Entries from 2011-2023 are from my old blog (which contained far more investment related posts and therefore requires the following disclaimer).
Disclaimer: this is not a financial or stock market focused blog (I am not/have never been a financial adviser). Therefore, any stock market related posting on this blog should not be construed as advice on any particular equity. The postings and comments are solely my personal experience and are not intended as recommendations on whether to buy, sell or hold shares of a particular stock.
Investors should be cautious about any and all stock recommendations and should consider the source of any advice on stock selection. Various factors, including personal risk tolerance or personal/corporate ownership, may influence or factor into my personal stock analysis or opinion. All investors are advised to conduct their own due diligence and independent research into individual stocks before making a purchase decision. In addition, investors are advised that past stock performance is no guarantee of future price appreciation.
With regards to Apple, I no longer work/am associated with the company. And while I (still) do have early access to some of their software offerings, I am bound by contract to the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) which forbids anyone (full time/part-time/temporary employees, contractors, developers, etc) from publicly discussing unreleased details of that product. I’ve respected and abided by the NDA since the CQF days which is why I’ve been able to do this for awhile.
The personal opinions presented in this blog are in no way associated with my (now prior) involvement with Apple or any other companies I have taken a financial stake with in this area. Any opinions which I do write publicly about, respect each firms NDA, and are only published once the actual product has been released to the general public. In addition, none of this early access is material in nature, and therefore has no bearing on my personal investment strategies (which I may periodically write about here). As far as Apple is concerned, the company keeps critical and strategic information secret amongst primarily the highest ranking executives anyway; most everyone else in the company is on a “needs to know” basis (translation: the majority learns about the details with the rest of the general public).
Finally, while I try to write to be as articulate as possible, there are times when “streaming” what I’m actually thinking, misses some details. It therefore helps to try reading between the lines as far as the point(s) that I’m trying to make. Grammar and spelling may also be screwed up at times. I also reserve the right to be wrong (and will state and have stated those times when I was wrong). As of 2025, time has shown calls that I was completely wrong about, and others that were on the mark.
Disclosures: The following is meant to offer transparency as of 2015. Since 1997, I have maintained a position (core holding) in AAPL (Apple). In early 2007, I established a completely new long term position in AAPL (based on the initial iPhone announcement). I have long term positions in IBM, MSFT (Microsoft), T (AT&T) and INTC (Intel). I also have shorter term positions established in early 2009 for ARMH (ARM Holdings), VMW (VMware), and BIDU (Baidu). In 2012, I also established a position in FB (Facebook) and have continued accumulating shares of AAPL (adding to my 2007 positions). In May 2015, I established a new long term position in MSFT (Microsoft). These holdings are not all of my holdings. They represent my biggest positions and are subject to change without notice based on business and market conditions.
Update: As of 2025, I am completely divested from Amazon, ARM Holdings, Baidu, Facebook, Google, Intel, and Microsoft. Most of my core holdings are now consolidated in these dividend bearing equities: Apple, IBM, and Broadcom (which also acquired VMware). The dividend income is what I’ve been living on since 2015 (I effectively early retired when I left the company I was working for in Tokyo). Yes, it is tech heavy and not diverse, but it has worked for me. Given the ongoing geopolitical situation with the U.S., I may end up exiting U.S. equities completely.
– Murasama (日本•世界国際, 合同会社 opened 2005 and closed in 2015)