Articles by mgedwards

Institute of Children’s Literature

I’m thinking about signing up for an Institute of Children’s Literature writing course to hone my writing skills and help me develop a publishable manuscript.  I’ve received their offers in the mail periodically over the years.  I wondered whether it was a scam, but after researching their web site and online testimonies from satisfied students (paid? who knows) I decided that they’re legitimate and make give them a try.  The Institute is not very forthcoming on their course fee schedule, but I figured out that their basic course costs about $600.00.  In this age of high college tuition costs, that isn’t too expensive.  The fee buys you personal guidance from published authors, which is valuable in and of itself. 
 
At present I’m mulling it over.  If you have any thoughts one whether I should enroll in this course, please let me know right away.

Creative destruction

Like the fall of the Berlin Wall, I blew away our former WorldAdventurers.com web site.  Like a home constantly being added to and remodeled, it desperately needed a makeover.  I archived the old site and am starting over from scratch.  You’re welcome to take a tour here:
 
 
There’s not much to look at yet.  Like this blog, it will take time to fill up again with photos, stories and updates.  However, I’ve fundamentally changed my philosophy on this blog and the World Adventurers web site — doing it is best done in moderation.  If I do a bit little by little, I’m more apt to continue it than if I sit down to do an epic amount of work.  Check back frequently for updates.

Apple and Google – Gifts that Keep Giving

A year after I bought shares of Apple and Google, I am happy to announce that I still own them and that they’ve been paying dividends.  Well, not true dividends — neither company offers dividends to shareholders.  However, Apple’s stock gained over 115 percent since last October, and Google over 60 percent.  My only lamentation is that I wish I had bought shares of Amazon.com, which is also up substantially.  Thankful, the contrarian strategy of buying equity in concentration rather than diversifying worked well during the economic rebound.
 
What’s next?  Real estate.  We’re moving cash out of equities in anticipation of buying a property in the next year.  If you have any extra cash, you might consider the same strategy.  The best time to buy is when things look most bearish.