Good morning everyone. I took a break for Thanksgiving. In the US, Thanksgiving is a tradition that goes back to 1621 when English settlers and Wampanoag Indians celebrated the Autumn harvest. So I had a nice 4-day break and I am ready to get back to my schedule. This time is marked by family and friends getting together. The main objective is to give thanks.

So I am thankful for my family, my friends and colleagues. When I was a kid in India, there was a very famous movie called Roti, Kapda Aur Makan, which translates into bread, clothing and house. There is a song in the movie which says that there are three important things in life: food, clothing and shelter. So I am thankful for the fact that I can have three good meals a day (and some in between as well), that I have clothes on my body and that I have a roof over my head. In addition, I have my health and a good source of income. I am also thankful for readers like you who take a part of your valuable time and spend it on reading my blog. So please reflect on things you are thankful for.

Hi everyone. It is very important to get a good night’s sleep. There have been many studies and most scientists agree that adults need about 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep every night. One sleepless night can impair your movement and focus as if you are drunk. Two sleepless nights in a row can make you forgetful, have slurred speech and stumble when you walk.

Another disadvantage of not getting enough sleep is that our activity goes up so our energy expenditure goes up and we tend to eat more. The other reason why we eat more is because lack of sleep decreases the levels of the hormone leptin which signals our body to stop eating and increases the levels of the hormone ghrelin which signals our body to eat more. A study in March 2016 showed that lack of sleep activates the endocannabinoid system. This system is involved in reward driven or pleasurable eating. This system is also triggered when people smoke marijuana. Studies have shown that people smoking marijuana feel hungry afterwards. But getting back to lack of sleep, two studies have shown that we tend to consume lot of extra calories (between 400-1000 extra calories). It is more than what we need to compensate for increase in energy expenditure. The worst part about this is not the extra calories, but the type of extra calories. These studies showed that we tend to eat fatty and salty foods rather than proteins. Lack of sleep also decreases sensitivity to insulin and can lead to Type 2 diabetes.

So  make sure you get a good night’s sleep.

Hi all. People think that when they are rich, they will be financially free. But that is not true. For example, if you think that having $2million is being rich, I would say well it depends. If you live in California or in New York City, $2million will not buy you a house. Rich people may have a lot of money, but they may have to work hard to maintain their lifestyle. Any change in their situation like a loss in a business or in the stock market could be disastrous. Besides it is more important to keep what you make. If your expenses are equal to or more than your income, you are not rich. On the other hand if you have no debt, no mortgage and your expenses are less than your income.

The other issue is that definition of rich is different for different people. Your earning maybe high, but will it keep coming in if you are not in the picture. I believe that in order to be financially free, you need to have a mixture of active and passive income. Active income is where you earn money for your time. But passive income is income from properties or stock dividends, interest on a money market or Certificate of Deposit or something similar. In other words, you will continue making passive income even if you are not in the picture.

So try to be financially free rather than rich.

Hi everyone. We have all been there. We take on a new project or a new resolution, especially at the end of the year and we are all gung ho about it. But then we don’t make as much progress as we thought or we get stuck and then we lose the will to continue. How do you get back on track? I had written about getting back on track a few days ago, but this is a reinforcement. Here are the seven steps:

1. Keep the dream alive- Even if you are stuck or life gets in the way, find ways to keep your dream alive. Post your mission/vision where you can see it daily. Put pictures up. In other words, do whatever it takes to keep the idea fresh.
2. Be persistent and gritty- No matter how much planning you did, you are bound to run into some obstacles. The key is to stay focused and persistent.
3. Do what you do best-If you are starting a new venture, you may be watching your expenses and will try to do everything on your own. But you need to focus on what you do best. There are many services that you can outsource very cheap. Take advantage of them.
4. Get feedback- You are too close to your project and you need someone to take high level point of view. Get feedback from someone you trust and will have your best interest in mind. If you are a businessman, get feedback from another businessman, not someone who is doing a job.
5. Learn from your experiences- Learn from your good and bad experiences. Repeat the good and correct the bad.
6. Have realistic expectations- If your goal is to lose 40 pounds, you cannot lose it in one week. That is unrealistic. If you say I want to make a million dollars in two months, that may be possible, but extremely difficult. So have realistic expectations.
7. Have fun- If you look at your project as a necessary evil or a chore, you will resent it. Instead have fun, take some breaks to recharge yourself.

To your success.

Hi everyone. In my previous posts you may have noticed that I write about business. One of my objectives is to become an entrepreneur. I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 18 years and love the fact that the medicines I worked on are helping people. But I hate the uncertainty. Your job is never secure. Also depending upon where you work and what your position is salary raise, bonus etc. are not guaranteed.

I recently came across two books written by women advising other women about starting their own business. One is called In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney and the other is Power Your Happy by Lisa Sugar. So below, I will list things from both the books.

1. Don’t do anything drastic. Start part-time if you can because in the initial stages of building your business, the additional income will help.
2. It is never too late to start a business. Colonel Sanders was 62 years old when he founded Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1952.
3. When you are at the stage where you want to hire people, hire hard working people who are equally passionate about the business.
4. Once you hire people, promote from within.
5. Success means different things to different people. Success does not mean money.
6. It is difficult to maintain a work-life balance no matter how hard you try. So accept that you won’t be able to do the things you want to do all the time. But there are many support groups and entrepreneur resources that you can turn to if you need help.
7. Keep up on technology. There is no excuse for not doing this. A few years ago, it was not necessary to have a website. Nowadays, it is a must. Similarly, social media was not very popular, but again today, it is a must.

So I hope this was useful. I know it is not a step-by-step guide to starting your business, but I will do that when I have my own business.

Hi everyone. For the last few days I talked about health and some wisdom. Today I thought I will talk a little about wealth, specifically how to build wealth for your children.

The easiest thing to do is to open a savings account for your child. You can invest a small amount like $50 per month. Nowadays you can manage the account online, so your children can learn how to do that. They can also deposit any money they get from relatives or prizes into that account. But the interest rates are so low that if you want to build wealth, this method will not work.

The next best thing to do is to open a brokerage account with you acting as a custodian. In the US the Uniformed Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) is a way for children to own stocks and securities. This type of account is very different from a regular old savings account, essentially it is a trust that allows a minor to receive thousands of dollars a year without any legal issues.  An account is set up for the child, and a custodian is appointed to oversee the funds and the investments. This type of trust allows the custodian to buy stocks, mutual funds, and other types of securities and assets. I did that for our kids. I created an account and I buy shares of Walt Disney Company. You can look into companies like Toysrus, McDonalds, or anything that your children like. But stocks can be volatile.

Yet another investment is Index Funds. These funds mimic an index like S&P 500, meaning they invest in stocks that are in the S&P 500. The best part is that the portfolio is balanced by a computer model so there is little or no human intervention. So you take out the emotional aspect.

The key to building wealth is to start as early as you can. Warren Buffet started investing when he was 11 and he thought that he was late. But the magic of compounding is unbelievable. As an example, a child who invests $50 a month for six years before the age of 13 and then never invests another cent will end up with more than $723,000 at age 65. An adult would have to invest nearly $200 a month for 35 years and ensure they get a 10% rate of return on their money to be able to retire with the same amount at age 65.

Finally, I do want to say this. I am not a certified financial planner or an accounting professional. My post should not be taken as financial advice. You should contact a professional before making any financial decisions. Also, things I said here, apply to the US. If you are outside the US, you should look into similar investment vehicle in consultation with a licensed professional in that country.

Hi everyone. A couple of days ago I wrote about how the sugar industry shifted the blame to fat. Then the famous food pyramid was developed by the department of agriculture which said that you have to eat 5 servings of grain in the form of breads, pastas etc. On top of the pyramid there were fats and oils. But new research has shown that nothing is further from the truth. In fact you have to eat fat to lose fat. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but that is what research indicates. In fact fat is what gives food its taste and mouth feel. Read the label of a low-fat food and you will notice that it is loaded with sodium and sugar. So here are 7 fat busting foods:

1. Whole eggs- Eat the eggs whole. Yes eggs have cholesterol but our body needs cholesterol to synthesize different hormones. Besides they are such a great source of protein.
2. Nuts- Like almonds, pecans, walnuts have healthy fats that are necessary. But don’t sit in front of the TV with a bowl full of nuts. Typical serving is about 10-12 nuts. Also if possible avoid salted nuts.
3.  Seeds-Such as sunflower seeds and flax seeds also have beneficial oils and protein
4. Avocado- has healthy fats
5. Olive Oil- mono-unsaturated fats
6. Fatty fish- like tuna, mackerel. They contain omega-3 fatty acids which are useful for us. If you don’t eat fish, like me, you can take fish oil capsules, but it is not same thing.
7. Coconut oil- It has medium chain triglycerides and it.

But these are fatty foods so please eat them in moderation. Also you have to be aware of what else you are eating with your meal. So give the above foods a shot.

Hi everyone. Unless you have been hiding under a rock or a dark cave, you know that the US has a new President and it is Mr. Donald Trump. Eight years ago, when Mr. Obama became the president, he broke the race barrier. This year there was a possibility that the gender barrier, the glass ceiling would be broken if Mrs. Clinton became president. In fact her victory party was being held at a convention center that has a glass ceiling. It is surprising that the oldest democracy in the world and one of the most developed countries in the world has yet to choose a female president. Many countries outside the US have already done that. Margaret Thatcher in the UK, Angela Merkel in Germany, Indira Gandhi in India, Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, Sirimavo Bandarnaike in Sri Lanka, Khaleda Zia in Bangladesh, Golda Mier in Israel and I can go on and on.

In her concession speech yesterday Mrs. Clinton said that the glass will break and sooner than some people might think. She also has given hope to many young girls. My teenage daughter said that she wants to be the president of the US. But Mrs. Clinton is 69 and in 4 years, she may not run again. But hopefully someone else will.

Good morning everyone. The US has a new President and it will be Mr. Donald J. Trump Jr. Now he will start putting his cabinet together. I hope one of the government agency he overhauls is the Health and Human Services and specifically the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Personally I have experienced the disastrous results what it is like to deal with the FDA. But I also hope that he looks at other areas such as nutrition.

About 2 months ago, The New York Times published an article which shows that the Sugar Industry Shifted the Blame for the obesity epidemic in the US to Fat. In the 1960’s the sugar industry paid scientists to link heart disease with saturated fat rather than sugar. These documents were brought to light by Dr. Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). An association called the Sugar Research Foundation paid $50,000 each to three Harvard professors. All of them have died, but one of them went on to become Head of Nutrition at the US Department of Agriculture and helped formulate their nutrition guidelines.

Research done afterwards shows that saturated fats are not the culprit and that you need to eat some fats if you want to lose weight. In the 1960’s, researchers were not required to disclose their sources of funding, but today that is not the case. So whenever you see a study claiming a certain result, look at their funding and look at who is doing it. Always do your own research when it comes to your health.

Hi all. Today is election day in the US. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have run a nasty campaign. A lot of mud slinging. It has also divided the nation. Both of them have skeletons in their closets and they were on display. Trump’s taped conversation about how he treats women was leaked. There were cyberattacks on US government websites and they were sponsored by Russia. Hillary Clinton blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to influence the US election. E-mails sent by Hillary Clinton were also leaked. In it she talked about her democratic opponent and his followers. On top of that the FBI was investigating whether Hillary Clinton jeopardized national security by sending secure e-mails using a personal server. Two days ago, the FBI released a report saying that Hillary is cleared. After the report, the stock market went up almost 400 points. The reason is that Wall Street believes Hillary is going to win and she is going to maintain the status quo. You might be wondering what status quo. The Obama administration has printed money to make it easier for companies to borrow. But the companies are not using the money to create new jobs or new products. Instead they are buying back shares, reducing debt and giving bonuses to their management. The Federal Reserve (Fed) has kept the interest rate at near zero percent. No matter whether the economy shows signs of improvement, no matter whether the unemployment rate drops, the Fed has not increased interest rates. This is the status quo.

So today, when you vote, you might pick Hillary or Donald. But in reality, vote for yourself. No matter who gets elected, you are not a priority for them. You have to take care of yourself. Believe in your ability to make your financial situation better. But go out and exercise your right to vote. Make your voice count.