Nasdaq Baltic Stock Market Biggest Gainers / Losers 2017

| Investments | 14 seen

There was a 71 company listed on the Nasdaq Baltic stock market in 2017. In today's article, I decided to make a quick look on the biggest gainers and losers for a whole 2017. 

Baltic equities are listed on Nasdaq Baltics in 3 listings - Main List, Baltic secondary listing, and Firth North. As of writing this article the total market capitalization for companies listed under one of the three listings was EUR 7 billion and 261 million. 7 billion huh? Think that's huge? Think twice - the total market capitalization for cryptocurrencies right now is at 294 billion Eur, and we are in the bears market. The total market capitalization for Nasdaq Baltic's represents about 2.5% of the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies.

Think I'm comparing apples to oranges? you are right, just for the correct illustration, the neighboring stock exchanges at Moscow have 515 billion market capitalization, Stockholm stock exchange EUR 1,02 trillion, Warsaw EUR 321 billion. Not to speak about London stock exchange with EUR 6.82 trillion or New York stock exchange with  EUR 17.31 trillion.

You got…


Cryptocurrencies are Volatile - Here is How I Lost $1,000 in Value in a couple of days

| Crypto | 13 seen

Wow, what a bearish ride for the past couple of days in the cryptocurrency world. Bitcoin and all the other major altcoins have lost value on average by 25% in the past couple of days. From trading BTC at $11,615 on March 5th down to $8,606 on March 9th. 

Long story short - I've been investing in cryptos since the second part of 2017. Before actually investing in cryptocurrencies I developed the so-called dollar cost averaging plan, and decided to buy the major cryptocurrencies once in the month no matter the price. Dollar cost averaging helps to exclude emotional decisions. My plan is to acquire more coins until the end of 2020. That's roughly 2 years and 9 months to go.

Currently, I own following cryptocurrencies - bitcoin, ethereum, litcoin, ripple, bitcoin cash and siacoin. Bitcoin cash and Siacoin I've added to my crypto portfolio with the start of 2018. Here is how my dollar cost averaging chart looks now:

Dollar cost averaging crypto portfolio 2018

Despite a massive crash with 25% wiped in value in matters of a couple of days, I'm still in a positive side, with about +76% value growth,…


Top Hotels to Book in Daugavpils, Latvia

| Hotel reviews | 6 seen

Daugavpils has been on my travel radar for a very long time, in fact I've been in Daugavpils for couple of times in the past.

According to Booking.com there are no 5-star hotels in Daugavpils, but there are a few 4-star and a lot of 3-star hotels located in the city and in the neighboring vicinity. 

Disclosure: hotels listed below contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.

Park Hotel Latgola

This is a new 3-star hotel located in Daugavpils. It is conveniently located for shopping and close to entertainment centres as well as other tourist attractions.

The hotel offers you an unforgettable time. It’s numerous conference and seminar rooms, equipped with the latest technology, are the ideal place for successful business meetings.

The hotel also includes a modern restaurant and bar offers a warm atmosphere for you to dine and enjoy refreshments in. The restaurant serves a variety of Regional, European and International dishes, and you can enjoy a cocktail or an aromatic tea in the…


Minimum Wages in European Union 2018

| Macroeconomics | 149 seen

Turns out this is already fifth (#5) article about minimum wages in European Union featured on the blog.

Traditions must be continued and here comes the latest article with the latest data for 2018 about minimum wages in the European Union.

Update: Minimum Wages in European Union 2019

In 2018 there were 22 out of 28 European Union member states with the official minimum wage set by the government.

Feel free to browse through the archives for previous years, before proceeding, see:

  • What's Minimum Wage in European Union 2017
  • Minimum Wages in European Union 2016
  • What Is Minimum Wage In European Union 2015
  • Minimum Wages in European Union 2014

N.B. Countries that don't have a minimum wage set by the government in European Union - Austria, Denmark, Finland, Cyprus, Italy and Sweden (collective bargaining agreements effective, instead of minimum wage)

For this years article, I was able to pull data both for gross and net minimum wage values across the European Union. 

    2018 2017…

Palios Mylos Restaurant Review near Argiroupoli Springs, Crete

| Restaurant reviews | 24 seen

Ahh, I love these lovely roadside cafeterias which are hard to locate, after visiting and leaving, on the map. This time I was lucky enough and turned out I had pictured the name of this place in Greek. A bit patience and usage of Greek language transliteration and here you go - found both the name and location of this place, meet Palios Mylos Restaurant near Argiroupoli Springs, Crete.

Visited back in June 2017. Now it's hard to recall exact our route back then, but most probably we arrived here somewhere from Triopetra area. 

The restaurant is located next to the Argiroupoli Springs some 27 km southwest of Rethymnon on the slopes of the Psilotitis mountain with its many springs of crystal clear water and the remains of the ancient city of Lappas

Taverna Palios Mylos in Crete

Devil is in the details - thanks to this picture I was able to locate this place on map.

Seems than Palios Mylos translated into English means - Old Mill.

The restaurant "Old Mill" is located in the Sources of Argyroupoli, in …


February 2018 Dividend Income Report - $62.89

| Investments | 16 seen

Time flies and so did last February disappeared like a flicker. Now it's time to look back and see how did it go for me in terms of dividend income.

February marks already the tenth (#10) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks, peer to peer lending (both fiat and cryptocurrencies)

Surprisingly, but February turned out much better than I thought before - after a few e-mail and support tickets forth and back with bank and fund I was looking to have in my portfolio since August 2017,  I finally managed to add this fund to my portfolio. The fund dividends helped to boost a little bit dividend income in February, and I was able to generate  $62.89 income in a very passive way.  Hopefully, this fund will contribute also in May, August, and November. 

I'm speaking about Baltic Horizon Fund - and there is one bold reason I like this fund, quarterly dividend payments (at least in 2017, and hopefully in 2018), the yield is around 7-9%, which is among the highest yields in the Nasdaq …


Winter near The Baltic Sea (Dubulti beach, Jūrmala)

| | 8 seen

In today's Piece of Life series, a couple of HDR's from the Baltic sea (more precisely Dubulti beach in Jūrmala, Latvia)

Pinewoods, frozen sea and cold fresh air.

Frozen Baltic sea

Would love to return here in Summer.

Restaurant Orizonte in Dubulti beach

Pinewoods near Dubulti beach


Top 5-star Luxury / Boutique Hotels in Barcelona

| Hotel reviews | 12 seen

Barcelona is one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe, the city is the desired location for romantic trips, in case you are looking for best honeymoon or just romantic weekend in fabulous Barcelona city, in this article I have listed Top 5 star and luxury hotels in Barcelona, based on actual user reviews on Booking site.

Alternatively see: 20 Top Rated Romantic Hotels / Apartments In Barcelona

The price per night for those 20 top rated hotels varies - starting from EUR 95 and up to EUR 375. The price may change, and there are some hotels offering huge savings.

Disclosure: hotels listed below contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.

Eurostars Grand Marina Hotel GL 

This property is 9 minutes walk from the beach. Set within the World Trade Center building, this 5-star design hotel overlooks Barcelona’s port and is a 5-minute walk from La Rambla. It features a seasonal rooftop pool, a gym and a spaciousterrace.

The Eurostars Grand Marina Hotel…


52 Week Money Saving Challenge

| Investments | 13 seen

I first heard about such challenge from SEB Latvia bank - How to save 1,400 euros per year?

The recommendation is simple - to deposit in the first week one euro, in the second week - two, third week - three, etc. The amount after each week continues to grow, up to the last week of the year, when it is 52 euros.

As I love challenges and believe they are the great way to master new skills and make good habits, and in fact, there have been a few long-term challenges already passed in the frames of this blog, like - blogging 365 days in a row or daily photo challenge for 365 days. Not to speak about ongoing Road To Million dollars challenge. I decided to opt-in for a 52 weeks money saving challenge as well

Now, I might be late to the party, as it already starts of the March and I kind of already have defined my financial plans for 2018, see 2017 in Review and Financial Goals for 2018, there is still one reason I'm taking this challenge - lack of the cash in my portfolio.

Let me explain - I invest heavily all of the free money in stocks, funds, peer to peer lending and crazy crypto…


Blog Income: 104% Increase YoY in Google AdSense Revenue 2018

| Blogging | 20 seen

Learn how I increased revenue from Google AdSense by 104% Year over Year and how you could too. 

For a prelude: I have been using Google AdSense for already eight and a half years by now, from whom first four and a half years have generated a really modest sum of EUR 100 from couple of low traffic and let's be totally honest - thin content websites (I had installed AdSense ad units on dozens of sites). I started using Google AdSense to monetize my websites back in 2009.

Today by accessing Google AdSense reports  (02/26/2018) I noticed that my lifetime revenue from this channel has reached EUR 2,704.25 for a time period Sep 4, 2009 - Feb 26, 2018. It is for eight and a half years. Nothing much, right?  About EUR 318 per year (that's less than a euro per day), on the other hand, the real increase has started from 2014. In fact, half of the money I made just in the last 365 days.

If compared year over year, during the past year, it has been a whopping 104% increase. 


Top 20 Aluminium Chassis Notebook / Laptop Computers

| Laptop Reviews | 4,109 seen

As they say, Aluminum / Metallic chassis laptops are more durable than plastic ones.

Indeed the surrounding chassis matters, but still when choosing an aluminum chassis laptop don't forget to see what's inside the chassis, like the graphics card, processor, RAM, and of course HDD.

In today's article, I've listed the TOP 20 bestselling aluminum chassis laptops on Amazon. Following laptop/notebook manufacturers is a popular user choice for aluminum chassis - Samsung, Acer, Lenovo, ASUS, DELL, The Razer Blade, and HP.

Most Aluminum chassis laptops come with the price attached and nowadays there are both traditional, touchscreen, and of course gaming laptops surrounded by metallic cases. 

See: HP ENVY x360 - 15-cn0003ur Convertable Touchscreen Laptop Review

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to Amazon.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a purchase on the Amazon site, I might earn an affiliate income from that. Prices for laptop computers listed on this page are retrieved using Amazon Product Advertising…


Winter in Bākūži 2 - 2018

| | 6 seen

A couple of weeks ago I made a couple of HDR's back at Bākūži (Bākūži Winter 2018), despite it was still a winter, we had little to no snow back then. Now at the end of February 2018, I made some more photos - let's say this - there is still room to grow to reach the levels of the fairytale in Tbilisi, but still lovely.

Snow, frozen pond, and lonely rock garden see it for yourself

Car parked next to the pond

Pile of firewood

Still needs to be processed

Rock garden in Winter

The house

Still, a lot to do :)


How To Verify Skype Account Without US Credit Card (Microsoft Account Verification)

| Servers | 47 seen

In today's article, I'll share my experience how I managed to verify my age for Skype account. It all started that one day I was not able to login to my skype account, which I have been using for more than 10 years already. 

It turned out  Skype / Microsoft thought I'm a child, as apparently in my Skype account I had entered my birth year as 2008. Now back in 2008, it didn't seem an issue. Since Microsoft acquired Skype back in 2011, apparently, some new rules have been pointed out and it was on the February 2018, Skype started to think I'm a child. I was not able to login to my account, even despite I've been a paid subscriber to Skype OUT

Trying to Google out some solution for this strange case I ended up in this article: How do I change the birthdate on a Microsoft account?

I’m an adult, but my account thinks I’m a child

To change your own account from a child account to a full account, you need to prove that you're an adult. You have two options:

  • Option 1: Provide a valid U.S. credit card number
  • Option 2: Send us proof of age

Despite I have a valid U.S. Credit Card (see…


Google Introduces Machine Learning AdSense Auto Ads

| Blogging | 23 seen

Yesterday I received a promotional e-mail from Google AdSense, introducing the new Auto Ads.

As a long-term Google AdSense user (How I Made $2,135.03 with Google AdSense in 8 years), I decided to give it a test for my Drupal-powered blog, despite I was amazed at what I saw, I still removed Google AdSense Auto ads shortly.

Let me explain - Google Adsense ads have been featured on this blog for about 4 years, during the past 4 years the blog has grown into a complex multi-topic website/portal. Despite I'm serving Google AdSense ads on most of the content pages, there are sensitive categories and pages I'm not using Google AdSense to monetize the content. With enabling Google AdSense auto ads, this exception is not honored and I saw Google AdSense auto ads served even on About page. Sure I believe I could custom code to remove auto ads from specific categories and pages (How To Hide Drupal Block For Nodes In Specific Taxonomy - Example With Google Adsense) , but right now the solution of the box just didn't work for me. Probably after some custom coding and longer testing I could implement Google AdSense auto ads on the blog.


Back testing BTC/EXP RSI on Gekko Trading Bot

| Crypto | 27 seen

For the past couple of days, I've been testing Gekko BTC trading bot, executing a few trades running the bot on my laptop, ending to build a VPS to run Gekko trading bot on a cloud. As you can see for right now - I'm fully determined to master this trading bot.

To master trading like a pro some should learn basic technical analytics, in today's article, I will speak about using Relative Strength Index (RSI) for crypto trades. I believe RSI is one of the easiest ways to trade cryptos. 

Disclosure: I'm not a financial advisor and I don't give you any advice, I'm just sharing my own experience. Investments in stocks, funds, bonds or cryptos are risk investments and you could lose some or all of your money. Do your due diligence before investing in any kind of asset. 

RSI (Relative Strength Index)

The relative strength index (RSI) is a momentum indicator developed by noted technical analyst Welles Wilder, that compares the magnitude of recent gains and losses over a specified time period to measure speed and change of price movements of a security. It is primarily used to attempt to identify …


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