I’ve had a few messages from ‘fans and followers’ on Twitter and via e-mail over the last several months wondering where I’ve been and why I stopped doing blogs.
Some of you knew I was a business owner dating back to 2000 but that I had sold my company in 2017. Over the following four years, I was building a Managed IT Services / Cyber Security division for the company that had acquired mine. This was also the time frame I invested far too much money in a company ($OWCP) that had REAL SCIENCE, but was being run by an idiot or a scammer (Mordechai Bignitz) — in my opinion.
(Yes, I did send off my paperwork for the Jeffrey Friedland Fair Fund right away and hope for some good news any day / week in June 2022.)
So, while OWC’s slow demise was causing some depression, I was trying to stay busy with my ‘day job’ while also starting a side-hustle where I would refer clients, friends, and family to a Credit Card Processing partner. (If you own a business that accepts credit cards, let’s talk. I’ve referred 73 businesses to date and all 73 were quoted ‘decent’ savings — the record to date is $1,600 per month for a single client / location.)
In January of 2021, my family and I were making the decision to move to Arizona and away from a state we’ve lived in our entire lives. I accepted an “IT Director” position in Scottsdale where I would lead a division that delivered Managed IT Services, Cyber Security, and VoIP Phone solutions.
I made a ‘private placement’ investment in $NXEN (Nexien BioPharma) back in 2017 and continue to hold just under 200,000 shares because I honestly believe this company is going to keep making progress. Richard Greenberg and other insiders own a majority of the shares, so they very much want to see the company succeed. They retained a world-renowned German Doctor earlier this year, so I believe we should hear an update ‘any week’ about a study starting up. They also had a Pre-IND meeting with the FDA a little while back, so it’s my belief and hope that it’s all tied to this research that’ll be conducted in Germany. THIS IS JUST MY HUNCH AND OPINION.
Nexien also had this little potential hint listed in their 10-Q for period ending 3/31/2022 (on page 17):
While management continues its efforts to raise additional capital for the Company, it is also seeking merger or other business combination or restructuring opportunities.
As somewhat of a “disclaimer” so you know I’m not trying to pump & dump quietly, I’ll note that unless there is substantial M&A news — I will probably sell on a potential (hoped for) run-up to $1.00+ and then purchase again when the stock cools off and settles again. This is the OTC and I learned a valuable lesson from OWCP’s failure. (Seriously, I’m hoping for around $1.00 per share because of the small float.)
Beyond that, I’ve been doing a little safer investments. I’ve been using Zacks.com Premium and TipRanks.com to do my homework, as they’ll rate them and provide Wall Street analyst insights on where they think the stock will be in 6 months. Most of my money is currently in:
- $VGT — This is conservative and diversified, as it’s a Technology focused ETF with a ‘Strong Buy’ rating by Zacks.com
- $ABR — This is a REIT that isn’t very volatile and has a 9.72% dividend, also a ‘Strong Buy’ from Zacks.com
- $SYBX — This is a Biotech around $1.18 as of today (6/9/22), but could rise to $7.50+ according to a handful of Wall Street analysts on TipRanks.com
So, there you have it. My update. Maybe I’ll get back to posting investment related blogs some day, but for now I need to focus on my career during ‘business hours’ and my wife & daughter after regular business hours.
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions or just want to visit, feel free and reach out any time. You can e-mail [email protected].