Am I Ready for Investing?

Over the last few months, over a dozen friends and relatives have asked me how to invest to get passive income. I've talked myself hoarse from sharing the few strategies that I use and the basics on how to execute on those strategies.

There are many investment opportunities and investment strategies out there. Not all of them are suitable for you. But if you have large savings sitting in a GIC or a Savings Account wondering if you can I make more than that, the answer is yes.

That being the case, the next question that follows is "how risky". The simple answer to that is "more". So before you delve into the details of investing, you should first examine your situation and yourself to see if you have what it takes to take on this added risk. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Do I have money to invest that I won't use for anything else?
  To make a passive income, you have to have money invested the whole time. Call this seed money. Seed money isn't liquid. This means that you cannot just take it out anytime you want. You can take out your income you make off the seed money but the seed money itself should remain invested. The larger your seed money, the larger your potential to reduce your risk.
  
• Am I temperamental?
  Warren Buffet, one of the world's most respected investors, once said "Once you have ordinary intelligence, what you need is the temperament to control the urges that get other people into trouble in investing." From experience, I can say that when the economy looks really bad or really good, it's easy to make brash decisions that will bite you in the end. The more you have stomach for this, the less risky you will be to yourself.
  

If you don't fit the bill on these exploratory questions, it's best to stand pat with the GICs and Savings Accounts.

Customizing Blogger/Blogspot - Final touches

This is the final post of this series. The next steps are to:

• hide the toolbar at the top
• remove the dotted lines
• close the margins between the panels

Hiding the toolbar is pretty easy. Just add this to the end of your b:skin section:

#navbar { display: none; }

Removing the dotted lines isn't too difficult either. We just have to reduce the dotted border width to 0 pixels. Simply look for all instances of the word dotted. If you see:

border: 1px dotted...

Change it to:

border: 0px dotted...

And if within the same block, you see:

border-width: 1px...;

Change it to:

border-width: 0px;

Lastly, closing the margins. This is trickier as you have to do this pretty much by trial and error. Go through all the sections and tweak the margins and paddings. For the sake of brevity, I will include my entire style section here:

body {
background:$bodyBgColor;
margin:0;
text-align:center;
line-height: 1.5em;
font:x-small Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Sans-serif;
color:$mainTextColor;
font-size/* */:/**/small;
font-size: /**/small;
}


/* Page Structure
----------------------------------------------- */
/* The images which help create rounded corners depend on the
 following widths and measurements. If you want to change
 these measurements, the images will also need to change.
 */
#outer-wrapper {
width:1000px;
margin:0 auto;
text-align:$startSide;
font: $bodyFont;
background: $topSidebarBgColor;
}
#main-wrap1 {
width:700px;
float:$startSide;
background:$mainBgColor;
margin:0;
padding:15px 0 10px;
color:$mainTextColor;
font-size:97%;
line-height:1.5em;
word-wrap: break-word;
overflow: hidden;   
}
#main-wrap2 {
float:$startSide;
width:100%;
padding:10px 0 0;
}
#main {
padding:0;
width:680px;
}
#sidebar-wrap {
width:300px;
float:$endSide;
margin:15px 0 0;
font-size:97%;
line-height:1.5em;
word-wrap: break-word;
overflow: hidden;   
}

.main .widget {
margin-top: 4px;
width: 680px;
padding: 0 13px;
}

.main .Blog {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
width: 680px;
}

.inline-ad {
padding-left: 19px; padding-bottom: 20px;
margin-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-right: 20px;
border: 1px dotted $borderColor;
border-width: 0px 0px 1px 0px;
}

/* Links
----------------------------------------------- */
a:link {
color: $mainLinkColor;
}
a:visited {
color: $mainVisitedLinkColor;
}
a:hover {
color: $mainVisitedLinkColor;
}
a img {
border-width:0;
}


/* Blog Header
----------------------------------------------- */
#header-wrapper {
background:$titleBgColor;
margin-top:0px;
margin-$endSide:0;
margin-bottom:0;
margin-$startSide:0;
padding-top:0;
padding-$endSide:0;
padding-bottom:0;
padding-$startSide:0;
color:$titleTextColor;

}
#header {
padding:0; margin: 0;
height: 300px; width: 1000px;
background: url('BANNER URL') no-repeat left top;
}
#header h1 {
margin:0;
padding:90px 500px 30px 30px;
line-height:1.2em;
font: $pageTitleFont;
}
#header a,
#header a:visited {
text-decoration:none;
color: $titleTextColor;
}
#header .description {
margin:0;
padding: 5px 500px 10px 30px;
line-height:1.5em;
font: $descriptionFont;
}


/* Posts
----------------------------------------------- */
h2.date-header {
margin-top:0;
margin-$endSide:28px;
margin-bottom:0;
margin-$startSide:43px;
font-size:85%;
line-height:2em;
text-transform:uppercase;
letter-spacing:.2em;
color:$dateHeaderColor;
}
.post {
margin:.3em 0 25px;
padding:0 13px;
border:0px dotted $borderColor;
}
.post h3 {
margin:0;
line-height:1.5em;
background:
 url("http://www2.blogblog.com/rounders/icon_arrow.gif")
 no-repeat 10px .5em;
display:block;
border:0px dotted $borderColor;
border-width:0px;
padding-top:2px;
padding-$endSide:14px;
padding-bottom:2px;
padding-$startSide:29px;
color: $postTitleColor;
font: $postTitleFont;
}
.post h3 a, .post h3 a:visited {
text-decoration:none;
color: $postTitleColor;
}
a.title-link:hover {
background-color: $borderColor;
color: $mainTextColor;
}
.post-body {
border:0px dotted $borderColor;
border-width:0px;
border-bottom-color:$mainBgColor;
padding-top:10px;
padding-$endSide:14px;
padding-bottom:1px;
padding-$startSide:29px;
}
html>body .post-body {
border-bottom-width:0;
}
.post-body {
margin:0 0 .75em;
}
.post-body blockquote {
line-height:1.3em;
}
.post-footer {
/* background: #ded; */
margin:0;
padding-top:14px;
padding-$endSide:14px;
padding-bottom:15px;
padding-$startSide:29px;
border:0px dotted $borderColor;
border-width: 0px;
font-size:100%;
line-height:1.5em;
color: #666;
}
/*
The first line of the post footer might only have floated text,
so we need to give it a height. The height comes from the post-
footer line-height
*/
.post-footer-line-1 {
min-height:1.5em;
_height:1.5em;
}

.post-footer p {
margin: 0;
}

html>body .post-footer {
border-bottom-color:transparent;
}

.uncustomized-post-template .post-footer {
text-align: $endSide;
}

.uncustomized-post-template .post-author,
.uncustomized-post-template .post-timestamp {
display: block;
float: $startSide;
text-align:$startSide;
margin-$endSide: 4px;
}

.post-footer a {
color: #258;
}
.post-footer a:hover {
color: #666;
}
a.comment-link {
/* IE5.0/Win doesn't apply padding to inline elements,
   so we hide these two declarations from it */
background/* */:/**/url("http://www.blogblog.com/rounders/icon_comment_$startSide.gif") no-repeat $startSide 45%;
padding-$startSide:14px;
}
html>body a.comment-link {
/* Respecified, for IE5/Mac's benefit */
background:url("http://www.blogblog.com/rounders/icon_comment_$startSide.gif") no-repeat $startSide 45%;
padding-$startSide:14px;
}
.post img, table.tr-caption-container {
margin-top:0;
margin-$endSide:0;
margin-bottom:5px;
margin-$startSide:0;
padding:4px;
border:1px solid $borderColor;
}
.tr-caption-container img {
border: none;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
blockquote {
margin:.75em 0;
border:1px dotted $borderColor;
border-width:1px 0;
padding:5px 15px;
color: $dateHeaderColor;
}
.post blockquote p {
margin:.5em 0;
}

#blog-pager-newer-link {
float: $startSide;
margin-$startSide: 13px;
}

#blog-pager-older-link {
float: $endSide;
margin-$endSide: 13px;
}

#blog-pager { 
text-align: center;
}

.feed-links {
clear: both;
line-height: 2.5em;
margin-$startSide: 13px;
}

/* Comments
----------------------------------------------- */
#comments {
margin:-25px 13px 0;
border:1px dotted $borderColor;
border-width:0px;
padding-top:20px;
padding-$endSide:0;
padding-bottom:15px;
padding-$startSide:0;
}
#comments h4 {
margin:0 0 10px;
padding-top:0;
padding-$endSide:14px;
padding-bottom:2px;
padding-$startSide:29px;
border-bottom:0px dotted $borderColor;
font-size:120%;
line-height:1.4em;
color:$postTitleColor;
}
#comments-block {
margin-top:0;
margin-$endSide:15px;
margin-bottom:0;
margin-$startSide:9px;
}
.comment-author {
background:url("http://www.blogblog.com/rounders/icon_comment_$startSide.gif") no-repeat 2px .3em;
margin:.5em 0;
padding-top:0;
padding-$endSide:0;
padding-bottom:0;
padding-$startSide:20px;
font-weight:bold;
}
.comment-body {
margin:0 0 1.25em;
padding-top:0;
padding-$endSide:0;
padding-bottom:0;
padding-$startSide:20px;
}
.comment-body p {
margin:0 0 .5em;
}
.comment-footer {
margin:0 0 .5em;
padding-top:0;
padding-$endSide:0;
padding-bottom:.75em;
padding-$startSide:20px;
}
.comment-footer a:link {
color: #333;
}
.deleted-comment {
font-style:italic;
color:gray;
}
.comment-form {
padding-$startSide:20px;
padding-$endSide:5px;
}
#comments .comment-form h4 {
padding-$startSide:0px;
}

/* Profile
----------------------------------------------- */
.profile-img {
float: $startSide;
margin-top: 5px;
margin-$endSide: 10px;
margin-bottom: 5px;
margin-$startSide: 0;
border: 1px solid $topSidebarTextColor;
}

.profile-datablock {
margin-top:0;
margin-$endSide:15px;
margin-bottom:.5em;
margin-$startSide:0;
padding-top:8px;
}

.profile-link {
background:url("http://www.blogblog.com/rounders/icon_profile_$startSide.gif") no-repeat $startSide .1em;
padding-$startSide:15px;
font-weight:bold;
display: none;
}

.profile-textblock {
clear: both;
margin: 0;
}

.sidebar .clear, .main .widget .clear {
clear: both;
}

#sidebartop-wrap {
background:$topSidebarBgColor;
margin:0px 0px 15px;
padding:0px 0px 10px;
color:$topSidebarTextColor;
}

#sidebartop-wrap2 {
padding: 10px 0 0;
margin:0;
border-width:0;
}

#sidebartop h2 {
line-height:1.5em;
color:$topSidebarHeaderColor;
border-bottom: 0px dotted $topSidebarHeaderColor;
margin-bottom: 0.5em;
font: $headerFont;
}

#sidebartop a {
color: $topSidebarLinkColor;
}

#sidebartop a:hover {
color: $topSidebarVisitedLinkColor;
}
#sidebartop a:visited {
color: $topSidebarVisitedLinkColor;
}
/* Sidebar Boxes
----------------------------------------------- */

.sidebar .widget {
margin:.5em 13px 1.25em;
padding:0 0px;
}

.widget-content {
margin-top: 0.5em;
}

#sidebarbottom-wrap1 {
background: $topSidebarBgColor;
margin:0 0 15px;
padding:10px 0 0;
color: $mainTextColor;
}

#sidebarbottom-wrap2 {
padding:0 0 8px;
}

.sidebar h2 {
margin:0;
padding:0 0 .2em;
line-height:1.5em;
font:$headerFont;
}

.sidebar ul {
list-style:none;
margin:0 0 1.25em;
padding:0;
}

.sidebar ul li {
background:url("http://www2.blogblog.com/rounders/icon_arrow_sm.gif") no-repeat 2px .25em;
margin:0;
padding-top:0;
padding-$endSide:0;
padding-bottom:3px;
padding-$startSide:16px;
margin-bottom:3px;
border-bottom:0px dotted $borderColor;
line-height:1.4em;
}
.sidebar p {
margin:0 0 .6em;
}

#sidebar h2 {
color: $postTitleColor;
border-bottom: 0px dotted $postTitleColor;
}

/* Footer
----------------------------------------------- */
#footer-wrap1 {
clear:both;
margin:0 0 10px;
padding:15px 0 0;
}
#footer-wrap2 {
background:$titleBgColor;
color:$footerTextColor;
}
#footer {
padding:8px 15px;
}
#footer hr {display:none;}
#footer p {margin:0;}
#footer a {color:$footerTextColor;}
#footer .widget-content {
margin:0;
}
#custom-footer {
color:$footerTextColor;
text-align: center;
}
#custom-footer a {
color:$footerTextColor;
text-decoration: none;
}

/** Page structure tweaks for layout editor wireframe */
body#layout #main-wrap1,
body#layout #sidebar-wrap,
body#layout #header-wrapper {
margin-top: 0;
}

body#layout #header, body#layout #header-wrapper,
body#layout #outer-wrapper {
margin-$startSide:0,
margin-$endSide: 0;
padding: 0;
}

body#layout #outer-wrapper {
width: 730px;
}

body#layout #footer-wrap1 {
padding-top: 0;
}

#navbar {
display: none;
}

Special credit goes to the Blogger team for the original Rounders template.

Customizing Blogger/Blogspot - Changing the Banner

OK. Now my blog really looks like a canned template. Let's try to at least change the banner from the plain colour to the awesome stock photo I downloaded from Stock Exchange. So follow along as I think out loud:

• First, I need to crop the photo to the dimensions I want: 1000px by 300px. So I did that with my photo editor.
  
• Now, I need a place to host my photo. I'll use the same place where blogger puts all my photos for my blog posts - Picasa Web.
• Once in Picasa, I add the photo to the e.Guidebook album. Once uploaded, I view it and right click on the photo to obtain the URL for the photo.

Once you have that, simply replace the Blog Header section:

/* Blog Header
----------------------------------------------- */
#header-wrapper {
background:$titleBgColor;
margin-top:0px;
margin-$endSide:0;
margin-bottom:0;
margin-$startSide:0;
padding-top:0;
padding-$endSide:0;
padding-bottom:0;
padding-$startSide:0;
color:$titleTextColor;

}
#header {
padding:0; margin: 0;
height: 300px; width: 1000px;
background: url('PUT YOUR IMAGE URL HERE') no-repeat left top;
}
#header h1 {
margin:0;
padding:90px 500px 30px 30px;
line-height:1.2em;
font: $pageTitleFont;
}
#header a,
#header a:visited {
text-decoration:none;
color: $titleTextColor;
}
#header .description {
margin:0;
padding: 5px 500px 10px 30px;
line-height:1.5em;
font: $descriptionFont;
}

Then we need to change the color of the title. This is stored in a variable called titleTextColor. I replaced it with a dark gray but you can choose your own color:

variable name="titleTextColor" description="Blog Title Color" type="color"
default="#fff" value="#333333"