tag:blog.instavest.com,2014:/feedInstavest Blog2016-12-14T09:03:56-08:00Instavest Teamhttp://blog.instavest.comSvbtle.comtag:blog.instavest.com,2014:Post/it-s-python-not-python-2-not-python-32016-12-14T09:03:56-08:002016-12-14T09:03:56-08:00It’s Python, Not Python 2, Not Python 3!<p>There’s no “Python 2” or “Python 3”, the language is same as before.</p>
<blockquote class="short">
<p>Python 2.x is legacy, Python 3.x is the present and future of the language — <a href="https://wiki.python.org/moin/Python2orPython3" rel="nofollow">Python2 or Python3</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>This whole debate makes newcomers to run away, it’s confusing, nonsense and more importantly a bubble, fairy dust, it doesn’t exist and it shouldn’t be there, It’s only the Python and that’s it.</p>
<p>If you’re on the older version (<em>“Python 2” as you say</em>), you’re a decade behind, you should have upgraded at 2008.</p>
<p>You wanna say <code class="prettyprint">Unicode</code> or <code class="prettyprint">print</code> statement or <code class="prettyprint">2to3</code>, or tiny stuff that are deprecated ? If you forget to upgrade you hit those too, no surprise.</p>
<p>This is all it takes to upgrade: <a href="https://docs.python.org/3/howto/pyporting.html" rel="nofollow">https://docs.python.org/3/howto/pyporting.html</a></p>
<p>People don’t like change, especially companies, they don’t like to change or upgrade, that product manager looks only to end product and not what’s under the hood, no one want to spend time on upgrading, everyone thinks they’re fine where they are. These cannot be the excuse to not update and keep with the latest amazing stuff that are coming in the language every day.</p>
<p>Python is not like the annoying JavaScript eco-system that has billions of versions of specification and no one know which one to use and plenty of transpilers and specifications that all give the same result. The ending result is JavaScript that the browser supports. Well there’re TypeScript, Elm, Dart, CoffeeScript, etc… You know what I mean.</p>
<p><strong>Python is in no way in that direction.</strong></p>
<p>Stop saying “<em>Should I learn Python 2 or Python 3</em>”, just learn Python. It’s the same thing, nothing is there to be afraid of.</p>
<p>The rest is either you want to run your software with an older version of Python (2) or the current version (<strong>Not newer, but current!</strong>) which last time I checked was 3.5.2 and soon to be 3.6.</p>
<p>Just see if your third party packages are upgraded to use the current version of Python, if not then use the older one. Most of the famous and popular ones are using the current version.</p>
<p>Many say “yes, my current third party dependencies are compatible with the current version, but ‘<em>what if</em>’ in future I need a package that’s not compatible ?” Well, seriously that’s so stupid of that library maintainer.</p>
<p>Python 3 came out 2008, at the moment of writing this, it’s almost a decade and if your third party package has not been updated, then it’s really messed up.</p>
<p>People would line up for a new phone to buy it, always check for OS upgrades, etc… why not Python ? What kind of developer are you that wanna use decade old stuff ?</p>
<p>Current version of Python has many things to offer, tons of them , many things that developers where looking for to have, <a href="https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0492/" rel="nofollow">async await</a>, <a href="https://medium.com/@Alir3z4/python-is-great-for-large-code-base-992fa9233066#.t2ea206ed" rel="nofollow">type annotation</a> and type checking, much better Unicode handling, being faster than before, <a href="https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0523/" rel="nofollow">JIT API right into the CPython</a>, great string formatting and list goes on and on and on. You can check the release notes to get amazed.</p>
<p>Who doesn’t want those new great features right into the language, a fast evolving like Python should not be bashed just because some are lazy to update their legacy code or don’t like the changes.</p>
<p>Don’t slow down your development, don’t patch things up just because you’re not on the current Python version.</p>
<p>Python cures cancer and prevents early death.</p>
<p><em>To be continued …</em></p>
<p>Alireza Savand is a Director of Software Engineering at Instavest.com</p>
tag:blog.instavest.com,2014:Post/make-40-on-this-simple-trade2016-11-18T13:26:41-08:002016-11-18T13:26:41-08:00Make 40% on this Simple Trade<p>Pro-Tip to make a 40% annualized return.</p>
<p>On December 15, WebMD will buy up to 99 shares of their stock from you at a price of $55.00.</p>
<p>The current price of WebMD stock is $53.79.</p>
<p>If you buy at $53.79 and sell at $55.00 that’s a 2.2% in 28 days (40% per year).</p>
<p>Here’s how it works:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Buy up to 99 Shares of WebMD. Don’t buy more than 99 shares.</p></li>
<li><p>After your trade has closed (in 2-3 days), tender your shares by calling your broker. Tell them to tender your WebMD stock.</p></li>
<li><p>Next, tell your broker to check the “Odd-Lot” box.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Subscribe to this blog for more tips and insights!</p>
tag:blog.instavest.com,2014:Post/45-years-ago-my-dad-left-everything-in-india-to-move-to-the-uslegend-has-it-that-when-my-dad-landed-at-jfk-international-airport-a-baggage-handler-asked-hey-kid-where-are-you-heade2016-05-19T06:03:49-07:002016-05-19T06:03:49-07:00Immigrants: The Ultimate Entrepreneurs<p>45 years ago my dad left everything in India to move to the U.S.</p>
<p>Legend has it that when my dad landed at JFK International Airport, an immigration agent asked “Hey kid - where are you headed?” To which my dad replied “Michigan!” “How much money do you have?” asked the man. “Oh, about 8 dollars,” my dad said proudly. The immigration agent called his friend over. “Hey Chuckie, this kid has $8 and he’s gonna find his way to Michigan!” They laughed. My dad was perplexed and felt a twinge of doubt. How was he going to get to Michigan? More importantly, how was he going to make it in America?</p>
<p>Well, he made it. And your parents did too. When I think about what it takes to start from nothing, I think about my dad.</p>
<p>Starting a company is hard – he did that successfully.<br>
Starting your life - that’s on a completely different level.</p>
<p>I wish I could give my dad, and your parents, medals. They are the ultimate entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>Saleem S. Khatri is the Co-Founder and CEO of Instavest, a website where investors post their investments and then other investors can replicate those positions and donate a portion of their profits.</p>
tag:blog.instavest.com,2014:Post/infographic-twitter-acquisition-four-potential-suitors2016-02-23T12:34:05-08:002016-02-23T12:34:05-08:00Infographic: Twitter Acquisition? Four potential suitors<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ukiq7i6ayrn0w.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ukiq7i6ayrn0w_small.jpg" alt="Twitter Acquisition v002.jpg"></a></p>
tag:blog.instavest.com,2014:Post/infographic-nyts-six-tips-for-investors-when-the-market-tumbles2016-02-16T03:42:57-08:002016-02-16T03:42:57-08:00Infographic: NYT's Six Tips for Investors When the Market Tumbles<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vm14homupoykqg.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vm14homupoykqg_small.jpg" alt="NYT Stocks v002.jpg"></a></p>
tag:blog.instavest.com,2014:Post/infographic-seven-sliding-tech-stocks-in-20162016-02-08T04:20:10-08:002016-02-08T04:20:10-08:00Infographic: Seven Sliding Tech Stocks in 2016<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gk4p8la56wnq.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gk4p8la56wnq_small.jpg" alt="TechStocks v002.jpg"></a></p>
tag:blog.instavest.com,2014:Post/infographic-six-habits-of-successful-investors2016-02-02T13:18:11-08:002016-02-02T13:18:11-08:00Infographic: Six Habits of Successful Investors<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vq8kmxj8jkpig.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vq8kmxj8jkpig_small.jpg" alt="Habits v003.jpg"></a></p>
tag:blog.instavest.com,2014:Post/infographic-5-ways-falling-oil-prices-impact-the-economy2016-01-25T16:31:48-08:002016-01-25T16:31:48-08:00Infographic: 5 ways Falling Oil Prices Impact the Economy<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/clz3bblf1t9xlq.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/clz3bblf1t9xlq_small.jpg" alt="Oil v003.jpg"></a></p>
tag:blog.instavest.com,2014:Post/cramers-checklist-six-things-to-find-a-market-bottom2016-01-19T05:23:12-08:002016-01-19T05:23:12-08:00Cramer's Checklist: Six Things to Find a Market Bottom<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/h96ukei2nyug.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/h96ukei2nyug_small.jpg" alt="Cramer v003.jpg"></a></p>
tag:blog.instavest.com,2014:Post/how-to-teach-your-kids-to-invest-early2015-12-21T05:45:16-08:002015-12-21T05:45:16-08:00How to Teach Your Kids to Invest Early<p>“Son, come here”, my dad said. “I want you to read this.” He handed me a neatly folded copy of the Wall Street Journal. I was 10. All I saw was fine print and funny looking faces. “Why?” I asked. “Read the cover of this newspaper everyday. It will help you understand what’s going on in the world.” “I guess…” I said, as I took the WSJ in my hands for the first time.</p>
<p>At first, I would fake the read to avoid getting in trouble. I was, after all, 10. But eventually I started to enjoy it and found myself getting interested all on my own. This turned into reading my dad’s investment newsletters and gradually learning about the stock market. On the weekends, my dad would explain to me what stocks he bought and why. His successes were sprinkled with failures but there was a story behind every investment. I remember asking him, “why did you invest here?” - his response wasn’t earth shattering: “I spoke to people who understand the company well. Then I did my own research and made a decision.” I nodded in agreement as if I knew what any of that meant. But there was a kicker: “Take a little bit of risk, son”, my dad continued, “This will give you the chance to live life the way you want.”</p>
<p>Those early days with my dad had a big effect on me. It ended up defining many of my early choices and gave me a love of investing that’s stuck - I ended founding <a href="http://www.instavest.com/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=kids" rel="nofollow">a company to help people invest</a>. But it wasn’t just about learning how to pick the right stock - I learned to understand risk, the importance of saving money, and how to be responsible with my finances. Now, I’ve begun to think about how to do the same with my own children.</p>
<p><strong>The Millennials</strong></p>
<p>Today’s generation doesn’t sit around the table with black and white newspapers, or even watch cable news. Not only that, they’re surrounded by ads every minute of their lives, and have credit card offers thrown their way the moment they turn 18. They’re the spending generation. Student loans, credit card debt, and bouncing from job to job without a 401k seem like things that would make developing good personal finance habits hard. That’s why it’s important to get your kids started early.</p>
<p>Thinking back, I realized that investing was a means for my dad to spend time with me - to connect with me and treat me like an adult, even if I wasn’t all that ready. Once I got interested, I’d go running to him with questions and ideas, and that hasn’t gone away - investing only becomes more important as we grow older. It became a channel for me to rely on his advice.</p>
<p>I believe sitting down with your kids as they’re growing up and teaching them about investing can have a number of benefits:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>They start paying attention to their finances - regardless of how their investments may do, it’s a way to help young adults understand that money doesn’t grow on trees (and encourage them to save money)</p></li>
<li><p>Investing money will help your children’s financial literacy; Understanding things like interest rates, risk and returns, and the general economy will be useful tools when it comes time to get their first car or buy a house</p></li>
<li><p>You can use investing to help garner a sense of independence; By trusting your child with some seed capital, they’ll feel as if they’re being treated like an adult</p></li>
<li><p>Most importantly, it can help combat bad personal habits such as overspending and being neglectful; If you’re in the habit of investing, you’ll be trying to save a little bit of money every month to invest and (hopefully) watch that pot grow over time</p></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>How to get started</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><p>Find a way to share in the investing experience - you could go over your picks and decision making, invest in companies they’re interested in (or explain why not to invest in them), or get onto a site like <a href="http://www.instavest.com/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=kids" rel="nofollow">Instavest</a>, that’s designed to be collaborative to allow people to learn (more on that below)</p></li>
<li><p>Try to incentivize them - if you can afford it, match them dollar for dollar during their first year, or couple of years, of investing (i.e., if they save $100, mom and dad will give them $100 to invest) - <a href="http://blog.instavest.com/10-reasons-to-invest-your-savings" rel="nofollow">it’s a great way to reinforce responsible behavior and encourage investing the money in their bank accounts</a></p></li>
<li><p>Share simple resources with them - at <a href="http://www.instavest.com/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=kids" rel="nofollow">Instavest</a>, we put together a few write ups and links that we think are helpful:</p></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://medium.com/@instavest/investing-your-first-dollar-31569814c834#.f0ijxiaed" rel="nofollow">Investing Your First Dollar</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medium.com/@instavest/six-habits-of-highly-successful-investors-instavest-blog-3dd87a369c02#.ls1nxu1k0" rel="nofollow">Six Habits of Highly Successful Investors</a></li>
<li>Visit great sites like <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/06/invest1000.asp" rel="nofollow">Investopedia</a> or <a href="http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/loans/student-loans/how-to-start-investing/" rel="nofollow">Nerd Wallet</a>
</li>
<li>If they’re the podcasting type, check out <a href="https://medium.com/@instavest/six-best-personal-finance-podcasters-on-the-internet-335875036b06#.ggxqqm1w8" rel="nofollow">The 6 Best Personal Finance Podcasters on the Internet</a>
</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Where Instavest Fits In</strong></p>
<p>One of the biggest issues surrounding investing today is the amount of poor or misleading information out there, especially on the internet. Often times, pundits and writers put up research and analysis they make up out of thin air - and a young (and therefore inexperienced investor) can fall into traps.</p>
<p>This is where <a href="http://www.instavest.com/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=kids" rel="nofollow">Instavest</a> comes in. It is the only wholly transparent investment engine built on top of a collaborative network - and therefore an incredible place to learn. Here’s how it works (you can see a preview by <a href="http://www.instavest.com/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=kids" rel="nofollow">signing up</a>): </p>
<ul>
<li>There’s an approved group of “investment leaders” - industry professionals, long-time investors, retired money managers, etc. on the site</li>
<li>They post stock picks, invest their own money (which everyone can see), and post a detailed rationale/ thesis</li>
<li>Anyone can either “follow” one of these leaders, do some additional research on their ideas, and make a decision to invest alongside them</li>
<li>Investors can always look back at a leader’s history: How they did do in the past? Do they have a particular style of investing? What’s their background like? </li>
<li>From there, you can manage your investments, be notified of the investment leaders behavior, and use each stock as a learning experience while looking to earn a profit - there’s no real alternative to investing your own money</li>
</ul>
<p>In the spirit of putting our money where our mouths are, we’re offering $100 to anyone who signs their kids up (must be 18) and funds their account on <a href="http://www.instavest.com/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=kids" rel="nofollow">Instavest</a> by December 31st. Please use code “Future01” and let us know this account is for a beginner, and we’ll be sure to help them along the way.</p>
<p>Happy Holidays!</p>