Or their first car?  Down payment on a house?

The biggest problem I have with expensive sneaker culture is rapid disposability. You buy the shoes, but they’re “out of style” in 3-6 months!

@MrsDjRass Tweeted me:@kimmaytube Eh. Not true for Jordans. I don’t have any, but they are considered “gym shoe culture” classics.

Sure, Air Jordans may be classics, but here’s the thing—once next years hot new “it pair” arrives? Nobody is going to be breaking down doors for last seasons edition.  Know what I mean?

Now lets talk investing lessons for kids.  

Ok. So I was curious. Looked up Nike’s stock price as far as Dec. 1980 (the year they went public)

https://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NYSE:NKE

Here’s the scenario. Say its the year 2000 and a kid (who has no job) wants a pair of $180 Air Jordans. The adult says “No, but I’ll buy you shares in Nike”.

And since in the year 2000, Nike was trading at about $25 a share, the kid would be able to purchase about 7 shares in Nike.

(Note:  My numbers are approximate.  I round up, I round down.  Some math doesn’t work out cleanly cause I exclude pennies, but the actual figures are very close. Example: 7 shares would really cost $175 )

$180 shoe money/ $25 per share in Nike = 7 shares or $672 in year 2011

Now fast forward today.

As of yesterday, December 23, 2011 (11years later) Nike’s trading price was $96. So the kid (now a teen) would’ve gained $71 a share. His onetime investment and paper gain would be $497.  Add in his initial $180 investment and he has a total of $672 eleven years later, just by foregoing Air Jordans for one year.  In fact, by now, he could’ve easily forgotten wanting those shoes as a younger child.

Had the adult bought him 11years worth of Air Jordan shoes, spending $1980 all at once in stocks at the 2000 Nike trading price? The kid (now a teen) would have gained $5,609. Add in his initial investment of $1980 and he has a total of $7,584 all because he chose Nike stocks over Nike’s Air Jordan shoes.

$1980 shoe money/ $25 per share in Nike = 79 shares or $7584 in year 2011

How many teens do you know that wouldn’t want $7,584 in their hand?

None of this includes trading fees or capital gains taxes, etc. but the point is this. That kid would’ve GROWN out of 11years worth of Air Jordan Nike shoes.  Basically, the Air Jordan SHOES would’ve held no value, assuming he actually wore them.

Far fetched story? Not quite. Meet Damon Williams a 15yr old from Chicago with $50,000 portfolio - Smart Mommy! VIDEO: http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/boy-millionaire-in-the-making/3x1z3p30

Notice that Damon’s mother doesn’t deny him what he wants.  She simply taught him to delay gratification, learn the basics of investing and encouraged him to seek ownership in the companies and brands he loves.

If you’re wondering why the super-rich 1% (or America’s 15% upper/ upper middle classes) can live guilt free, enjoying their wealth, it’s for this simple reason.  They know that even if you gave “certain people” money, they wouldn’t know how to appreciate, leverage or respect it.

Life Lesson: Enjoy your life and your money in moderation. Earn. Save. Invest. Spend & Give.

A fool and his money shall soon part.

I only received a few questions for this week’s edition.  If I don’t remind people, I guess they forget. :o) So I’m just going to answer the few I’ve received.

TOPIC: MAINTAINING MOISTURE IN HAIR

Question #1)  @RaquiGarcia How do you moisturize *daily* after you’ve done a rod set? 

My Answer:  Firstly, adding water to a rod set would ruin the style. So I would not moisturize it with anything until I’m ready to wash or restyle my hair. 

I personally don’t moisturize my hair daily.   A leave in conditioner or styling product can be used to seal moisture (water) in your hair.  In fact, too much water can be a bad thing.  When the hair is wet, the hair strands are in a weakened state, which causes them to break easily. So you want to maintain balance as much as possible.

If your products aren’t helping to hold moisture in your hair for at least 2-3 days, try monitoring their pH balance.  The cuticle layers (which hold moisture in) function like window blinds on the hair.  When they lay flat, moisture (water) is held in longer.

Cooler temperatures cause cuticles to close and heat encourages them to rise. But the cuticle layers are also affected by pH balance. Alkalis cause them to open and acids encourage them to close.

A pH of 7.0 - 4.0 is regarded as safe for the hair, although I’ve seen some products with an acidity of 3.5pH.

Question #2) @CandyThorne what shampoo would you suggest for dry hair I use..  also I mix up these oil to help with hair growth vita E oil,lavender oil,rosemary oil and also castor oil and last aloe juice 

My Answer: I suggest a gentle shampoo at or below 7.0pH. Lower (slightly more acidic) is actually better in theory, since it helps to keep the hair cuticles closed, preventing hair from absorbing too much water. 

There is no such thing as a growth oil.  Essential oils like peppermint & tea tree can stimulate the scalp, which may help with circulation or relieve itching, but hair growth is simply cell division under the scalp.  Unless you are using a product with a hormone designed to treat hair loss, your body will produce hair normally.

Now if you’re referring to the use of oils to seal moisture in the hair to help preserve it by preventing breakage caused by dryness, then yes, oils can certainly help.  But keep in mind, oils do not moisturize.  They lubricate and seal (sit on top of) the hair strand.  Failing to wash oily hair may cause your hair to feel brittle and it will look matted as it collects dirt. Make sure to maintain a steady hair care regimen.

TOPIC: CO-WASHING

Question #3 I hear alot about co-washing but I notice you do not have a video on this is that just something to by choice or so not necessary

My Answer:  The longer you are natural (or caring for you hair in any state in general) the more you will see that beyond basic hair/scalp hygiene and preserving the hair strands, detangling and keeping hair moisturized, not much else is necessary when it comes to hair care.

Co-washing is something I rarely do because I have a low manipulation routine. But on the rare occasion I co-wash (rinse hair with a conditioner only) its done in between washes to give my hair a nice splash of water to prepare it for style setting without doing a full shampoo wash session.  

But I never use conditioner as an alternative to washing my hair with shampoo.  I know that conditioners contain cations (and oils, polymers, etc.) that leave something on the hair, while shampoos contain anions, which take things away (dirt, debris, flakes).

Ultimately, you’re going to have to experiment and decide for yourself.  As with everything, someone will swear by it, others will find it useless.

Even though I’ve “retired” from my consulting career, I still receive emails/calls from former clients for work. What do I do? I’m going to tell you.

I simply forward my clients to respected colleagues I’ve worked with over the years. This is why your NETWORK is important. In fact, it makes me look good when I’m able to connect them to new talent.

One individual, a Caucasian gentleman (why am I being so proper? he’s white. lol) he lives in my vicinity. I’ve been forwarding work to him for the past few months now. I estimate I’ve forwarded about $30,000 worth of contracts and assignments to him. That’s extra income on top of what he’s already pulling in.

That’s the TRUE power of networking. Can someone refer you & get you hired? Can they help you get your foot in the door based on THEIR reputation?  If you don’t have this power or aren’t around people who can “hook you up”, then you don’t really have a network (of any value). :-/ I’m talking strictly business here.

Your “circle”? They ultimately represent your potential. Because while WHAT you know is important, WHO you know will get you the opportunity.  That’s where a lot of people get trapped. Socio-economically speaking. They never “move up”, cause they don’t acquire mentorship. They aren’t “groomed” to become the next leaders in their field of work.

CEO’s are groomed. Every respectable, high level executive was groomed & pulled IN & UP. Over the past 15 yrs, I’ve seen amazing transformations.  And over the past 15yrs, I can’t tell you how many people I’ve also seen left BEHIND. That *I’ve* eclipsed socio-economically. :-/ Again, its all about your network.

I try to be transparent with you all. I was groomed to succeed. People brought me into their circles & I ran with it. It made all the difference!

So yes, something IS going on in America. I’ve had a front row seat witnessing the class divide. And its not going away anytime soon. Some people are getting pulled in/up & others are getting left behind. In EVERY field/industry, etc. Very insular groups are forming.

And if you just sit & watch not reading the writing on the wall at YOUR company in your field? They will screw you over and not pay you well. :-/ 

Upward mobility is still happening (my life & others I know are proof of this) but it won’t happen on auto-pilot. You must be eager & motivated.  As mentors, Baby Boomers cherry pick the “sure things.” The people who already demonstrate drive. Nobody is going to MOTIVATE you.

Guess what I’m saying is this. If someone reaches their hand out to you, its your job to GRAB it. If you don’t? Won’t affect their lives and livelihood!  I really hate it when young people (and my peers) that I try to mentor, act like they’re doing ME a favor by listening to me. Please. :-/ 

And pretty much everyone shares a similar attitude about all of this. We have our own lives too. Your drive or lack thereof? Ultimately won’t affect mine. :-/

That is all I was moved to say! Going to post this on Tumblr for ease of reading. p.s. No one TOLD me this stuff, fell into it. I was a fly on the wall.

*from a spontaneous tweet rant* :o)

I’m almost hesitant to say anything about this cause there is so much willful ignorance regarding haircare — so this is take it or leave it

Got an email the other day from someone who has been using a latest fad hair regimen that involves among many things, not washing your hair for a month. And using certain combinations of “natural” products & maintaining a damp environment on one’s scalp—

All of this *supposedly* will attribute to hair growth. Sorry. Pure garbage. BUT, what concerns me is that the person has a scalp problem. The person who tried this fad regimen for hair growth wrote to me that her scalp now has a horrible odor & she’s experiencing hair loss. :-/

Now, she’s smart enough to have already scheduled a doctor’s appointment. Good. Cause that’s all I would’ve had to say to her. Please see a doctor!

Point is this. Please beware. There’s not a dermatologist in this country who would advise anyone of any hair type to forego washing.

This woman probably has a very bad bacterial infection on her scalp now. :-( Not washing hair combined with a damp environment =nothing good

People forget our scalp is just skin. It is covered with normal bacteria, yes. But throughout our day we pick up other pollutants, bacteria and our own microscopic shedding dead skin flakes.

Our hair & scalp picks up all kinds of stuff! I’m home 90% of the time & when I had Kev hold a magnifier to my hair he saw carpet fibers!  (ooh, get your mind out the gutter! lol.  Due to the air ventilation system that circulates in the house).

Our hair & scalp picks up SO many things. It accumulates over time. Water alone can remove *some* of it, but absolutely not all of it. :-/

Again, would u ever just wash your BODY with water alone for 30 days straight? I understand aversion to chemicals, but hygiene is important.

All of us have different body chemistry. For every woman who doesn’t wash hair for a month with no problems (*supposedly* cause you can’t smell it through your computer monitor) there will be another 100 women who will have problems. And those scalp/bacteria problems may trickle to the face. And cause bad acne or rashes.

I once handled the hair of someone who had what we considered “good hair” at the time. She never washed it. My palms were black after touching it.  I never looked at her “good hair” the same way again!

So that’s all I have to say. Its not about opinions. Ask yourself, what would a licensed doctor say to me? Science & medical standards matter!

So please be careful. There are no shortcuts to hair growth.