Greatest Board Game of All Time

Settler's of Catan: A Way to Exercise Strategic Thinking
Shabbat is a jewish tradition that takes place every Friday night. In my family Shabbat is a way for friends and family to spend time together after a long week. Being from a very large family with 18 first cousins, not everyone can always make it to our weekly Shabbat dinners, but we almost always have enough cousins to rally up and play a board game. In fact that is how we like to bond after Shabbat dinners. The game of choice-- you guessed it, Settlers of Catan.

How the Game Works- The Basic Premise

In Monopoly you use money to buy properties and charge rents. In Catan you have 5 resources (your money) that you use to build settlements and cities. Settlements and cities are how you gain more resources and victory points, which you need 10 of to win. This is what a regular board of 3-4 players looks like but there are also expansions that allow you to play with up to 8 players. Typically games last about 80 minutes.

Settlers of Catan 3-4 player board

Why is the game so great?!

It has an incredibly high replay value

One aspect of this game that sets it apart from most other board games like Monopoly of instance is that you can play the game thousands of times and no two boards will ever be the same. The way the board is set up is at complete random, and is completely different each time. This keeps the game fun and exciting even for those who have played many times in the past and is one of the top reasons its a winner at our Shabbats.

It is a very social game that requires a lot of interaction and negotiation

Another reason that we love to play this game at Shabbats is because in a large family of entrepreneurs, lawyers and businessmen it is extremely entertaining to watch the politician come out in all the cousins-- even the nice ones. Trading is one of the fundamental ways of winning this game which I will get into more in the next section, but for excitement purposes it really makes the game competitive and requires even the shy quite cousins break out of their shell. It's a great way to bond but can also be an easy way to make enemies. Either way it adds an aspect to the game that encourages interaction and communication, which makes people feel invested.

It is Monopoly on crack from a strategic standpoint 

The third dimension of this game that I love and arguably the best is that is it extremely strategic. Every piece, rule and resource in this game are calculated to the T. There is no rule in this game that doesn't have a strategic purpose. It is also an extremely economical game. In the beginning of the game you choose what resources you are able to collect which sets the tone for the rest of the game. Catan is a game of shortage and surplus, players can often create monopolies on certain resources, which only add to the intensity of the game.


Overall Settlers of Catan is a great board game that I highly recommend to anyone who considers themselves a strategic mind. Although I only briefly discussed the rules and strategy involved in winning and there are many more rules that you should read about before starting your first game. If interested you can purchase the game on Amazon for $40.

AMDP's Investment Opportunity

To:          Clark Hansen, CEO
From:     Ariel Nassib, Investment Analyst

Subject:  GreenBox Investment Opportunity

Date:       February 22, 2016

Good afternoon Clark. You asked me to look into a green business worthy of investment under Anima Mundi Development Partners’ investment criteria. After extensive research, we highly recommend GreenBox, a New York based company dedicated to improving wasteful and outdated food designs.  We believe that GreenBox is a company that meets AMDP’s criteria of being socially responsible, environmentally-friendly and highly profitable. Greenbox is an innovative company that thinks outside and inside the box...

Before I go in detail about GreenBox, I want to briefly state our standards: triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility, social enterprise and carbon footprint.

AMDP Standards

Triple Bottom Line

Triple Bottom Line Consists of 3 P’s

1.      People: A fair and beneficial practice directed toward everyone involved in the business operation: customers, suppliers, employees and the community.

2.      Planet: a green and environmental-friendly practice that imposes minimum harm to Mother Nature.

3.      Profit: a sustainable growth that brings internal financial profit to the company without hurting society and planet.

Corporate Social Responsibility

A process in which a company considers the interests of all stakeholders: investors, customers, employees, the community and the environment. Such concern must be implemented into and reflected in company’s policies and actions such as philanthropy or community givebacks.

Social Enterprise

An organization that applies commercial strategies to achieve its social objectives. It aims to improve environmental and/or societal wellbeing with a motto “doing charity by doing trade.”

Carbon Footprint

Carbon Footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission caused by the operation of a company. Carbon Footprint is usually calculated in Carbon Dioxide equivalent using 100-year global warming potential. Namely, it represents how much heat is trapped in the atmosphere in a 100-year time spam. An organization can undertake a GHG assessment or Carbon Accounting to measure its carbon footprint. AMDP includes low carbon footprint as one of our criteria to fight against global warming and to support a sustainable habitat for the human race.

Greenbox

GreenBox was co-founded by the current President Jennifer Wright-Laracy, Ned Kensing and William Walsh, the original inventor, who passed away in 2011.  GreenBox is based in New York, NY, and pride themselves in being innovators in the environmentally friendly food packaging industry. Their patented, multi-functional pizza box called GreenBox is currently their leading product. It’s a new eco-friendly pizza box that can be broken down into plates for consumption and  into separate utility storage containers for leftovers. Greenbox savvy design helps eliminate the need for waste when eating pizza at home. GreenBox currently being advertised as "the pizza box of the 21st century, is made in the USA from 100 percent recycled and recyclable material. Unlike standard pizza boxes, this multifunctional version can be used for sharing slices and keeping some fresh for later. It has a lid that can be easily removed by tearing along the perforated joint. In addition, Greenbox's storage design is slender and thin making it possible to store in the refrigerator while eliminating any necessary plastic wrap or aluminum foil from the equation. This can then be torn up into quarters, creating four sturdy plates for friends to use while devouring a delicious slice. 

See link for demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQBjJjpkjl0

GreenBox also has other environmentally conscious boxes on their way, their DoggieBox, SliceBox and HoagieBox all offer eco-conscious alternatives to traditional food packaging. They're a team that's always looking to improve and innovate in creating a whole new standard for the 21^st century food industry.

GreenBox also states that “2.4 billion pizza boxes are used every year in the U.S. alone. If just one million (0.04 percent) of these were replaced with this eco-friendly version made from 100 percent recycled material, it would preserve a large number of resources: 5,950 trees, 1,120 cubic yards of landfill space, 2,450,000 gallons of water, 1,435,000 kilowatt hours of energy, 700 barrels of oil, and 205,450 pounds of air pollution.” This just shows how resourceful the GreenBox pizza boxes can be. Especially with the environment as a huge talking point in the upcoming election and as a raising concern amongst the United Nations we believe it to be a ripe industry for investment. Furthermore GreenBox is positioned in a niche market with a large growth opportunity within the consumer packaging industry.

Final Recommendation

GreenBox is a uniquely positioned company in the dated consumer packaging industry during a time where environmental consciousness is raising a lot of concern. Greenbox holds a strong patent fending off its competitors and is expanding into new product lines quickly. Its recent cameo on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank has been the catalyst for its rapid growth and GreenBox shows no near term signs of slowing down. Although GreenBox is a small startup today, we believe that GreenBox is helping solve a problem that is not going anywhere anytime soon and that its strong design and utility patents position itself for large potential growth opportunities and that stakeholders will reap benefits for years to come. This is why we advise to invest in GreenBox with a strong investments rating of A-.

Please note that since GreenBox is a small startup seeking funding with little information public, the next step would be to set up a meeting with their team to learn more about who they are and their strategy moving forward.

Works Cited

"From "Outside the Box" to Inside the Tank." From 'Outside the Box' to Inside the Tank. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

"The GreenBox NY Blog: Will: Our Co-Founder & Friend, Always." The GreenBox NY Blog:  Will: Our Co-Founder & Friend, Always. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

"GreenBox." GreenBox. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

"Shark Tank Success Stories: Green Box Pizza Box." Shark Tank Success Stories: Green Box Pizza Box. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

Timmermeister Review

A Solid Performance

At the for front of things I liked about Kurt Timmermeister's Growing a Farmer, was a quality that Timmermeister exude throughout his journey. His ability to trust in his intuition under risky circumstances and his ability to passionately overcome obstacles he encountered. Timmermeister's story is one that gives the reader hope that one day they can accomplish what Timmermeister did-- follow their passion and succeed. I think this book does a great job of letting the reader know that success comes with many obstacles, Timmermeister's journey was not an easy one, and time after time he tells us of the many problems that arise. I believe it is important to be able to identify problems early, act upon them quickly and learn from your previous mistakes. I think these three qualities apply not only to farming but to any business or goal you seek to achieve, and that one who can do these three things effectively will rise to the top of the food chain.

To keep this post short and sweet I think Timmermeister gave us a solid performance. Not only does he take us through his personal journey, he does so in a informative way,  teaching us about a subject that not many people are familiar with, and he is also showing us that it is okay to take risks and go after what you want in life. He shows us his own personal success story which was fueled by his passion and love of food and makes the reader feel like they can do the same. I have respect for Timmermeister's business savvy and although he may not be the best farmer or have the most knowledge on farming he set out a goal and accomplished it.

Best Student Friendly Credit Cards to Build Your Credit

Best Student Cards of 2016

Like many of you reading this post I am currently in the last semester of my undergraduate career, and about to be financially independent for the first time in my life. I understand that this can be an extremely stressful and confusing time, but a lot of that stress and confusion can be eliminated out of the equation by having a plan, and a strategy to execute that plan.

For me, my strategy throughout life if to accumulate wealth by investing in real estate. Sounds easy enough. Now of course I will need money to start investing and that won't come until I actually start working and saving the money I earn, but there is something I could be doing now as a student to help me accomplish my plan later down the line-- building credit! Building my credit now will help later on when I find a deal I want to invest in by allowing me to borrow larger amounts of money and getting better terms on my loans, which is an essential aspect of real estate investing. So I set up a meeting with a credit specialist named Joel Maloney and learned the most effective strategies for me to build credit as a student with an average credit score and limited funds. Joel told me to take out 2-3 credit cards under my own name independent of my parents and spend equal amount on each card while never allowing any revolving debt to occur. This meant that I would have to pay every single payment in full and on time to maximize the amount of credit I would build. I understood what I had to do and the only real question left was with the hundreds of options available out there, what are the best credit cards for students to apply for?

In this article I am going to give you the breakdown on the top three credit cards I recommend for students and why they are at the top of my list.

First up is the Discover It For Students- Good Grades Rewards.

This card offers 5% back on rotating categories each quarter and the average 1% cash back on all other purchases. They also double all your cash back bonus points at the end of your first year. If your GPA is 3.0 or you also get an extra $20 cash back each school year for up to 5 years. One perk targeted towards a first time cardholder is that your first late payment fee will be waived off and your credit will not be damaged by the late payment. This is just in case you make a mistake while learning how to pay off your credit card statements and a nice safety buffer. One of my favorite things about this card is that every month in addition to your statement they send you a free credit report, so you can track you credit improving every month and follow your progress and in my case my goal to build credit. The card also doesn't have any foreign transaction fees but remember the one pitfall of this card is that Discover is not widely accepted overseas, so it may not be the best card to take with you on a semester abroad or a summer vacation.

My second favorite card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

This card is a little tougher to get accepted for than the Discover It, but its rewards are just as impressive. This is a great card to have if you love to travel, and an especially rewarding card if you spend $4,000 within the first 3 months of opening the card because if you do you will receive a 5000 travel points bonus which is about $700 in rewards points that can be redeemed on travel at a 20 % discount on all regular prices. Yes it may be difficult for a student to pull that off but if you can get help from a parent and pay a few months of rent through the card it can be very achievable. This card also offers 2% cash back on dining at restaurants and all travel. It also has no foreign transaction fees and makes for a better addition abroad than the Discover It.

Last but not least is the Chase Amazon Rewards card.

Like many other college students I am a huge amazon user and this card makes a lot of sense if your a frequent amazon shopper. It easily accepts students and offers 3% cash back on all purchases through amazon, 2% cash back on all dining and gas stations, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. You also receive $80 dollars amazon credit once accepted. It's a solid card for any student who spends a decent amount on amazon, dining, and gas.

Remember it is important to conduct your own research as well when choosing your credit card options because a lot of  the choosing process is based on your personal preference and your spending habits. These are the three cards I recently applied for and so far I am very happy with my decisions and knowing that I am on track to execute my long term plan of investing in real estate. So now when I am 24 years old with a steady income and find the first deal I want to invest in I will be prepared with a strong line of credit.

Also for anyone who may be curious you are entitled to one free and official credit report a year. Otherwise you can get an estimate on your credit score with the Discover It card each month or you can get an estimate from a site like www.Experian.com

Links to Sources:

McGuire, Virginia C. "Best College Student Credit Cards of 2016 - NerdWallet." NerdWallet. N.p., 4 Apr. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2016.

https://creditcards.chase.com/credit-cards/sapphire-preferred-card.aspx?B7C3=FH24R8&CELL=6248  (Original Content from Website)

https://www.chase.com/credit-cards/amazon/amazon-home (Original Content from Website)

https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/student/ (Original Content from Website)