You
have reached www.ron-selman.com the
webpage of
Ronald
Selman
07-02-2023 it has been far too long since
having updated this webpage. Most recent
news I bought a sailboat located 232 miles south of St Augustine in February. It
has become a huge project to get it up the ICW and on the hard for repairs /
storage. I spend a few days a week
working on it and have made steady progress.
In my next webpage update I’ll provide more details.
07-23-2022 it is time to update the webpage!
Lots happened since the last entry. First some earnest B and M; my stocks are
down! Have held on for dear life (HODL) and will not sell a single share. A
huge chunk is a Biotech that could moon after approvals. It is considered
de-risked but in hindsight probably not the best choice considering the signs
of a recession. The rest will recover eventually. I picked good locations to
buy my properties and rents have been soaring. A new neighbor wanted to put in
a fence for her dogs. I built a fence around my back yard
which was only 2 sides (the other neighbor had a fence already). HOA had a lot
of requirements, but okayed my drawings etc. It took a couple of weeks dodging
thunderstorms, but got it done. Put in rain gutter along the front
and rear
entranceways. Installed an attic ladder
in the garage and reinforced the ceiling there for storage. Here is a before
attic ladder vid and a after
attic ladder vid. Put in some more power
outlets also. Unpacking in the garage in a way to make a workshop has been
a long process. Some of the boxes are so heavy I use a small winch to hoist
them to the attic space. Built some shelves and even a
welding cart/table for my TIG welder. You can see time lapse vids of the
welding cart/table. Part
1 is 4:17 minutes long and Part
2 is 6:30 minutes long. The garage is an on-going project. Could be I’ll
get a MIG welder and 3D printer in the future. The inside hall
and MB bathrooms had no mirror cabinets, and so I changed them. Kitchen
sink faucet was
installed loose – replaced it. Replaced all light switches and used either
standard rocker switches or Feit Wi-Fi dimmers. Not sure the
Wi-Fi feature is worth it considering you can’t adjust the light level before
turning on the light. Bought a NordicTrack treadmill
and used it 21 days in a row. Now am kind of spotty
Friday and Saturday, but still do a few 5-minute walks those days. For the rest
of the week get in about 25-30 minutes using iFIT. Go to the gym at least 3
times a week too. Was social dancing regularly until the end of May when I
caught Covid. Mostly it was like a light cold and gradually after a week it was
gone except for a weak voice. This lasting a couple
more weeks especially after drinking very cold drinks. Now in July am back to
social dancing and restarting lessons next week. If not occupied, I’ll go to
the big Salsa / NY Hustle convention here in southern FL early Sept. And attend
the LA Hustle Congress in CA early Oct. With Covid shut down interrupting the
LA Hustle Congress last year going this year would be a real treat. I am still
researching if ultimately, I want my own sailboat. Northeast Florida in the
winter is cold and vacationing in warmer climes sounds good. Yesterday I drove
around the lower Saint Johns River (fresh water) looking at how people there
park their sailboats in their yards.
There is only 1 DIY boat yard in Jacksonville / Saint Augustine and is
excellent with reasonable pricing. I
don’t know yet the hard storage fees locally and all the moorings supposedly
are taken up. I look for ways to cut boat ownership expenses just out of
habit. Getting in
some cruising experience will really assist in making good purchase decisions.
I am starting to look for sailboat crew positions. More about this in future
webpage updates. 😊
02-18-2022 I have been living in the new
house since 11-01-2021 and it is just okay.
Rented out the Elkton house with no difficulty and the new tenants are
great. Am in the process of changing my
Web Host and decided to make an entry into this blog.
10-14-2021 A month ago I learned the new
construction house would be completed the first week of October. Closed 10-08-2021 with financing and am
moving in.
06-01-2021 I closed on a house in Elkton, FL
on 05-18-2021 and am now all moved in.
I’m not sure when if ever the new construction house will be completed.
05-26-21 It is with great sadness I express
my most heartfelt condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the
tragedy at VTA today.
05-17-21 Am being told the new construction
house will be delayed until November – Yikes!
Due to CoVid-19 there are materials and labor shortages. Also, they want to use my lot for a while (its next to their model).
Although am still committed to buying this house am closing on another
tomorrow. I am under contract and only
risked $5k. Heck yeah, I am buying this
house as its value has risen. Been
riding the fat tire bike all around and exercising at the gym regularly. Watching my IRA and Roth accounts sink in
May.
04-04-21 Rented out the 1031 Exchange and
have been told the personal residence construction will be delayed until end of
July. Meanwhile living south of
Jacksonville in Saint Augustine on Anastasia Island. When shopping around for a place to live
learned there is a 7-month minimum rental period for everything except
“temporary housing”. With less than optimal timing found my “spacious and stunning”
apartment. At least it is close to the
beach and lots of marinas. Traffic can
be tedious sometimes, but people here are more relaxed and friendly
generally. Got a fat
tire mountain/cruiser bike put together yesterday and will go on my first bike
ride here later today.
01-16-21 A lot has happened since late
November. While I continued to remodel
my house and prepare to sell; received a high “As Is” offer 12-03-20 and
accepted. Closed on 12-29-20 and completely
was gone by 12-30-20. That was hectic
and tossed or gave away anything that wouldn’t fit inside a 16’ storage
container. Started a road trip 01-01-21
and made stops at the Grand Canyon, San Antonio, and New Orleans etc. Arrived in Jacksonville, FL 01-09-21 and
drove to check out the beach. Been
staying at an Extended Stay America and looking for properties. Lots of long hours searching listings and
driving around neighborhoods and Community Developments. I had noticed back in December fewer sellers
and more buyers. Now premium properties
seemed more infrequent and I would see “contingent” on
listings found in the morning. Started
using a Realtor.
Focused on the hottest rental markets with the best amenities etc. Bought one new house that was released using
1031 Exchange money. Bought another yet
to be built for my personal residence, So I am under contract on 2 houses, but
unable to move into either. Completion
of my personal residence should be the end of June. The 1031 Exchange means it needs to be rented
out for a year before it could be converted to my primary residence.
11-27-2020 Stocks all came back. Accounts at all time highs.
Ate all the wrong foods and wound up with 2 heart stints. Am okay but have a strict diet. Lost a lot of weight and exercise
consistently. My blood labs are great
now and feel good! Put getting the
ASA-104 on hold. Am finishing the house remodeling. Possibly will sell this house (with in-law
unit) and buy 2 houses in northwest Florida.
06-28-2020 Passed the ASA 101-103 on
06-17-2020 and returned from Miami 06-21-2020.
The CoVid-19 problems are still here, but some stuff is loosening. Have been studying for the ASA 104 some.
06-12-2020 When I was told the ASA101–103
classes I signed up for would be postponed until the middle of July; I decided
to check out alternatives. So, am flying
to Miami for a vacay and too take the ASA101-103
courses. Been studying for the written
exams and anticipate no problems there.
The sailing classes last 3 days and will enjoy Miami for a total of 7
days even with the CoVid-19 spike.
Hopefully will salvage my summer and be able to get a decent sailing
trip in. Stocks were really recovering, but took a dip 06-8-2020. I am still confident they will eventually fully
recover. Was studying for the CMT, but
it got too boring along with the lockdown, dip, and tendency to snack!
04-02-2020 Been retired 1 year and all I got
to do was stay home 6 weeks! That’s what
I recently posted to Facebook (due to CoVid-19 “Stay at Home” guidelines). Months before I retired would dream of
sailing around the North Coast reclining in a hammock. Reality is, have
been in front of the computer day trading with the occasional huge downturn.
Survived 2 previous drawdowns and had reached an all-time account high, and
then CoVid-19 hit. I had been C#
programming intensively and not doing due diligence to News or Charts when the
downward action started. My thinking was
I have extremely solid stocks which will bounce back soon. Down and down, day
after day; liquidated and bought back same stocks at lower prices. Down, down more and then a bump up. Bought some leap call options. Now hysterical news reports and some
sandpaper price action. Lots of negative
News about Mortgages collapsing and another 2008 recession. Could a recovery happen 4 – 18 months down
the road? Considering woulda, coulda, and shoulda aside; I purchased the “Chartered Market
Technician” package. I already know lots
of what’s in the Level I and it is easy so far. Am not anticipating any trouble passing Level
I and getting the Cert. Will take the
Level II etc. if my trading can benefit.
Bummer: the exam test date is postponed from June to December. The non-profit CMT Association seems for
real. The cost was much less than an ASA
104 (sailing) which is around $4k. The
ASA 104 takes blocks of experience hours to get certified. How long is it going to take to get it all?
04-03-19 Retired from VTA at the end of
March. Spent the last 2.5 years working Graveyard shift. Time
to relax and continue personal projects!
02-12-17 Being a Substation Maintainer is
great, been doing it almost a year now.
Time to make all the links work!
03-14-16 Have been working as a Substation
Maintainer for a week and it is great.
Have changed my web host provider and so some links won’t work
temporarily.
Please click this link for my Employment info for Substation
Maintainer and other positions at VTA.
04-12-15
Wow, what a long time since updating this
site. After 6 months renovation of the
Guest Unit, moved into the main house. Have been working on it ever since. Complete paint inside (with a lot of wall
repairs), exterior paint, new tankless
water heater and furnace, adding and enhancing insulation, bathroom
improvements, and new wall switches/outlets etc. Rebuilt the yard shed putting in new floor, roof, siding, and paint. Put a split mini
AC in the Guest Unit. There’s
way too much to mention here as the property needed a lot of repair and new
items still break. Even with all the
work completed and the few remaining projects, it’s very economical. I’ve been on day shift for over 3 years now
and still get to the gym 3 times a week and have been social dancing almost
every weekend.
07-14-11
Moved into the new
place 06-04-11 and I like it much better.
Rented back the main house to the existing
tenant, and I moved into the 2 bedroom Guest
Unit. It is comfortable and very economical.
04-17-11
Working on buying a house and the old short sale came back.
Made it past the first lender and still needs approval from the second
lender. My bank is ready to go. Am hopeful it will go smoothly.
01-30-11
After 6 months the realtor tells me the
lender is not talking with her. I check ForeclosureRadar and find
out the bank bought the property. So now
am looking all over again.
Looks like working dayshift is closer to
reality; not sure when it will happen, but it looks likely to happen. That is an improvement.
09-15-10
After some phone tag my realtor informs me
the seller’s lender is still reviewing my bid. They are saying this week or
next for news. I take it she doesn’t
really know.
09-12-10
Am very excited! After what seems like a long time, my realtor
told me the seller’s lender will make the “Counter Offer”
tomorrow. Meaning I’ll know if my bid
was accepted etc. The bank sent me an
“Approval Letter” a while back, and so the wheels should move smoothly.
After more than a year, have finally updated
my webpage; so what’s new?
· I’m thinking of buying a house; been looking around
within a 20 minute commute. There are some possibilities and so am
spending a lot of time on this.
· Finished a C programming class with at least 1 more
needed to complete a 2nd AA.
Literally it could be years before the needed class is offered.
· Having a General Radiotelephone Operator License for
my job would be good. Got one 12-11-2009
and it’s good for life.
· A few years back I initiated a project at work “Closed
Loop Magnet Control for Magnetic Recording Head Testing Apparatus”. Share patent # US 7,550,967 BI and got the
plaque!
Still actively trading my rollover brokerage
account and did well in 2009 along with everyone else. The research I spend so much time reading
says one thing – stocks are risky now.
Even with the strong trend in precious metals;
the market tanks - so do most stocks.
Rollover accounts have limited ability to sell short. Also selling short is much more
difficult. My account strategy now is hold conservative dividend payers and miner
with tight stops. So
for the bad stocks that I have (and should have sold already) will sell at
breakeven. Hope to get back to breakeven
for 2010 by the end of June. It looks
like there will be some big hits to the market before
the Oct – Dec traditional period of strength.
Projects in progress:
· Get automated trading platform talking with IB.
· Get custom trading system written and working.
· Buy a house and move in.
· Start doing more social dancing!
Out of time tonight and so will have to
continue later. Have updated the Bicycle
Rides section (09-12-10) and did a ride since the last update. Alum Rock East Foothills here I come
(hopefully)!
Scientific Interests:
Investment
Interests:
Alliance
Member at Stansberry Research
Recreational Interests:
