji & Yangki (family of Druk Gyalpo’s Tibetan mistress) families are factors.
4. A set (Scott #47 to #52) released on April 25, 1965 to mark New York World’s Fair. The design is unique as it attempts to show architecture from the rest of the world alongside Bhutan’s historical monuments. The themes show Bhutan’s historical monuments in the foreground with a lightly shaded single-color image in the background. The designs were Skyscraper & Pagoda, Pieta by Michelangelo and statue of Khmer Buddha, Skyline of NYC & Bhutanese Village, and Georoge Washington Bridge, NY and foot bridge, Bhutan. The set catalogs for less than $3 MNH or Used. Souvenir Sheets and Imperf versions also exist which fetch double that.

Starting in 1966, Bhutan started pioneering stamp designs that were innovative, colorful, and creative. The purpose was to attract the philatelic industry. This strategy was a huge success as stamp sales to the philatelic industry became Bhutan’s chief revenue producer for many years. The first such issue was a set of nine stamps issued on July 8, 1965 that show a portrait of King Jigme Wangchuk. The circular designs used lithography on embossed gold foils. The set (Scott #83, a-h) is valued around $20 MNH or Used. Other significant Bhutanese stamp issues since 1966 include:

1. A set of twelve stamps (Scott #91-91k) released in the space theme released on October 30, 1967. These stamps are the first 3-D stamps ever released. The technology used a simulated 3-D effect using a plastic overlay. The designs were Astronaut walking in space, Orbiter & Lunar Module docked, Lunar Module, and Astronauts. The set catalogs for around $30 MNH or Used. The next ten years saw many such sets and most of them are valued in the $10 to $30 range. The most valued among them is the Birds set (Scott #104 to #104g) of eight stamps released on August 5th 1969. The beautiful set catalogs for around $50 MNH or Used. The designs sho Owl, Red birds, Hawk, Penguin, Macaws, Bird of Paradise, Duck, and Pheasant.
2. A long set (Scott #252 to #269) of twenty six stamps released in 1978 in varied themes that were surcharges on previous issues from the 1967-76 time period. The set is valuable at around $120 for MNH or Used.
3. A stamp (Scott #1135) issued on December 17, 1996 celebrating the Penny Black, the world’s first postage stamp. The stunning design features a 22-karat gold lithographed & embossed Penny Black in a dark-brown background. The stamp catalogs for around $10 MNH or Used.
4. A beautiful sheet of six stamps (Scott #1324 a-f) released on June 1, 2000 celebrating Bhutan’s Dzongs. Dzongs are massive but beautiful structures built starting around the 16th century under the direction of a high lama without the use of any architectural plans – instead, spiritual inspiration was the guiding light! The structures were built for religious or defense purposes. The set is very inexpensive at around $2 – never-the-less; it is an important issue that showcases architecture unique to Buddhist kingdoms of the Himalayas.
5. The first-ever CD-ROM stamp released in May 2008 to mark the hundredth anniversary of its hereditary monarchy and the coronation of its fifth King, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk. The CD features an 8-minute documentary about the country’s five monarchs along with a web portal. The CD-ROM stamp catalog for around $10. This release was followed by a few more CD-ROM stamps. They are also valued around the same range.

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Last Updated: 07/2011.
 

Stock Portfolio and Watch List Updates for January 2010

Please find below the activity in the last month:

1. Bought Exelon (EXC) on 12/30/2009 at $49.35. Exelon is one of the largest electric utilities in the country with heavy exposure to nuclear energy.
2. Ameritrade (AMTD) position was called away following the January options expiry as the stock closed well above the strike price of $17.50.
3. The Jan 60 Covered Call options on Costco (COST) shares expired worthless as the stock closed below the strike price of $60.

Our cash position is around 12%. Below is our updated portfolio – it is about 1.4% in the red:

Stock	Buy Date	Buy Price	Current Price	Current % Of Portfolio	Unrealized % Return	Yield as % of Portfolio Value
Altria (MO)	Various	16.69	20.33	3.05	21.84	0.38
Philip Morris International (PM)	1/4/2005	32.19	49.24	6.10	52.95	0.45
Kraft Foods (KFT)	Various	24.03	28.78	2.88	19.75	0.23
Pfizer (PFE)	Various	24.37	19.94	4.99	(18.17)	0.30
ICICI Bank (IBN)	5/18/2006 and 08/01/2008	25.28	37.60	9.41	48.76	0.30
Advantage Energy Fund (AAV)	11/2/2006	11.22	6.77	1.69	(39.68)	0.17
Central Europe & Russia Fund (CEE)	Various	39.23	36.29	6.36	(7.48)	0.03
Itron Inc. (ITRI)	11/07/2007	85.01	71.61	3.58	(15.86)	None
Anthracite (ACPI – formerly AHR)	11/09/2007	7.97	0.19	0.05	(97.62)	0.00
iRobot (IRBT)	12/18/2007	18.65	17.95	3.59	(2.93)	None
LDK Solar (LDK)	01/22/2008	30.49	7.22	1.08	(76.32)	None
Aegon N.V. (AEG)	04/28/2008	15.99	6.56	0.98	(58.97)	0.00
Costco (COST) Call Value	08/01/2008	62.28	58.27	2.92	(6.44)	0.07
Frontline Limited (FRO)	10/06/2008	36.95	31.56	2.37	(14.58)	0.17
DryShips Incorporated (DRYS)	02/09/2009	6.96	6.12	2.14	(12.12)	0.00
Plum Creek Timber (PCL)	07/23/2009	30.50	38.01	7.61	24.63	0.46
CPFL Energia S.A. (CPL)	07/28/2009	50.45	62.39	6.24	23.67	0.55
BP plc (BP)	08/05/2009	51.49	61.06	6.11	18.59	0.45
AT&T (T)	08/27/2009	26.38	25.83	5.17	(2.10)	0.39
Sysco Corporation (SYY)	10/13/2009	25.23	28.43	5.69	12.66	0.39
Exelon (EXC)	12/30/2009	49.38	48.45	9.00	(1.89)	0.39
Cash				11.86
Total Portfolio					(1.40)	3.81

• For ICICI Bank (IBN), we wrote March 10, 40 Covered Calls on them at $5.90 on 10/06/2009 against 40% of our shares

Below is a summary of transactions during the year:

Stock	Buy Date	Buy Price	Sell Date	Sell Price	% Gain (Loss)	% Portfolio Return*
Ameritrade (AMTD)	5/21/2008	17.69	01/19/2010	17.45	(1.33)	(0.05)
AMTD Jan 17.5 Covered Calls (TQAAW)	1/19/2010	NA	9/10/2009	NA	NA	0.57
COST Jan 60 Covered Calls (PRQAL)	1/19/2010	NA	9/10/2009	NA	NA	0.14
Realized Gain/(Loss) YTD	-	-	-	-	-	0.66

• % Gain/Loss Relative to Portfolio Value at Beginning of Year + Deposits
• The table assumes realization of profits associated with selling options only after the option is exercised or expiry.

We also did a minor adjustment to our watch list by adding Telefonica SA (TEF). The updated list follow – Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Automatic Data Processing (ADP), Boeing (BA), Becton Dickinson (BCK), BHP Billiton (BHP), Cardinal Health (CAH), Cresud (CRESY), Eaton (ETN), Emerson Electric (EMR), AgFeed (FEED), Glaxo (GSK), Home Depot (HD), Intel (INTC), Nokia (NOK), China Nepstar (NPD), Nutrisystem (NTRI), Nucor Steel (NUE), Qiagen (QGEN), Telefonica (TEF), UPS (UPS), and Waste Management (WM).

Economy, Business, Credit, and Debit @ the Roundup #15

Welcome to the January 20, 2010 edition of the Roundup.

KCLau presents From Credit Card Debt to Owning Six Houses posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "An experienced property investor sharing his financial journey with you"

Billeater presents Buying Individual Health Insurance posted at Billeater.

MatthewPaulson presents Lending Club Rates: How Much Will a Peer to Peer Personal Loan Cost You posted at American Banking News.

Diane Steward presents The Definitive Guide To Cotton ETF Investing posted at ETFdb.

debt kid presents 9 Rules To Get Out Of Debt posted at DebtKid.

Joel Ohman presents Dave Ramsey & Credit Cards: I Love Ya Dave but You are Dead Wrong posted at Credit Card Chaser.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Zecco Review: Want Free Online Trading? posted at The Digerati Life, saying, "Thanks!"

The Smarter Wallet presents Equifax Credit Report and Score: Review of Equifax Products posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, "Thanks!"

Mary Jones presents Top 35 Women’s Health Charities to Learn about and Support this Holiday Season posted at Comments on: Top 100 Diet and Fitness Blogs.

All Others

Credit Shout presents Best Credit Cards for Carrying a Balance posted at CreditShout.

Keith Morris presents Make Living With Parents a Success posted at LifeTuner, saying, "As the trend of more people leaning on parents for financial support started to rear its head earlier this year, we gathered a list of tips for people in this situation."

FIRE Getters presents Americans Living Without Bank Accounts? posted at FIRE Finance, saying, "Last weekend we were wondering how many Americans live without bank accounts. Our first thought was not many. Curious to know the facts we started researching on the web. We were stunned to find that 17 million Americans have no bank accounts! And 18% of the rest of the population that do have bank accounts use non-traditional banking services like pawn shops and payday lenders."

Lazy Man and Money presents What We Can Learn From a 12 year old Football Fan posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, "A sports story with a financial message."

James Staine presents 10 Myths about Reverse Mortgages posted at Oregon Mortgage Blog, saying, "Oregon Mortgage Blog comprises informative articles that talk about residential mortgage types, and the types of mortgage borrowers."

Editorial presents What makes them rich can make you too. Discover it now. posted at Your Best Library, saying, "What is it that makes people poor, middle-class or rich? How can you learn it to apply in your own life too?"

Braudis Lee Pegram presents 2010 For New York Entrepreneurs! posted at The koH Resources Blog.

Frank Goley presents Business Success Strategies by ABC Business Consulting » Blog Archive » Writing An Effective Business Plan- Part One posted at Business Success Strategies, saying, "The business success strategies blog is written by small business success expert, Frank Goley, the chief business consultant for ABC Business Consulting. Frank has more than twenty years experience helping companies start, grow, turn around and succeed."

Tony Clifton presents Consulting Business Online? posted at Alernative Business Online, saying, "Looks like everyone is doing consulting business online. That's OK. But what happens when you start searching for something? All you can see everywhere is "We are a great team of xxxxxx professionals", "I'm certificated expert of xxxxx", "We are the best..."."

DaveOzment presents Money Buys Us Options posted at Do You Dave Ramsey?, saying, "This article discusses the value of money relative our daily lives. Money may not buy happiness, but it does provide us with options which may enhance or diminish our lives.

I appreciate your consideration!"

Super Saver presents Roth IRA: To Convert or Not to Convert posted at My Wealth Builder.

Case Ernsting presents How to Promote your Business Product posted at FinditLocal411 Blog, saying, "There are many home business owners these days with a great product to sell. But many of these business people are searching for ways to promote their services effectively and to the right people. This post can point you in the right direction."

BWL presents 5 Money Resolutions for 2010 posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, "A few money moves for the new year..."

nissim ziv presents Online: Career Assessment Test : Top Career Assessment Tool in the Market posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, "The purpose of a professional career assessment is to have a clear written career vision – a career aspiration and a better understanding of how you operate."

Mr Credit Card presents Best Business Credit Cards Recommendations for 2009 posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

Abdulrasool Sumar presents What is a 401k Plan? History of 401k Plans & Annual Developments Timeline from 1978 - 2003 posted at 401k, saying, "As at 2003, total estimated number of 401k plans was 438,000 in America with assets totaling $1.9 trillion & 42.4 million active participants. Do you have a 401k plan?"

Luke Spencer presents Buy That House! posted at That old house, saying, "Don't waste your money on the wrong fixer upper."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
road to financial independence
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

road to financial independence, blog carnival.

Carnival of road to financial independence #15

Welcome to the January 19, 2010 edition of road to financial independence.

Beating Inflation

Evolution Of Wealth presents Cash Is Clementines!?! posted at Evolution of Wealth, saying, "For the average person that has a problem with debt cash makes sense. For the rest of use, cash will only slow us down. Cash is not king. Focus instead on the power of LUC (liquidity, use and control)."

Frugal Living

Sandra Lopez presents 100 Inspiring Personal Finance Posts for the New Year posted at Accounting Degree.com.

Big Cajun Man presents Do you have saving questions? posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, "Lots of questions to be asked about saving money..."

Sun presents Getting Ready to Create Your 2010 Budget posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

Wenchypoo presents Another Light Bulb Moment--This Time, It's Taxes posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket, saying, "By only buying raw materials and making lots of things from them, not only are you saving the cost of those other finished goods, but you're saving TAXES by not buying them!

It's legal tax avoidance."

Passive Income

David de Souza presents Tax Returns for Landlords. posted at UK Tax Blog, saying, "Due to house prices decreasing, more people are renting their properties instead of selling. This post offers 5 helpful tips to people renting their properties at the moment."

the2ndjob.com presents How Important Is a Website? posted at The 2nd Job.

Steve C presents How To Find Time To Start A Side Business posted at MyWifeQuitHerJob.com.

MDP presents Prosper Versus Lending Club posted at My Dollar Plan.

Reducing Expenses

How to Lower Your Home Mortgage Payment | eHow.com posted at FaithAllen, saying, "Learn how to reduce your monthly home mortgage payments today by"

jim presents Is YMax magicJack a Scam? posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

My Life ROI presents 6 Tips to Lower Your Homeowners Insurance Costs posted at My Life ROI, Getting the Best Return On Life, saying, "Often times people don't touch their homeowners insurance policies. However, by doing so, you are not doing yourself justice. You may be leaving lapses or gaps in coverage or you may be over-insured and paying more money then you need to."

Peak Personal Finance presents New Year Financial Resolution: Refinance posted at Peak Personal Finance, saying, "It's never too late to resolve to save money!"

Heidi presents 3 Cool Tools to Help you Save Money posted at Little People Wealth, saying, "Three Tools to help you save money online."

Alex presents Should I Use a Credit Card to Build Up Points for Rewards? | MoneyStance.com posted at MoneyStance - Money Making Opportunity Reviews, saying, "Alex’s get out of debt blog addresses a tough question, do you keep spending on credit cards because of the rewards program or is that too dangerous? See his progress on paying down a half a million dollars in debt and discuss this difficult question."

Emily Simmons presents How to Do a Debt Snowball posted at Be In Health Now, saying, "Who made a New Year's resolution to get out debt this year? This post on how to do a debt snowball should help."

Lynnae presents Why Tracking Expenses Important When Paying Off Debt posted at beingfrugal.net, saying, "Tracking your spending is important, if you want to stop the leaks in your budget and get out of debt more quickly."

emancave presents Living on a budget made easier with Mint.com posted at e-ManCave.com, saying, "Making a realistic budget and sticking to it is one key to financial independence but it's usually not easy and a lot of those fancy tools aren't easy to use either. Mint.com not only provides an easy web based tool to automatically import and track expenses against your budget but it also makes recommendations to reduce expenses further like focusing on the highest apr credit card or suggesting you do a balance transfer to a new card that has a special offer and it projects how much those changes will mean to your budget in the future. Having a visual of that impact is a huge motivator for me."

Stock Investments

Jae Jun presents How to create online investment tracking spreadsheet posted at Old School Value, saying, "Use this free stock tracking spreadsheet or learn how to create your own dynamic online portfolio tracking spreadsheet that is always up to date. You can now view it anywhere, anytime."

FMF presents Asset Allocation and Investing Temperament the Sound Mind Investing Way (And Giveaway!) posted at Free Money Finance, saying, "The single-most important thing anyone can do to improve the return on their investments is to set and maintain an appropriate asset allocation. This articles gives thoughts on the process of doing so."

Darwin presents Business Development Companies – Excellent Overlooked Investment Strategy posted at Darwin's Finance, saying, "A Business Development Company (BDC) is a niche investment category that even many high yield investors don’t have much familiarity with. You probably should given what you're missing."

Nesher presents Never add to a losing position: Trading Decision Basics posted at Internet Stock Trading for Beginners.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
road to financial independence
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

road to financial independence, blog carnival.

Best Values in Unlocked GSM Cellphones - A Comparative Review

Unlocked cellphones are the standard in many parts of the world. In the US, the major service providers use a subscription revenue model that relies on heavily discounting the upfront cost of a cellphone and making it up by tying customers to a long-term contract (2 years or more) that assures a steady stream of monthly revenue. To prevent customers from using the phone with a competitor’s service, they lock such phones. For consumers, there are several disadvantages to this approach including the fact that one has to jump through hoops to use it outside the country. For this reason, unlocked cellphones are a popular choice among a small segment of the population.

Service providers have prepaid options that allow these phones to be used with AT&T, Verizon, and other service provider networks. Unlocked GSM cellphones are a popular choice because they can be used outside the US more easily – use a SIM card from the local provider. These work with GSM providers in the US such as AT&T and T-Mobile. It will not work on CDMA providers such as Verizon, Alltel, and Sprint.

For a best-value comparison, we used the spreadsheet below sorted in ascending order by price:

Model	Thumbnail	Price	Features	Comments
Motorola Motofone F3		22.99	Dual-band GSM – will work in USA but not in Europe and Asia. Ink Display – easy to read even on direct sunlight, GPRS, 250 contacts, clock, alarm, 4.5 hour battery. 3.8 x 2 x 0.8 inches ; 4.3 ounces	Excellent Value. Consider quad-band GSM cellphones, if you plan to travel outside the US frequently. The same model sold in Europe and Asia also has dual-band but covers the other two frequencies used there (900/1800) instead of the two (850/1900) used here.
Motorola V195		$50	Quad-band GSM – will work globally. Classic clam-shell design in the legendary v300 style, GPRS, dual-LCD, polyphonic ringtones, Bluetooth – hands-free calling, SMS/MMS, 10MB memory (not expandable), 8-hour battery, 1.8 x 0.9 x 3.6 inches, 4.4 ounces	Excellent Value for global use. Close-out pricing may be available on the V191, the older model.
Motorola SLVR l6i		$139.99	Quad-band GSM – will work globally. GPRS/Edge Data, FM Radio, Camera, Bluetooth – hands-free calling, Speakerphone, Polyphonic ringtones, mp3 ringers, SMS/MMS, 10MB memory (not expandable), 5.8-hour battery, 4.33 x 1.93 x 0.41 inches, 2.82 ounces	Rip-off.
Nokia 5030 XpressRadio		$79.75	Quad-band GSM (850/1800/1900) – will work globally – one of the most popular models in the Asian market – Nokia OS, 4.3 x 1.8 x 0.6 inches; 2.9 ounces	Excellent Value.
Nokia 5300 XpressMusic		$89.75	Tri-band GSM (850/1800/1900) – will not work globally – older networks in many parts of the world use the 900-band were it won't work. MicroSD Slot (2GB Max), MP3 player, Camera, Bluetooth, Java Games and Apps – Nokia OS, 6 x 9 x 12 inches; 3.6 ounces	Good Value, if you need a single-device to handle phone, music, and camera needs.
Samsung Blackjack i607		$119.99	Windows Mobile Smartphone with QWERTY keyboard, 3G – UMTS/HSPDA, Quad-Band GSM – works globally, Camera, MicroSD Card Slot, 5-hour battery, 4.45 x 2.32 x .46 inches. Weight: 3.5 ounces.	Excellent Value for a 3G phone. Lacks Wi-Fi, but users on a 3G data plan won’t need it. No touch screen but the below $100 pricing is outstanding for a smart phone with the full feature set.
Motorola SLVR l9		$289.99	Features of Motorola SLVR l6i PLUS better camera, FM Radio, Expandable Memory, digital/video player, noise cancellation, 6.7-hour battery, 4 4.4 x 1.9 x 0.4 inches; 3.4 ounces	Rip-off.
LG KP500		$99.99	Features of Motorola SLVR l9 PLUS 3-inch touchscreen, better camera and camcorder, Bluetooth Stereo Music, 8GB MicrosSD exapansion slot, 3.5 hour battery, 0.5 x 2.2 x 4.2 inches ; 3.2 ounces	Excellent Value. The pricing is outstanding. So, go for it!
Nokia X3 Slider		$139.99	Features of LG KP500 PLUS 24 hours of music playtime, direct access with camera key, over the air software updates, up to 7.5 hours talk time, 3.78" x 1.94" x 0.56", 3.63 oz	Good Value.
Nokia E63-2		$169.99	Features of Motorola SLVR l9 PLUS Wi-Fi, 3G (UMTS), Access to corporate/personal email; QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth Stereo Music, Better Camera and Camcorder, Media Player, MicroSD Slot (upto 16GB), Text to speech, IEEE 802.11g wireless, Symbian OS 9.2 – Java Apps, Email – POP3, SMTP, IMAP4, GPRS/EDGE – Class 32, WAP 2.0, 10.5 hour battery, 2.3 x 0.5 x 4.4 inches; 4.4 ounces	Excellent Value for global business use.
Nokia 5530 XpressMusic Tourchscreen		$189	Features of Nokia E63-2 PLUS Touchscreen Display, one-year unlimited music download, Better Camera, newer development platform, TV output, lighter MINUS 3G capability, slightly lesser talktime (battery).	Good entertainment oriented phone.
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Tourchscreen		$219.99	Features of Nokia 5530 PLUS 3.5G, Integrated GPS, Geo-tagging, Accelerometer Sensor, Better Battery.	Excellent value for entertainment oriented phone with touchscreen Wi-Fi and integrated GPS. Also, the one-year unlimited music access is unique to Nokia's "Comes With Music" Edition phones.
Nokia E71		$227.54	Features of Nokia E63-2 PLUS GPS, Metal Casing, Better Camera, and 3.5G Network (HSDPA).	Good alternative to E63-2, if you need GPS.
Blackberry Curve 8900		$319.99	Features of Motorola SLVR l9 PLUS Wi-Fi, GPS using Blackberry Maps, Trackball Navigation, Access to corporate/personal email; QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth Stereo Music, Better Camera and Camcorder, Media Player, MicroSD Slot (upto 16GB), Text to speech, IEEE 802.11g wireless, Blackberry OS–Apps, SMS/MMS/Email/IM, GPRS/EDGE – Class 10, WAP, 5.5 hour battery, 4.3 x 2.4 x 0.5 inches; 3.9 ounces	Expensive but is a standard among business users.
Nokia N97 Mini		$369.99	Features of Nokia E71 PLUS Wi-Fi, Resistive Touch Screen, 3G (HSDPA), Storage – 8GB Internal , expandable to 16GB through external MicroSD slot, 5MP Camera, Geo-tagging, Symbian OS v9.4 – Java Apps, A-GPS with Nokia Maps, FM Visual Radio, N-gage, 4.2 x 2.2 x 0.6 inches, 5.29 ounces.	Good alternative to iPhone with no contract!
Nokia N900 Mobile Computer Smartphone		$399.99	Features of Nokia N97 Mini PLUS Maemo 5 Linux Based OS, 32GB storage, 1GB Memory,Fast Multitasking, Full QWERTY keyboard, 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches, 6.38 ounces.	Excellent alternative to iPhone with no contract!

Summary:

There are plenty of choices in the unlocked GSM phone market. A basic phone that can be used globally can be had for around $50. On the other end of the spectrum is smartphones like the Nokia N900 that pack a large number of features along with touch-screen, apps, and GPS functionality for a premium price. We chose Nokia E63-2 during this holiday season – our requirements were for a smartphone that could be used globally for a reasonable price and this Nokia fit the bill nicely. For consumers who want an unlocked Apple iPhone, buy.com has those but the pricing is steep at about one grand. HTC Nexus One by Google is the newest entrant in the market – it has a nice feature set that should give the high-end products a run for their money in the coming months.

Last Updated: 08/2010.

401K & Retirement Accounts 2010 Reallocations

We did some minor allocation shifts for 2010. The idea was to shift between funds so as to reach a 35-35-30 split among domestic, international, and bond funds respectively, compared to our existing of 37-34-29 split among those asset classes.

To reach our target allocation, we moved slightly less than one-percent of our overall portfolio value from Fidelity Small Cap Stock Fund (FSLCX) to the PIMCO Total Return Fund (PTTRX). The Fidelity fund had an incredible year returning 71% but it would be hard to replicate. We also moved about half-a-percent of our portfolio value each from the two sector specific fidelity funds we own – Fidelity Select Healthcare (FSPHX) & Fidelity Select Technology Fund (FSPTX). The Fidelity Select Technology Fund (FSPTX) was the best-performing fund in our portfolio last year with a return of over 96%. The Fidelity Select Healthcare Fund (FSPHX) also performed well returning around 35%. Going forward, we do not see significant out-performance by these two sectors. The funds were moved to Vanguard Pacific ETF (VPL). The pacific stock index returned less than 25% last year, but we expect relative outperformance in this area of the market in the coming year.

Below is our updated portfolio:

Symbol	% of Portfolio	Fund Fees	Fund Return 2009 (After Fees)	Comments
ABF Small Cap Value (AVFIX)	4.86	0.82	41.94	A Small-cap value fund with about 1.2B of total assets under management.
Artisan Mid-cap Value (ARTMX)	2.40	1.21	57.20	A mid-cap value fund with about 3.7B of total assets under management.Top 10 holdings account for 30% of assets.
Dodge & Cox Stock Fund (DODGX)	6.67	0.52	34.42	A Large cap value fund with a history of outperforming the S&P500 index. Has very low turnover ratio. The fund is very big (~70B) and so outperformance may be harder to come by going forward.
Fidelity Diversified International Fund (FDIVX)	18.23	1.00	37.05	Diversified large-cap international growth fund. This fund is very big at over 58B. Turnover is at 58%. Has a history of outperforming its related index, the MSCI EAFE.
Fidelity Small Cap Stock Fund (FSLCX)	4.49	0.95	70.85	None.
Fidelity Low Priced Stock Fund (FLPSX)	3.65	0.83	43.68	None.
PIMCO Total Return Fund (PTTRX)	17.39	0.52	7.14	None.
Misc.	0.14	0.00	0.00
Calomos Growth A (CVGRX)	3.66	1.22	57.16	A 12B large cap growth fund. The top 10 holdings represent about 27% of assets.
Schwab S&P500 Index (SWPIX)	3.02	0.36	28.92	An index fund that tracks the performance of the S&P500 index benchmark.
William Blair International Growth (WBIGX)	3.49	1.67	46.18	A 5B large cap international fund with between 10 and 25% exposure to emerging markets.
Vanguard Pacific Stock Index (VPACX)	4.11	0.27	23.00	An index fund that tracks the performance of the MSCI Pacific index benchmark.
Vanguard Inflation Protected Securities (VIPSX)	9.22	0.20	7.54	Invests in inflation indexed bonds (primarily US) with maturities between 7 and 20 years.
Vanguard Emerging Market ETF (VWO)	7.18	0.25	78.49	None.
Fidelity International Real Estate Stock Fund (FIREX)	0.89	0.96	37.50	None.
Fidelity Small Cap Growth Fund (FCPGX)	3.45	1.09	49.82	None.
Fidelity Select Technology (FSPTX)	1.35	0.88	96.94	A sector specific fund focused on large cap technology stocks with about 2B in assets under management. Top 10 holdings account for 45% of total assets.
Fidelity Select Health Care (FSPHX)	1.43	0.87	34.59	A sector specific fund focused on large cap healthcare stocks with about 2B in assets under management. Top 10 holdings account for 38% of total assets.
Vanguard Pacific ETF (VPL)	1.09	0.00	23.07	None.
Cash and Money Market	0.11	0	0	None.
Pension Plan	3.16	0	3.70	Company Fully Vested Cash Balance Pension Plan.