Sign of the times

VS - chartering and shipbroking certificate update

Well folks - spots are filling up fast...only one or maybe 2 spots left...

Well done to those who have taken up the challenge - should be fun. Looks like we will start first week August...

Happy to say that a former excellent student of mine (who is now a senior person with a first class company) has referred a number of his colleagues.....cannot get better testimonial than that!

Approx 30 minutes per day....

Course details are here

https://virtualshipbroker.blogspot.com/p/study.html

Yours
VS

Shipbroker hedge - dealing with an uncertain future Part 2

This is the second part of my series intended to help the chartering fraternity deal with uncertainty through creative ideas, investments and side hustles

4 - Buy a ship!

As a shipbroker for example - we might think that technology is likely to render some of our services redundant in the future (I beg to differ). Just to be safe - why not hedge that risk by joining the dark side and becoming a shipowner. Stuff will always need to be moved!

Now this might sound like a bit of a stretch.....I mean who amongst the chartering desk has a spare 20 million sitting around? NOT ME....

Here's the thing - the way we own things is starting change. Did you know that in some parts of the world you can buy a share of a house. So you get to own 'part' of a house for as little as 500 bucks.....

This is great for young people unable to buy a full house, and its even great for micro investors looking to spread their risk. As the price of the house goes up your investment goes up and vice versa.

WELL we can now do that with ships. There are a few groups around the place who are asking for minimum type investments to be part of syndicates to buy ships.

Do some research / due diligence etc and see what you can find. These guys Marvest are onto something but I think have gone a little quiet recently (with the crazy market)

5 - Buy Shipping stocks

Again - for any ship chartering boffin its almost impossible to know how to pick which areas of shipping will boom and which will bust over the long term. I regularly receive emails from brokers asking which markets I believe will have the greatest growth in the future. The harsh truth - I DON"T KNOW. I could guess but I prefer to let the experts do the picking.

2 ways - Buy into a shipping fund or purchase individual shipping stocks..

Splash wrote an article on this HERE although I do question their idea that regular Joes (and Janes) can purchase FFA's which are business to business transactions..

6. Sperm Donor

Ok so this one is for the chaps. 

In the UK a sperm donor receives 35 pounds per visit....USA between 35 and 120 bucks per visit...Singapore 100 Bucks...

On a business trip - have some spare time between meetings? why not be productive?

From latest calculations there may be close to 750 mini virtual shipbrokers around the globe. Quite the money spinner.

More to come

VS

Happy Guru Purnima!

A lovely message from a friend of the blog. Made my week!

Quote

Hi Andrew, Your blogs on Virtual Shipbroker were really insightful & helpful when I was preparing for my first foray into commercial shipping. Its been close to 12 years now and for someone who didn't have much exposure to commercial back then, your blogs + your initial books helped open a clear window of the effort required and expectation to keep in the business. 

I wrote a couple of times to you on your blog but a "Big Thank You" is due and I remain thankful to you in being a keep source of inspiration. Lehmann Brothers going bust was bad news to the world in 2008, but thats what drew my career path for the next 12 years. I will thank the Lehmann brothers some other day, but today I want to thank you mate. 

"He alone teaches who has something to give, for teaching is not talking, teaching is not imparting doctrines, it is communicating." - Happy Guru Purnima! Now that's something for you to look up on and once you do, you will know what it means!
Warm Regards
SN

Unquote

Thank you SN and happy 'Guru Purnima' to you too!

VS

Shipbrokers Hedge - dealing with an uncertain future

No - this is not a series of posts around how charterers or shipowners can hedge freight risk. So no I will not be discussing paper markets, long term time charters or COA's (contracts of affreightments).

With all the uncertainty around the world this is a shout out to chartering people round the globe.

How can 'we' best weather the economic, technological, financial and environmental shit storm (pardon the English) that is upon us?

So here is my pick of practical, alternative, income ideas and side hustles perfect for shipbrokers and chartering people across the globe. We are a unique bunch with certain collective attributes that avail us to certain opportunities not necessarily open to others.

I currently invest, do, participate in each of these ideas (just so that you know I would not ask you do anything I wouldn't)

++

The Virtual Shipbrokers top 15 side hustles and hedge ideas for the globe chartering community


1. Buy Gold!

When the worlds economies are hurting - shipping markets also hurt. Demand is down, vessels are under employed, banks start screaming and our jobs are on the line.

So lets go defensive and BUY GOLD....

'Between Nov. 30, 2007, and June 1, 2009, the S&P 500 index fell 36%. The price of gold, on the other hand, rose 25%. This is the most recent example of a material and prolonged stock downturn, but it's also a particularly dramatic one because, at the time, there were very rea­l concerns about the viability of the global financial system'.

Strategy - 25 percent of your income from now on goes into buying gold. There is no passive income here but you can protect your asset wealth.

Want to know how to buy gold?

Click Here


2. Invest in Supply Chain Tech

Worried that technology is taking over shipping? Worried that big data, robots and geeks in turtle necks will be taking over our jobs? Hedge that risk by being an owner in that future.

Maritime tech is in a funny situation at the moment. There are quite a few fake it till you make mobs who will soon run out of steam in this current economic environment. There will be little appetite for funding and the established, value laden firms will survive. Great article Here

So I suggest broadening the hedge and investing in supply chain solutions, block chain etc

Click here for more information


3. In office pet sitting

When homeowners travel, it opens up an opportunity for pet sitting services to come by and take care of their animals. This is perfect for us! 

When fixtures have dried up for a month, or a a voyage has gone wrong with unforeseen delays - Send out the company chauffeur at 7am to round up the clan and bring these fury creatures into the office. 

It will be great for morale and the benefits to the bottom line are obvious. The more pets the better.

This is now my major form of income...and the dog is now a trainee

Pawshake

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More side hacks to come!

Ted Talk about shipping

Hey everyone the Markets are UPPPPP!!!

Some record gains on the dry bulk side.....lets hope it continues

++

I stumbled on this and really enjoyed it.

Deserves more views

I fixed a few ships with Doric over the years

Enjoy

VS

VS Chartering and Shipbroking Certificate

Hi All

I am running a new course starting in August. We already have 4 keen students and have room for a few more.

ON ITS 13TH INTAKE

https://virtualshipbroker.blogspot.com/p/study.html

Will be fun and you will learn a heap.

If you are interested please send me an email and we can discuss

virtualshipbroker@yahoo.com

Best Regards
VS

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