My husband’s passion is traveling. Mine is investing.
Actually, to be more precise, investing became my passion AFTER the first wave of market crashes which, in recent decades, started around 1999 and 2000.
From the very beginning, accommodating both of our passions was a great motivator for me. Once I learned enough to start implementing some of the investment techniques, I became conscious of setting up our business such that we could make investment deals happen from anywhere in the United States or, for that matter, even outside of the country.
Until very recently, however, every time there was an upcoming travel, or when I actually needed to be on the road, or when there was no Internet connection at the final destination, I could not help but have mixed emotions. On one hand, obviously, I liked the idea of visiting with family and friends, and/or seeing new places. On the other, I cringed at the thought of lost time from my investment-related activities. Thanks to the technological advances, however, those days are finally over.
As of February 2016, our latest vehicle is equipped with wifi. As compared to hot spots using cell phones, which rely on the availability of nearby cell-phone towers (meaning no tower, no signal), the vehicle wifi uses satellites (delivering stronger and much more reliable signal almost anywhere in the world).
Over and above other obvious advantages, what clinched the deal for us in switching from hot spots to in-vehicle wifi was the price differential. We were paying for a cell phone hot spot $20 per month, or $240 per year – regardless of whether or not we used it. In contrast, for the in-vehicle wifi, we pay $150 per 10 gigabytes of data usage for one year (essentially saving us $90 per year), which suits our current needs – with occasional long-distance travel – much better and far less expensively.
We also bought a Canon Pixma MG2920 – a portable, all-in-one equipment (printer, copier, and scanner) – for only $39.97. With a spare full set of ink cartridges (black and color) for $44.99, the total was $84.96. It is amazing how such useful technology can be made available at your fingertips for such a reasonable price.
And, oh, let’s not forget a good-quality glare shield. It is a must-have item, especially for getting work done while on the road on sunny days. The one we bought is a 3M Privacy Filter for $42.59. Obviously, it is not as perfect as the natural sun shield provided by solid cloud cover but, when desperate to get some work done in broad day light, it is very helpful.
While David drives during a road trip, having a mobile office means I can choose to be connected to the Internet whenever and wherever I choose. This means I have the ability to make deals happen regardless of where I am. It is as if I were James Bond’s twin sister! The most important thing is that this makes me a very happy travel companion to my husband. As some wise husbands among our circle of investor friends say, “Happy wife, happy life.”
Happy investing!
