Back Up Your Files

I've seen one too many dead hard drives lately and every time someone loses some really important data. So if you haven't had this happen to you yet, I seriously urge you to *please* backup your data. And by backing up, I don't mean copying it to your flash drive/external hard drive and erasing it off your computer. Your flash drive/external hard drive are just as likely to malfunction as the drive on your computer (some may argue that they are more likely to malfunction).

How do I backup my data?

There are a few good options you can choose from.

• External hard drive backup solution - some come with backup software that makes it easy for you to pre-configure which folders/files you want to back up and it does so automatically. If you find one that has RAID functionality, I highly recommend that. RAID allows you to mirror your data on 2 drives. Trust me, the data is worth more than the drives so it's worth it for the added peace of mind. Pros: backups are relatively fast. Cons: if your house burns down, your external hard drive typically burns down with it.
• Online backup solution - there are many online backup solutions available on the market. The one I use is mozy.com and it's pretty easy to use and fairly inexpensive. With this service, your files are typically encrypted and then sent to a data center with proper equipment to keep your data safe. Pros: even if your house burns down, your data is still safe. Cons: typically slow to back up your data as you have to send info over the internet to a data center.

If you choose neither of the above, then at the very least, please make sure your computer is configured to do RAID mirroring.

Using Money to Make Money II

Finally, this is the conclusion from a previous blog on making money with money. Sorry about the wait.

After a series of mishaps with the lender, the lawyer and the broker, I finally got the mortgage arrangement I wanted. I extended my amortization by about 10 years and was able to pocket a cool sum while paying the same P&I each month.

On top of that, my home value went up and I was able to roll the additional equity as a line of credit.

Now I've some investment money at a pretty good rate of < 5%. The next thing is to find investment opportunities where I could comfortably beat 5% as a return on investment. I was toying with the idea of real estate for the longest time but eventually opted not to do real estate for 2 main reasons.

1. It didn't leave me much cash for a rainy day.
2. Based on my calculations, the rental ROI for a downtown property only allowed me to break even.

I have a simplistic way of calculating ROI for rentals:

100% * (Expected Monthly Rent * 11 / Price You Paid for the Property) - Expected Annual Expenses

Expected Monthly Rent is how much you can reasonably charge for your property in order to minimize your likelihood of vacancy. You multiply by 11 because chances are if you get a vacancy, it'll take you 1 month to fill it.

Price You Paid for the Property is exactly that.

Expected Annual Expenses should include things like repairs, maintenance fees, utilities, taxes and cost of borrowing.

I ended up investing half the sum I had in stocks and was able to break even within a couple of months.

How I Lost Weight

Before I begin my rant, I just want to warn that weight loss in itself shouldn't be a goal. It is better to adjust your goals to become more healthy - weight loss simply is a side effect of healthier living.

I was starting to get pretty out of shape round about 2 years ago. As a result I was about 15lbs overweight. In order to try to get back to a healthier lifestyle, I started to run 2 miles 3 times a week to see if I could get back in shape and lose some pounds. I also cut out my intake of soft drinks and sweets. This used to work wonders back when I was a teenager and even into my 20s. Exercise and better eating. A great starter combination toward healthier living.

But somehow, now in my 30s, the running sans-pop lifestyle didn't seem to do the trick. Net weight loss... zero. So now what? Well, it so happens my wife was put on a restrictive diet by her doctor due to allergy complications at around the same time. In support of her, I followed the same eating instructions. Lo and behold, it worked. I lost the 15lbs.

So what was the difference in what I ate before and what I now eat?

I'd say the biggest difference is in the amount of rice. I used to eat roughly a cup of rice per meal. It's now down to a quarter cup. To put that in perspective, it's about 3 spoonfuls. Yep. 3. The amount of meats I eat seems to have doubled. Roughly 6 - 8oz. That's about the size of a steak or two chicken legs. Lastly, way way way more veggies than I've ever eaten. Sorry, no dressing.

The first 10 days or so made me feel hungry all the time. Strangely though, I didn't feel tired or lacking in energy. I still played hockey on a regular basis and wasn't worse for wear. After the 10 days, I got used to the new amount I was eating. Seems my stomach must've shrunk cuz now I felt full way more quickly than before.

One last notable thing. I vary the foods from meal to meal to make sure I get an assortment of nutrients. I also take a multi-vitamin supplement.

At the end of the day, it still boils down to exercise and better eating habits. So much has changed, yet so much has stayed the same.