Statement of intent

gallygirl

The red interior is a bit flash (although at least it's not cream). I'd consider it with a black interior, and a nice racing green exterior

StuartGMC

GG
Here our tastes differ then.... my S-Type has Connolly ivory leather and I hate black leather (in a car ) as it makes the interior gloomy, so at least we won't be chasing the same vehicles!

Each to their own :beer:

gallygirl

Tell you what Stuart, take me for a spin and see if you can change my mind

StuartGMC

I think my OH may just have a comment on that last invitation!

gallygirl

StuartGMC wrote: »

I think my OH may just have a comment on that last invitation!

:rotfl:guess I'd better stick to my Bravo then :rotfl:

I realise my thinking behind not liking cream interiors is flawed - I look at them & think about how dirty they'd get. What I don't factor in is that if I had a car with a cream leather interior I'd be sufficiently into cars to
a) keep it clean, and
b) not eat chips in there in the 1st place

StuartGMC

One year on from the Lehman Bros crash and where are we?

Well, our ISA Funds portfolio (initially commenced June 2006 but with major purchases in 2008 as noted before) is now just £39.57 down on our investments in the present funds.

If we factor in the loss we took when getting out of Schroder UK 350 in 2008 it rises to £358.46 in negative on a fund now valued at £11790 which considering the situation in late 2008 when it was down to £4700 is not bad (obviously some growth is the £300 per month we continue to invest.

If we'd held these units in full for 12months we would be 11.7% UP, how's that against the market crash and 2.1% on FTSE? :j:j:j

Here's why we're in Brazil...
http://www.trustnet.com/News/Research.aspx?id=39009
.... I guess it helps that I do business with Petrobras and have a little familiarity with the country (but very very limited) and indeed since we started investing the the Threadneedle Latin American growth fund in March 2008 (Stuart's usual good timing!) we are now back to just a 0.79% loss whereas Neptune Russia & Greater Russian sits at -17.39% since we started in June 2008... what fun!

Odd really, I hate rollercoasters in real life :rotfl:

StuartGMC

Just had to post now to say that our funds are now a fraction positive for the current investments :j

However we took a £318 loss when we got out of Schroder UK 350, so overall we still are a little negative, but, we're "getting there"

StuartGMC

Back from Wales and family wedding held in a very large Jacobean manor house which is largely unmodernised. Wonderful event all round in the hills near Monmouth. Our hotel was ok, but I think I'm spoilt with the likes of Marriotts etc

They nearly undercharged us by about £90 but I honestly pointed out their error... is that daft?

Now back in dry, very sunny East Anglia. Weekend costs will amount to about £280 in total for accommodation (Fri-Sun) meals for 3 and petrol; I guess it's something we'll not be too concerned about next year, but whilst aiming for the MFD it adds to the sums going out which affects our savings in hand to give cover for emergencies in the short term.

Finances are looking reasonable; of the 7 Funds we invest in, 5 are in the black, one, M&G Int Sovereign Bonds is -0.49% (£2.26 loss) whilst Russia and Greater is at -15.95% (£484 loss). My expectation is that once the commodities markets pick up with increasing demand for oil and minerals then this fund will likewise rise. As I don't have cash lying around presently, I'm not yet re-investing in Russia just keeping the existing investment there; it may mean we miss out on some growth via purchase at low prices but it's just one of the balances needed when considering the broader picture of our finances.

MrsNut

StuartGMC wrote: »

Back from Wales and family wedding held in a very large Jacobean manor house which is largely unmodernised. Wonderful event all round in the hills near Monmouth. Our hotel was ok, but I think I'm spoilt with the likes of Marriotts etc

They nearly undercharged us by about £90 but I honestly pointed out their error... is that daft?

The question is, if the roles were reversed, would you want someone to point out that you were undercharging them?

It may not be a popular view, but honesty does help (I also tend to find that days when I think everyone's nice and helpful they tend to be, and days when I think everyone's against me they usually are - and if I can change my viewpoint to the former, life tends to be pleasanter)

So keep up the good work on being mortgage free - I've thoroughly enjoyed your contributions to the forum - but not at the expense of your self-respect

george_jetson

StuartGMC wrote: »

They nearly undercharged us by about £90 but I honestly pointed out their error... is that daft?

No.

I did a biggish shop a couple of weeks ago and wasn't charged for about £50 worth of wine that I'd bought. (The cashier had swiped the bottles, but I assume she had mistakenly cancelled the purchase each time "Refer to Manager" came up on the till.) I wrestled with my conscience but told her what had happened and paid up.

I know I wouldn't have enjoyed that wine knowing I had to all intents and purposes nicked it. I'm sure you'd have felt the same - that "hey I've saved £90" wouldn't have lasted long before the guilt kicked in…

BTW I'm not at all into cars but that Jag looks fantastic!