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At its core, e-Holdings Inc. is stoic in nature. Its mission is simple, not
easy but simple. To share an understanding of how I interpret socioeconomics, financial markets & disruptive ideas in an effort to exploit opportunities so that we may achieve the desired outcome- wealth creation & capital preservation regardless of circumstance. Yet, more IMPORTANTLY, help grow the areas in which we believe possess the potential to have the most meaningful impact-support human endeavor! However, if we’re to delve deeper within the core, there’s something even more profound. e-Holdings represents a choice not an obligation, a life style not a career, a philosophical expression of ideas, thoughts and knowledge-not the status quo. It is crucial, down right imperative that we are in full realization that much of our intended outcomes will be a consequence of a/this mind set. e-Holdings mission is not meant to provide definite answers but to instead encourage embracing your imagination & exploring alternative perspectives. Therefore, much of e-Holdings energy focuses on counter-intuitive processes, being comfortable with the uncomfortable unknown and building practices that are mathematically efficient. We are continually fascinated by how technology is changing the world, in a decentralized way, one person at a time. It is safe for you to assume; e-Holdings believes & supports technologies that have the ability to challenge the current paradigm. Although in its infancy, we are of the belief that the world has commenced a decentralization process, a unique and not well understood force to be reckoned with but an extraordinary opportunity, nonetheless! How we support humanity, create wealth and opportunity, as like most all other endeavors, is at its most fundamental level, a mere reflection of who we are, portrayed through our approach to achieving it. Regardless of the challenges that lie ahead, it is often in the pursuit of our mission, where the fulfillment resides. We pursue “THE IDEA” one opportunity at a time, that is exponential in nature and limited only by our imagination & if we’re fortunate, EVOLVE as a consequence, collectively! “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” Albert Einstein
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“Some claim that we must let our wisdom catch up with advances in technology, suggesting that we would be better off if we slowed or suppressed changes in technology. I disagree; I believe that technology has not yet caught up with our wisdom.” David Brin
We whole heartedly agree, a continuous cause for our exuberant optimism when viewing the world and our future from where we stand. As part of our thesis that helps us create our investment ideas, this is what we see…. Technology is enabling the globe, it has no prejudice, it can empower any person- one opportunity at a time. Inherent within, it spreads its reach, efficiently and aggressively. A global force to be reckoned with. The internet has the power to decentralize the world, and it is. Each computer/mobile device is becoming humans’ biggest asset, a resource that’s able to and help expend energy any which way it’s master chooses. Entrepreneurship has never been so alive and well. Individual machines capacity may be reaching its pinnacle but that’s only because we’ve discovered their power collectively. The natural progression in evolutions master plan. All for one and one for all 2.0! Regardless of what you may hear or say, technology is helping us live longer, healthier and wealthier-machine and universe included. The reality now, is no joke, “Hard work for some is now hardly work for others.” Equally possible for problems and intelligence too. Human wisdom is manifesting into cleaner energy alternatives, unbelievable treatments in healthcare, limitless scientific innovation and inspirational collaborations within society-helping humanity reinvigorate their inevitable desire for love, freedom, choice and empowerment. We’re fascinated by what the world has to offer in the now, elated by how far we’ve come and encouraged and eager for what’s coming. We realize there’s much we do not know, in here lies the great mystery of life. Yet, we continue to evolve, one-part man, one-part universe and one-part machine, a culmination of our ignorant wisdom.
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e-Holdings Inc. loves the idea of optionality, which may be
deep philosophically, yet is simple-elegant. It is the first step in executing our objective. What is our objective? To invest a portion of our wealth in an alternative that craves the asymmetric payoff to suffice as a hedge/insurance against traditional thinking, behavior and investing. We interpret this idea as such,
We accept the unknown, for much of it is, never truly knowing how these things will turn out, just that they will. Always protecting the downside. Process trumps outcome!
Often enough, the most meaningful things come from the experience of trial and error, providing you keep the errors small-survival is paramount.
Ultimately, for us, theory usually lags practice and there’s always more to learn from boots on the ground, we love the lessons experience has to offer.
Fail fast seems plausible when it comes to our investment choices of course. Results are rarely linear, so patience is key.
Agility required when necessary, but we do prefer the motto fail fast, if it’s going to do so via its own merits. Timing is everything……sometimes!
Allowing us to move to the next area much faster-out with the old in with the new if we’re going to experience some of the serendipitous fat tail we so desire.
Our ideas are generated from intensive reading and learning to understand how things work. Exploring science, math and philosophy provide a comprehensive understanding for idea generation…..
Although inherent in the idea, lies a hedge against what is commonly referred to as intelligence.
Over diversification of the holdings is not our thing, it’s far more important to diversify the ideas and areas.
“Only to the extent that man exposes himself over and over again to annihilation, can that which is indestructible arise within him. In this lies the dignity of daring.” Karlfried Graf Durckheim
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Optionality is the property of asymmetric upside (preferably unlimited) with
correspondingly limited downside (preferably tiny).
Top illustration is where we want to live (convex), small, known downside risk relative to
gain (asymmetric payoff). Bottom graph is where many traditional investments reside
(concave), without even being aware of it.
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The idea ultimately creates the framework to help identify the areas of
interest. The areas objective is twofold, on one end its aim is to fulfill the ideas premise and on the other, helps identify the opportunity.
First and foremost, I think it’s important to outline the main characteristics that intrigue us when deciding which areas to choose. A real look at what makes up our proprietary strategy, the SFT (Serendipitous Fat Tail) Portfolio.
potentially disruptive in nature perceived uncertainty due to fear & doubt often goes against the herd mentality preferably not acknowledged by masses yet, although valid base
required potential global impact-never local fundamentally logical premise aligns with our thesis-projection of future confirms/aligns with our technical charting analysis whenever possible Change in trend, especially after a prolonged period of existing trend,
essentially the start of a new trend
We quantify each metric according to our own thoughts, data and research. Our main areas of focus are technology, alternative energy, natural resources, finance, medicine, science & innovation and we also break it down further, to certain sub-areas such as currency and commodity trading for finance. It’s imperative for our strategy to focus on area diversification, not necessarily holdings. In a world which continually strives for balance, it’s important to broaden our perspective beyond our borders and imagination. In the grand scheme of things, we feel it prudent to diversify our ideas also. To summarize my point, in our opinion, the proverbial “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” holds true, although what we’re saying is, it’s of far greater value to also put some of those eggs in something other than a basket.
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Often enough, your entire portfolio consists of multiple holdings concentrated in 1 small
area-stock market indexes/bonds. As a general rule of thumb, we would much rather
allocate across multiple diverse areas that encapsulate an IDEA, with this manuscript being
one focusing on optionality. Regardless of investor risk tolerance, the more risk averse, the
lees capital allocated-enough said.
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So let’s begin to look at the e-Holdings Inc. SFT portfolio, built around the optionality idea, where the Serendipitous Fat Tail is lurking! Why have we chosen such a name-SFT? Well, considering we can only know our initial inputs/conditions and cannot predict the outcome of our bet with certainty, it makes sense for us to assume we’ll need some luck to enjoy the more than favorable outcomes we so desire.
Let’s not forget, our belief is to be in a couple of diverse areas, all being areas in which we’ve spent time researching and building a thesis around. Areas we must/will continue to follow regularly and have experience in. Keep in mind that, our allocation to each holding is based on the intention of holding until our desired target/exit is achieved (this will be unique for each individual person, although this is an art, not knowing when to exit can skew the performance considerably). We will at times look to exit half the original investment at a specified interval and proceed allowing the remaining position to ride the trend capturing profits along the way whenever possible. And at other times, if momentum in area or holding is strong, we will elect to keep on the full position but monitor the investment closely. Holdings which are showing us a loss will only come into question if something fundamental or technical (as it pertains to charting analysis) has occurred to change our thesis both in the area or pertaining to the specific holding. Being Bayesian, we ensure that we update our data regularly and adjust accordingly. Sometimes things just change, such is LIFE, we’ve found ways to cope by letting it go and moving on. Our current SFT portfolio currently consists of: Bitcoin 35%
Cash 15%
FX & Commodities Position Trading 35%
Ballard Power 15%
100% total of 5-10% of net worth Please see below for links providing some details for each holding. Holdings are at the time of manuscript issuance and are subject to change. Please note, that in our experience/opinion, the full strategy (via FX/Commodity CFD’s) requires a minimum investment of $15K. A minimum of $50K if one elects to trade the futures market for the FX/Commodity portion. A minimum of $5K investment without the FX/Commodity position. Further explanation on pg.12 regarding strategy flexibility, option to not utilize the FX/Commodity position.
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Allow me to clarify something before sharing the links; it goes
without saying, cause and effect are one of the most misunderstood dynamics of our time. In simple terms, sometimes the things you do/interpret, will not directly be the cause of the effects you see/experience- their relationships are nonlinear. One of the things which prove this fallacy valid, is inherent in our SFT strategy. We don’t necessarily know where the next outlier be. Quantifying each holding based on certain criteria and individual merits is quite important to us, but only to a certain extent. Selection of each will not be a direct result of our performance-it’s the ongoing balance and ACTIVE participation among the collective (long term) as it relates to TIMING and RISK MANAGEMENT that is of far greater value. Our premise/philosophy for expectation are formulated under these following assumptions. Results are random in the short term. Toss a quarter a thousand times and log each H or T result, you’ll see what we mean. Many complex things are chaotic in nature, (Chaos theory) where there is no way of knowing for certain an outcome regardless of how accurate your inputs/initial conditions are. Often, some of the most robust things in the universe are as such, earthquakes, the weather and nature as it refers to not only the phenomena of the physical world, but also to life in
general-especially economics.
I would like to share some quotes from those that have served as inspiration,
“Small amounts per trial, lots of trials, broader than you want…….it is more important
to be in something in a small amount than to miss it.” Nassim Taleb
“It’s not whether you’re right or wrong that’s important, but how much money you
make when you’re right and how much you lose when you’re wrong.” George Soros
“We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to
underestimate the role of chance in events.” Daniel Kahneman
“Faith…. is letting go and trusting oneself to the unknown.” Alan Watts
“I am bullish on the global development; I am bullish on billions of people getting out
of poverty” Marc Andreessen
“Strong opinions, weakly held” Peter L Brandt
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Links to information regarding holdings:
Bitcoin: 35% Great introductory outlining why Bitcoin means so much to us. http://e-holdings.com/2015/11/bitcoin/
One of the best places to keep up to date, all things Bitcoin & block chain. https://panteracapital.com/download-type/blockchain-letters/
**FX & Commodity Position Trading: 35% **
Where we actively engage in taking positions based on our technical and some global macro analysis. Most of our activity in the portfolio takes place here, if you so desire. Could be anywhere from 3-5 different positions per month. This holding gives us exposure to multiple global markets for both the buy & sell side opportunity-we’re agnostic. Anything from Gold to S&P or USD/JPY to Oil. Unique R/R opportunity utilizing leverage. Most of the capital held in this account is rarely used, normally only using a small % for positions (margins) depending on account size of course, further securing the availability of CASH. Smart, efficient use of our capital. This area will take up the most time, steepest learning curve.
** Suits the more experienced investor/trader. ** Where you open an account is highly dependent on which country you reside in. In Canada & much of the world, we have the ability to trade CFD’s (contract for difference derivatives) but unavailable in the USA last time I checked. We use….. https://www.fxcm.com/ca/ http://www.cmcmarkets.ca/en Equally great, although CMC markets has a much more abundant portfolio of markets to choose. We have used FXCM since 2008. Both fully registered and accounts insured but do rely on your own due diligence. Bit of a learning curve to execute trades but simple enough and enough resources that each broker provides via tutorials, videos and information.
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Cash: 15% Although we live in Canada, we hold this portion of cash in USD. This is highly dependent on how much confidence you have in your home currency. For us, it’s a bullish bet on the world strongest and global reserve currency…… for now. Needs to be easily accessible as necessary-for when times seem most opportune. May convert if/when necessary. The USD is held at our bank/broker of choice also-as long it’s easily accessible for converting to another currency/holding of choice via paper or electronic when need be. We’ve held USD currency for 4 years now.
Ballard Power: 15%-Ticker Symbol: BLDP (Nasdaq) or BLD (TSX) We picked Ballard because of their concentrated efforts and presence in China and Japan-there goes that exposure to unlimited upside again. We believe Hydrogen Fuel Cell is grossly undervalued for none other than the preconceived notions that have plagued this space. Things are changing!! http://ballard.com/
Interesting article to learn more. Most all major auto manufacturers have just launched or are working on introducing a hydrogen fuel cell car. http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriewinkless/2016/06/01/are-hydrogen-fuel-cell-cars-becoming-normal/#7f8d67903908 We hold our stocks with anyone of the major online banks/brokers. There are many but from experience I know www.tdcanadatrust.com for Canada, USA division https://www.tdameritrade.com/home.page is reliable-keep in mind we’re located in Canada.
Our skin in the game promise; “This is what we do all day, every day. Invest/trade proprietary capital, so when we share an idea, rest assured we’ve quantified it to the best of our ability and support it with our own capital.” Mike Cautillo
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The SFT strategy provides a simple and easily managed solution for us.
It suffices as a hedge against some of our other holdings and provides some insurance inherent within its construction. What we’re most impressed with is its upside potential in regards to the true risk of the portfolio.
We do not take our risk allocation lightly. We pay much respect to protecting the downside. This requires constant attention to balancing position sizes, stop losses and something we call portfolio heat; we do not like to be fully invested, cash is a position and our goal is to monitor the volatility correlation among the holdings. Keeping in mind, our allocation to this model is only 5-10% of our net worth so the challenge will always lie in how aggressive we want to be while considering that outcomes are random and wanting to have the ability to engage multiple attempts at other opportunities. Decisions, decisions!! Thankfully, we’re Bayesian in our thinking-this being imperative to our performance. Our communication via our website subscription service included will provide all pertaining information for keeping you in the NOW. We embrace change and as we see it, it’s one of the only constants. At this time, we would like to convey some details regarding the flexibility of choice we have with this strategy based on each individuals’ preference, time availability and experience. Ultimately we want to be malleable, not so rigid and we’re proud to say, we think we’re on to something in this regard. When we started investing in this strategy, our only holding was Bitcoin (less allocation of course) and only added likeminded holdings (if you will) to the portfolio as we saw fit, but understand we did this as an attempt to hedge via area diversification-in an effort to increase our chances in experiencing the next outlier. We anticipate on adding other holdings, such as options, as we see fit of course. Ultimately, we saw an opportunity to implement our experience and ideas to create a hybrid model of sorts. We’re fascinated by the venture capital space but are traders at heart. We believed if we focused on what we thought were the strengths of the two, we could create our own unique strategy-hence the manuscript was born.
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We have found, this process can be as engaging as one wishes,
depending on time constraints and confidence navigating this landscape. It is very well possible to simplify, by only participating in the holdings of ones’ choice, although understanding the consequences is necessary. We prefer to hold the various choices indicated, although we have OUR objective and the time/experience to manage and administer. One decides what theirs will be. Whether it be Bitcoin, FX or the equity holdings. One can remove and add what they like and increase/decrease exposure elsewhere at ones’ discretion. Although, the FX/Commodity holding requires active management-all positions within this component need to be taken. Cash should be held as a constant, regardless of other holdings. This will change the inherent hedges within the portfolio, although objective can be achieved none the less. Each holding (except for cash) has an opportunity for the asymmetric payoff. If one would of only invested in Bitcoin 6 years ago, it’s suffice to say the return would have been well over 100,000%, although drawdowns along the way were volatile to say the least. Buy and hold has its advantages, if ones’ capital is sized right! A few rules of thumb. The more concentrated ones’ bet, the more at risk ones’ portfolio performance is-so we treat the capital allocated to each holding as our stop loss, therefore reduce capital allocated to strategy as a whole as it pertains to % of our net worth. For eg., if one elects to only hold Bitcoin, then one may want to look at only allocating 20% of portfolio capital for BTC, keeping the remaining 80% in cash. Alternatively, one can also hold 15% Bitcoin and 15% Ballard with 70% in cash. This is as far as WE would take it; stop losses also help further reduce risk. Essentially one is willing to expose the holding(s) to a potential full loss-this allows them to endure corrections and provides the best opportunity to maximize potential gain(not to say we won’t exit prior to full loss). With no inherent hedges within the portfolio, we like to reduce exposure unless one elects otherwise, at ones’ peril of course. There’s no guarantees as to what will be a winner, therefore we risk adjust our strategy that will allow us the option of numerous other attempts. For illustration purposes only, please see below. A comparison of the volatility of a single BTC investment to a trend following strategy which trades/invests in multiple markets, multiple times. Considering that trend following can be one of the more volatile strategies, it pales in comparison to the solo BTC investment.
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Bitcoin: (image is courtesy of https://panteracapital.com/ )
Managed Futures Trend Following:
Link for further details regarding this TF chart. http://managed-futures-
blog.attaincapital.com/2013/08/06/forget-the-vix-look-at-global-market-volatility/
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Something to be said about past performance. We strongly believe in the merits of buying something based on today’s knowledge, diligence and experience. If we cannot justify buying or holding it today, regardless of past, then it is of no value to us. I have attached an interesting article in (Interesting reads) from Howard Lindzon regarding this but applied to investing in people also-excellent perspective. One we absolutely believe in. We’re agnostic and stoic in this regard. Quantify the data, understand the idea and believe in the opportunities. We will reiterate, allocation is key-mathematically efficient. In golf they say “Making a good swing really has nothing to do with the ball, the ball just happens to get in the way” Trust in what you can know NOW- how much capital is at RISK. I love what Seth Godin has to say about RISK.
The two risk mistakes
Risk mistake number one: Risk means failure.
This worldview equates any risk, no matter how slim, with a certainty. If the chances of hurting
yourself skydiving are 1%, it's easy to ignore the 99% likelihood that it will go beautifully.
If you carry this worldview around, you're not going to take many risks, because your
fundamental misunderstanding is that whatever is uncertain is bad.
Risk mistake number two: Low risk events don't happen.
This is the stock investor who freaks out when the market doesn't go up the way he and
everyone else expected it to. The reason that some investments offer higher returns is that
they're not guaranteed to work. Implicit in that high return, then, is the clear warning that
sometimes, you won't get what you're hoping for.
I'm not distinguishing between optimism and pessimism. The optimist is well aware of risks, but
deep down, she believes that things are going to get better. The risk-blind individual, though,
is willfully (or perhaps ignorantly) unaware of what risk actually is.
Most of the things that we do have two possible outcomes: they might work or they might not.
Being able to live with the possibility of either is essential if we're going to move forward.
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To date, the SFT strategy has experienced an 81% return since inception
(July.02. 2015). Effective thus far, although what is most important to us, is how it was achieved. This is how we measure performance. Did we ensure,
1) Process trumped outcome. We chose each opportunity as it pertains
to the criteria set out by our proprietary strategy. 2) We continued to update our data in/on each area and holding to
justify its existence. 3) We continued to be patient in allowing for the opportunities to grow
as we see fit. 4) Were we stringent with our allocation. 5) We had an EXIT protocol before entering each opportunity.
Performance since inception Holding Jul.02.2015 (USD) Aug.23,2016 (USD) +/- % Bitcoin $250 $582 +132% Ballard $1.72 $2.08 +21% FX/Commodity $1000 $1320 +32%
YTD performance Holding Jan.01.2016 (USD) Aug.23,2016 (USD) +/- % Bitcoin $434 $582 +34% Ballard $1.52 $2.08 +37% FX/Commodity $1180 $1321 +12% Please note that the FX/commodity position gain is per thousand. We have not held Ballard shares since inception and the 81%return reflects that. The Ballard #’s are shown since inception to illustrate the historical share price performance. We purchased our shares in July. 2016 @ $1.45-$1.60 USD per share. You can validate much of my interest in & timeline for these holdings via Twitter @MikeCautillo. Also, please see Pg.25 regarding above holdings.
*$10,000.00 ($8500 vested, $1500 in cash) invested in Jul.02.2015 is now $15,395.00-Aug.23.2016.*
*Max drawdown incurred since inception was 23% on open equity, (please keep in mind time elapsed since inception is not sufficient enough to give a true indication of investment volatility thus could incur a larger DD). Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. *
“It takes a lot of intellect and confidence to accept that what makes sense doesn’t really make sense.” Nassim Taleb
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Looking out to how we’ll perform is an important question? One that
frankly, cannot truly be answered. Essentially, we don’t know, only that certain things makes sense to us, such as, we execute the process to the best of our ability, always trying to mitigate the disastrous and setting ourselves up to get in lucks way, as a default. Patience is also paramount, setting expectation further out than most anticipate. It’s worked quite well thus far in my life!!
We would like to share a synthesis of genius a la Nassim Taleb. His wisdom
has helped frame our strategy. Barbell Strategy: A dual strategy, a combination of two extremes, one safe
and one speculative, deemed more robust than a “monomodal” strategy; often a necessary condition for antifragility. For instance, in an occasional fling with a rock star; for a writer, getting a stable sinecure and writing without the pressures of market during spare time. Even trial and error are a form of barbell.
Redundancy increases our options and decreases our chances at being
harmed by the future. Ironically, creating redundancies mean that we must consciously become less optimal. We can’t know what will happen in the future so we want to be ready to take advantage of as many outcomes as possible.
Investment, if you put 90% of your funds in boring cash (assuming your
protected from inflation) or something called a “numeraire repository of value” and 10% in very risky, maximally risky securities, you cannot possibly lose more than 10%, while you are exposed to massive upside.
“Protect yourself from catastrophe but expose yourself to certain
discomforts and small risks that provide opportunities for extreme upside. Likewise, with randomness, uncertainty, chaos: you want to use them, not hide from them. You want to be fire and wish for the wind. The mission is how to domesticate, even dominate, even concur, the unseen, the opaque and the inexplicable. If you plan on being very early, you’ll never be late-and you’ll be open to serendipity.”
As we previously stated in our introduction…… “it is crucial, down right imperative that we are in full realization that much of our intended outcomes will be a consequence of a/this mind set.”
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Interesting reads: (Please take the time to read, provides insightful
perspective which helps us immensely with our mindset and serves to further reiterate our vision.)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/nassim-taleb-tail-risk-hedging-000000014.html Great piece from this ^^ interview…..” One should stay consistent, keep an iron
discipline. Mark and I have been protecting against extreme risks for nearly twenty years
together. During that time, we’ve seen tail hedgers come and go by following whims and
not truly focusing long term on hedging. Universa is a true “hedge” fund, as it lowers
portfolio uncertainty rather than adding to it. One needs to work very, very hard at
calibrating the right kind of exposure and making sure it delivers a payout in a true
crash, just like Universa did in 2008, while keeping costs minimal otherwise. Refining
both sides of that pendulum is the most important, and it creates its own alpha for
investors. Also one can’t view hedging in isolation. The portfolio package is what
matters, and investors need to know you can’t achieve one without the other.”Nassim Taleb
https://25iq.com/2013/10/13/a-dozen-things-ive-learned-from-nassim-taleb-about-optionalityinvesting/ Wonderful insight from this ^^ article…..Regarding venture capital, Warren Buffett
believes: “If significant risk exists in a single transaction, overall risk should be reduced
by making that purchase one of many mutually- independent commitments. Thus, you
may consciously purchase a risky investment – one that indeed has a significant
possibility of causing loss or injury – if you believe that your gain, weighted for
probabilities, considerably exceeds your loss, comparably weighted, and if you can
commit to a number of similar, but unrelated opportunities. Most venture capitalists
employ this strategy.” Tren Griffin
https://500hats.com/welcome-to-the-unicorn-hedge-2fd3c6b50f89#.1zx5l08ab
At times, this environment ^^ Dave describes may seem unfathomable, but look no
further than what has transpired over the last 10 years alone. We, as humans seem to have
a knack for underestimating long term change. The speed of technology has made this
even more apparent. Time to take a HARD look!
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http://avc.com/2016/04/losing-money/
Wealth of knowledge from none other than VC Fred Wilson. We want you to focus on
the principle of his investing-the philosophy. Why we prefer fail fast…
“The first and most important thing you can do is minimize the amount of money you
invest in your losers. In our 2004 fund, we invested a total of 50mm out of 120mm of total
investment in our nine losers. That wasn’t so good. We could have, and should have,
recognized our bad investments earlier and cut them off. In our 2008 fund, I think we will
invest roughly 35mm out of roughly 140mm of total investments in failed investments. So
even though our loss ratio on “names” is around 40%, our loss ratio on dollars will be
around 20%. We did a good job of not allocating too much of the fund’s capital to losers
in our 2008 fund. And most of these losers were mine by the way.” Fred Wilson
https://medium.com/@howardlindzon/past-performance-is-overrated-stock-markets-and-angel-investing-d6a69b37fae0#.gmbro977b Howard Lindzon CEO of Stocktwits sharing a probably not so popular belief, although one we support. History can often skew your perception…..ask yourself, does it make sense to you today? “So many founders in our Social Leverage fund portfolio’s had/have no track record of
success and so many people I get ideas from every day on Stocktwits do not manage
money professionally. I don’t care. I manage my money. I make the decisions.
Try and keep an open mind about past performance when it comes to betting on people
and ideas.” Howard Lindzon
https://medium.com/@cdixon/eleven-reasons-to-be-excited-about-the-future-of-
technology-ef5f9b939cb2#.og1gng528
Our thesis whole heartedly supports this view. Not only the future of technology, but technology’s impact on our future. What may seem like an obstacle for some, is “the way” for us.
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Purchasing and storing Bitcoins
Just as our philosophy would suggest, purchasing and storing any asset, you may want to make use of different options. Buying your first Bitcoins for investment purposes usually involves opening an account with a reputable Bitcoin exchange. The process of opening an account is similar in many exchanges and usually requires some form of ID.(often multiple) If you are a U.S. citizen, there are many viable exchange options. Coinbase and Kraken are some of the most reputable. Coinbase also has a vault for the safe storage of your coins. It’s important to note, whatever storage solution you choose; ensure that the private keys to your coins are in your possession. Read more here, http://bitzuma.com/posts/six-things-bitcoin-users-should-know-about-private-keys/ No possession of your keys and you could lose your coins. Quadriga is a reputable exchange in Canada for smaller amounts-no storage though. In Europe we recommend Kraken also. In Asia we suggest starting your Bitcoin journey with BTCChina. If you are from a country with more difficult access to the Western banking system, chances are high there already is a fairly reputable Bitcoin shop in your country that can help you out. Finally, if you are looking to invest in Bitcoin for amounts over $25,000, you will want to deal with Genesis Trading Group in the USA. Deep liquidity for larger buy/sell. http://genesistrading.com/
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Storing Bitcoins securely
Unless you’ve invested only a very small amount, it’s not advisable to let your bitcoins sit on the exchange after you’ve purchased them. Even though the current exchanges have robust security practices, they can still be prone to hacks and thefts. For storage, an easy option is to open an account with Xapo. Their vault service is currently free of charge. As previously mentioned, Coinbase has a similar service. Bitcoins Xapo safe keeps for its clients are fully insured by third party insurance companies, and is located in Switzerland. The Bitcoin bank has rigorous security procedures, part of which is to store their private keys in multi-sig form in vaults in Asia, the United States, and South America. For those who prefer to take Bitcoin storage in their own hands, we recommend buying a hardware wallet. This is a device that allows you to keep your private keys completely offline (protecting you from thieves using spyware), while still enabling you to keep the flexibility of an online wallet. Our favorite hardware wallet is the Trezor device. When in hand, a quick pin code gives you access to all your coins. And should you lose it, you can completely regenerate your wallet by using the 12-word recovery code. Trezors’ entire operating code is open-source, which means that anyone can verify that there are no backdoors installed allowing third parties to snoop into your personal finances. Please keep in mind, you could keep a small amount of BTC on a mobile phone wallet. Wallets primary function are for the usage and spending of bitcoin, which we will leave for another day. If you are curious and ambitious enough to explore, some of the best wallets are Airbitz and Mycelium. You can obtain very attractive discounts for spending bitcoins at Starbucks and Amazon through Airbitz.
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Let us be clear, investing is a process that rears its many ugly heads.
Opportunities are always abundant but so are failures. We’re in acceptance of the fact that there is much we don’t know, though we’re comfortable with that. We’ve always found that, through the recognition of unknowns, a liberating and profoundly empowering experience.
Socrates said, “Human wisdom begins with the recognition of one’s own ignorance.” Rightfully so because that’s where we think the serendipity lurks!
This framework has helped us in realizing, patience has paid better than hastiness more often than not. Well thought out ideas trump impulsive decision making. Action has always been a better teacher than indecision regardless of outcome. Hindsight has always been 20/20! Hopefully throughout this manuscript we were able to demonstrate how we apply this philosophy to our investing. How much thought we’ve dedicated to interpreting how we perceive the world and opportunity from our unique lenses. Demonstrating our acceptance of looking beyond what many have done before us. If we are to achieve great things, engaging in this process is crucial. Please understand, the manuscript serves as a primer to engagement, it’s imperative that we realize this process is continuous, requiring ongoing attention. Therefore, we’re offering an alert service to help make this exercise as constructive as possible. Please go and check it out at www.e-holdings.com When I first thought about the “manuscript” idea, I had some reservation regarding how I would convey my intuitions, feelings over a medium as such. I had my doubts; would my notion be understood. These questions put it to a standstill until realizing that not all things are easily conveyed or understood, but none the less prevailing; here in lies a great phenomenon. Until it unravels before our very own eyes, we do not know how it will, just that it will. Please accept much appreciation and gratefulness for your desire to explore and experience the e-Holdings Inc. manuscript. In experience, there’s always much to takeaway and I would like to believe, that for you, this in itself has been worthy of exploring-it’s always been for me! Your trust in us, but more importantly in yourself, is something to behold. M.C
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I am grateful.
Hi, I’m Mike Cautillo & thank you for checking out my experiment, the e-Holdings
Inc. manuscript, where there’s always “Disruptive Investing Ideas Evolving”.
I believe the means of traditional wealth creation have reached an inflection point.
One that is and will continue to be challenged by the current and future landscape.
Through technology, communications and imagination, e-Holdings is poising itself
to step into the future of investing ideas so that we may shed some light on the
alternatives.
I want to build and grow an interactive and leading edge resource for wealth
creation opportunities in the “new economy”. I know that with you, we can do this.
Again, thank you for believing in my experiment!
Mike Cautillo
President and Founder of e-Holdings Inc.
“Invention requires a long-term willingness to be misunderstood. You do something that you genuinely
believe in, that you have conviction about, but for a long period of time, well-meaning people may
criticize that effort … if you really have conviction that they’re not right, you need to have that long-
term willingness to be misunderstood. It’s a key part of invention.” Jeff Bezos
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Disclaimer: With the acceptance of an e-Holdings Inc. manuscript, you
are in agreeance to and accept these terms set forth.
We do not agree to manage any investment except for our won, nor
give advice/recommendations pertaining to any specific investments and you
expressly acknowledge that you understand, that our services (manuscript
included) are for informational & educational purposes only.
e-Holdings Inc. (“Company”) & Mike Cautillo (“Principal”) is not an
investment advisory service, nor a registered investment advisor.
All material presented in this manuscript and its related social media venues is
provided for information purposes only, is the opinion of the author, is current as
of the date of posting, and is subject to change without notice. The material is
not intended to be an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any
security, commodity interest, investment, currency (crypto) or OTC product.
There is a risk of loss in investing all markets discussed, and such trading is not
appropriate for all investors. Use of any information presented in the manuscript,
on our website and its related social media venues or by a 3rd party are at the
discretion and risk of the user. Mike Cautillo & e-Holdings Inc. provides personal
opinions about CFD’s, futures, forex, equity markets, currency (crypto) and
financial investments via the manuscript, social media channels, including
email. Mike Cautillo, e-Holdings Inc., and the manuscript should not be
construed as providing trading or investment recommendations to the public. We
will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to,
any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from the use of or
reliance on such information. Cont’d….
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Mike Cautillo & e-Holdings Inc. takes no responsibility for the
investment/trading results incurred by individuals attempting to implement the
market ideas of this manuscript (and its related e-Holdings Inc. subscription
service). This manuscript represents the technical and fundamental market
research and personal market opinions of Mike Cautillo as they pertain only to
his proprietary investing/trading activities.
High-Risk Warning: Currency (crypto), futures, CFD’s, securities,
options and commodity investment represents a speculative
investment and involves a high degree of risk, which may result in
substantial loss. Investors must have the financial ability,
sophistication/experience and willingness to bear the risks of an
investment. Each reader/user is responsible for performing their own
due diligence. Please do not trade with borrowed money or money
you cannot afford to lose. Please remember that the past
performance of any trading system or methodology is not necessarily
indicative of future results.
The e-Holdings Inc. manuscript, blog or website may provide information from
or links to certain brokerage companies, internet websites or resources for your
convenience only. We may/can, at your own discretion, help/guide you to the
resources that can provide you with the investments of choice, if you so wish. The
Content Creator does not endorse or recommend the services of any brokerage
company, internet websites or resource nor are affiliated with or receive any
compensation from them. The brokerage company you select (and not the
Content Creator) is solely responsible for its services to you. You agree and
acknowledge that we shall not be held responsible for the legality, accuracy or
inappropriate nature of any content, advertising, products, services, or
information located on or through any other websites, nor for any loss or
damages caused or alleged to have been caused by the use of or reliance on any
such content.
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** Please note, that our SFT portfolio holdings indicated in this
manuscript are at the time of issuance(Sept.02.2016) therefore
prices, performance and holdings do not necessarily reflect current
prices, performance and holdings at the time of download/review by
the reader. Up to date, current information is only provided via our
ALERT SERVICE at http://e-holdings.com/e-holdings-inc-manuscript/ **
