Week 66 / Dividend Stock Portfolio Up 25.79% YTD as I Add BAC and Stora Enso Options
As of July 10, 2026, our dividend stock and options portfolio closed at $12,851, gaining 1.24% week over week.This week, I opened several new positions, despite saying over the past few weeks that I would probably avoid doing so.I reintroduced Bank of America stock to both the stock and options sides of the portfolio. Today, I also opened a new cash-secured put position in the Finnish forestry company Stora Enso.You can read more about my reasoning behind both positions here:Why I Bought Bank of America Stock After Selling a Cash-Secured PutFrom Clearing Bushes to Selling Stora Enso Put Options: An 11.65% Annualized TradeOn a year-to-date basis, the portfolio is up 25.79%, outperforming…
From Clearing Bushes to Selling Stora Enso Put Options: An 11.65% Annualized Trade
Today, after looking over one of our properties in western Latvia, I invited representatives from the local Swedish-owned forestry company Sveaskog Baltfor to estimate the cost of clearing the overgrown bushes from the property.I have no precise idea how much material is there, but my rough estimate is around 100 loose cubic metres of bushes, branches and small trees. In Latvian, I would describe this as approximately 100 berkubi. Because branches contain a lot of empty space, this should not be confused with 100 solid cubic metres of timber.Ādģēri: The 30K Mistake That Turned Into a Long-Term ExperimentThe two guys arrived surprisingly quickly in a huge Volkswagen truck, wearing noticeable…
Why I Bought Bank of America Stock After Selling a Cash-Secured Put
Recently, I added Bank of America stock to our long-term stock portfolio after selling a cash-secured put on BAC.This was not a random trade. I have been selling options and investing with Bank of America stock at least since 2020, and over the years BAC has become one of those names I keep returning to. It is not the most exciting stock in the market, and it will probably never behave like NVIDIA or some fast-growing technology company, but that is exactly part of the reason I like it.Bank of America is a large, established banking stock. It pays a dividend, it has enough volatility to generate options premium, and it can be a decent candidate for covered call writing once shares are owned…
Week 65 / NVDA and NFLX Recovery Help Stock Portfolio Gain 3.02% This Week
As of July 3, 2026, our stock portfolio closed at $12,693, up 3.02% week over week.The U.S. stock market week was shortened, with markets closed on July 3 in observance of the July 4th Independence Day holiday.But for us, the real highlight of the week was not the market. After 16 years and 3 months since I met my better half, we finally got married today in a picturesque church in Western Latvia. It's official now!This was a particularly good week for our stock portfolio, as both NVDA and NFLX recovered somewhat.These are two positions I have been struggling with lately — not so much with NVDA, but definitely more with NFLX. With both tickers gaining some value during the week, the…
Week 64 / Managing a Challenged NFLX Put and NVDA Credit Spread During a Volatile Week
Greetings from Latvia! This week, we skipped the last few days of school in Tbilisi and traveled to Latvia to celebrate the Midsummer Solstice. We spent time with family and friends, enjoyed the traditional festivities, had a few beers, and had an amazing time.Back to the portfolio.As of June 26, 2026, the portfolio value declined by 3.44% compared to the previous week, ending at $12,322. In dollar terms, that is a loss of approximately $439, making this officially the worst weekly decline since I started tracking the portfolio 64 weeks ago.Most of the weakness can be attributed to the challenged NFLX position. Although Netflix represents only a small stock holding in the portfolio, the…
Chiatura Viewing Platform – A Perfect Spot for Drone Photography in Georgia
During my recent visit to Chiatura, I stopped at one of the city’s scenic viewing platforms — and it turned out to be one of the best places to overlook the entire town from above.Chiatura is already a fascinating destination on its own. Built into a deep river valley and surrounded by steep cliffs, the city is famous for its Soviet-era cable cars, industrial atmosphere, and dramatic landscape. From the viewing platform, all of this comes together in a single panoramic scene.Standing there, you can clearly see the contrast between nature and industry: old apartment blocks climbing the hillsides, mining infrastructure, the winding river below, and the iconic cable cars crossing the valley.…
Week 63 / Rolling an NFLX Cash-Secured Put and Managing Weekly NVDA Credit Spreads
As of June 19, 2026, the portfolio value increased by +0.76% compared to the previous week, reaching $12,761.On a year-to-date basis, the portfolio is up 23.77%, outperforming both the S&P 500 (+9.36%) and NVIDIA (+11.56%). I compare the portfolio against NVDA because approximately 84% of the portfolio's value is currently tied to NVIDIA. Given that concentration, outperforming NVDA itself suggests that the options income strategy is adding value beyond simply holding the stock.This was a shortened trading week for U.S. stocks, with markets closed on Friday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth. As a European investor, it was interesting to learn more about the holiday.Since the shorter…
Georgian Tax Residency: A Strategic Option for HNWIs and Crypto Individuals
I have been living in Georgia as an expat since 2011. Over the years, I have seen many initiatives come and go - investment programs, startup incentives, real estate trends, banking opportunities, crypto mining, free industrial zones, and different attempts to position Georgia as a regional business hub.Some of these ideas worked well. Others were more hype than substance.One of the latest trends I have noticed is growing interest in Georgian tax residency, especially among high-net-worth individuals, internationally mobile entrepreneurs, and crypto investors.I am not a tax advisor and this is not legal or tax advice, but from my own experience following Georgia’s business and financial…
From Uplistsikhe to Chiatura: Exploring Georgia’s Soviet Ghosts and Sacred Pillars
Another awesome weekend is in the books.This time we picked up Latvian pilgrim Helmuts Noviks and headed west from Tbilisi toward one of the strangest and most fascinating regions in Georgia - Chiatura. But before reaching the rusty cable cars and fading Soviet facades, we made a stop at one of the country’s oldest settlements - the ancient cave town of Uplistsikhe.Georgia never disappoints when it comes to mixing completely different timelines into a single road trip. One moment you are walking through caves carved into rock thousands of years ago, the next you are drinking Soviet-style lemonade for 1 GEL in a mining town hanging between the past and the future.That’s exactly why I love…
Week 62 / How I Managed an NVDA Credit Spread and Added Dividend Stocks
Greetings from Dublin!Over the past week, I traveled to Dublin, Ireland, where I combined family time, sightseeing, and a bit of investing research.While exploring downtown Dublin with my daughter, I made a few spontaneous additions to our long-term stock portfolio after visiting familiar businesses such as McDonald's and Papa John's. These purchases were not based on deep financial analysis but rather on an investing habit I've been developing over the years: occasionally turning everyday experiences into opportunities to become a small owner instead of just a customer.It was a fascinating week in Ireland. While my future wife attended one of the largest localization industry conferences…
Building a Drupal Module to Extract Featured Images From Article Content
For more than 10 years I’ve been using a dedicated image field in Drupal content types as a featured image. Back when I originally built the site architecture, this approach made perfect sense. The image field was used for article teasers, category pages, homepage listings, RSS feeds, and later for OpenGraph support so articles would look good when shared on Facebook, Twitter/X, and other social platforms.At the time, this was considered standard Drupal practice. Every article had a separate “featured image” field, completely independent from the article body itself.But over the years my publishing workflow changed.Instead of treating images as metadata attached to content, I started using…
Titanic Chaussee Hotel in Berlin
At the start of April 2026, we spent about six nights at Titanic Hotel Berlin (Chausseestraße 30). The trip was primarily work-related—my fiancée attended a conference in the translation industry—but it turned into a relaxed family stay, as I tagged along with our child during the Easter school break.The hotel sits in a convenient part of Berlin - not exactly in the historic core, but close enough to make it practical. We found ourselves walking several times to the New Synagogue area, which speaks to the accessibility.The surrounding neighborhood offers:A few shopping malls within walking distanceDecent cafés and casual dining spotsGood public transport options, though we mostly walkedIt’s…
Spring in Georgia: Morel Hunting, Gori Food Stop & Stunning Gorijvari Views
Shot at the end of April 2026, on a calm and lovely Sunday morning, this video started with a simple plan: go out and hunt for morels - murķeļi. Spring, fresh air, perfect timing… everything looked right.But plans shifted quickly.After the first attempts turned up nothing, we didn’t push too hard — instead, we adapted. Rather than chasing mushrooms all day, we pointed the car toward the city of Gori, letting the trip evolve on its own. And that turned out to be the right call.We decided to start our Gori stop the right way — with food. First stop: Erisoni Restaurant. A reliable favorite. Solid Georgian dishes, generous portions, and exactly what was needed to reset the day after an…
LEGOLAND Berlin Review: A Fun Family Activity in the German Capital
When planning a family trip to Berlin with children, most travelers immediately think about the Berlin Zoo — and rightly so. But if you are spending a few days in the German capital with younger kids, another solid half-day activity is the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre BerlinWe visited it in April 2026 together with our 7-year-old daughter during our Berlin trip. Alongside the zoo, it turned out to be one of the easier and more relaxed family activities in the city center.Interestingly, this was already our second LEGOLAND experience. The first one was in Turkey a few years ago. To be honest, our daughter seemed much more obsessed with LEGO back then. Kids change quickly, and at age seven the…
Ādģēri: The 30K Mistake That Turned Into a Long-Term Experiment
In 2023, we bought Ādģēri in an online auction.Price: just over €30,000.Financing: ~6% interest.Total expected payment over ~5 years: ~€40,000.Status (April 2026): more than half already paid.On paper, it was a bad deal.Realistically, we overpaid by at least 5–6× relative to what the property was objectively worth at the time. No serious buyer would justify that valuation based on fundamentals: location, condition, income potential—none of it supported the price.But auctions don’t run on fundamentals. They run on adrenaline.And that’s the whole point.What We Actually BoughtStrip away the imagination, and here’s the asset:~1.24 hectares of landAn old house (not really a manor, despite the…
Berlin Zoo and Aquarium: One of the Best Things To Do in Berlin With Kids
At the start of April 2026, during our roughly five-day trip to Berlin, we finally visited the famous Berlin Zoo for the first time - or at least the first time I can actually remember. There is a chance my mom might have taken me here sometime in the early 1990s, but if so, those memories are long gone. This visit felt completely new, and honestly, it turned out to be one of the highlights of our Berlin family trip.Berlin offers countless museums, historical landmarks, and trendy neighborhoods, but if you are traveling with kids, the Berlin Zoological Garden (Zoologischer Garten Berlin) should absolutely be on your list.Easy To Reach And Surprisingly AffordableWe took a Bolt taxi from our…
Berlin Brandenburg Airport
In April 2026, I had my first experience with Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) while flying the Riga–Berlin–Riga route with airBaltic. This was my first time using Berlin’s main international airport, and overall, it left a solid impression—modern, functional, and relatively easy to navigate. About a decade ago, I had the chance to travel through the now-closed Schönefeld Airport.Landing at BER was straightforward. The airport is clearly designed with efficiency in mind—wide corridors, good signage, and a layout that doesn’t feel chaotic despite Berlin being a major European hub.From the airport, I opted for convenience over cost.I ordered an Uber to reach our hotel on Chausseestraße. The…
Mumbai & Goa / India Trip
It has already become something of a tradition for us - escaping the cold during our daughter’s winter school break and trading grey skies for warmth, color, and a slower rhythm of life. Each year, we carve out about three weeks to leave Tbilisi behind and head somewhere sunnier. And more often than not, that “somewhere” turns out to be India.Our latest trip follows a familiar yet always exciting route: from Tbilisi to the buzzing metropolis of Mumbai, before retreating to our beloved Palolem Beach in South Goa. Another three weeks in India — and once again, it proves why we keep coming back.The journey itself feels like a transition between worlds. Leaving behind the quiet, wintery streets…
RWA Tokenization in Georgia: Key Takeaways from DGFI & Forbes Conference in Tbilisi
On April 24, 2026, DGFI, in collaboration with Forbes Georgia, hosted a conference on Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization at the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel in Tbilisi. The event brought together representatives from financial institutions, regulators, brokerage houses, and emerging fintech players to discuss the evolving landscape of tokenized finance in Georgia.I attended primarily to track local initiatives, assess institutional direction, and expand my network within the Georgian financial ecosystem.The dominant focus of the conference was not real estate tokenization - as one might expect from broader global RWA narratives—but rather:Tokenized bonds and debt instrumentsRegulatory sandbox…
Building a Frame House in Latvia: Kitchen Installation, Ground Tilling & IKEA Trip
As usual, we planned our spring around the school break at BIST (British International School of Tbilisi). This year we again split the time — one week in Latvia working on the frame house in the west, and the other in Berlin for business meetings related to the translation company.Returning after winter always comes with surprises. This year didn’t disappoint.The biggest “welcome back” moment: a broken bathroom faucet. Not a minor drip — water was shooting out from the side under full pressure. That turned into an emergency replacement before anything else could move forward.Not exactly how you want to start a work week, but typical for a house that’s still in progress.This year we finally…