Blog Archive: June 2026
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…
From Pizza Dinner to Portfolio: Why I Bought PZZA Stock in Dublin
Some investment ideas start with a spreadsheet. Others begin while waiting for pizza.During a recent trip to Dublin, I took my daughter for dinner at Papa John's. While waiting for the pizza, I did what I often do when visiting a familiar consumer business: I checked whether the company was publicly traded.It turns out that Papa John's International trades under the ticker symbol PZZA.After a quick look at the stock price, dividend history, and options chain, I decided to buy 0.5 shares for the long-term portfolio.This was not a major investment decision, nor was it a recommendation. It was simply another small example of how everyday businesses can sometimes become investment ideas.Why I…
Why I Keep Adding MCD Stock After Visiting McDonald's
Most investing decisions don't happen inside a brokerage account. They happen in everyday life.Over the years, I've tried to reduce unnecessary spending and make more intentional financial decisions. At the same time, my wife and I try to maintain an active and relatively healthy lifestyle while encouraging the same habits in our daughter. Of course, children are still children.While we generally prefer home-cooked meals, outdoor activities, and healthier food choices, we still visit McDonald's occasionally or order food for delivery from time to time.In our household, McDonald's is more of an occasional treat than a regular habit. That eventually led me to create a simple investing rule.…
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…
Week 61 / Rolling an NFLX Position Into a Cash-Secured Put
Portfolio Value: $12,540Weekly Change: -2.5%YTD Return: +21.07%Options Premium Collected: $157On June 6, 2026, the portfolio value declined by 2.5% compared to the previous week, finishing at $12,540.The decline was not caused entirely by stock performance. Currency movements also had an impact. The U.S. dollar strengthened against the euro, with EUR/USD moving toward 1.15. Because part of the portfolio consists of euro-denominated assets, exchange rate fluctuations affect the reported portfolio value even when the underlying positions remain largely unchanged.Despite this week's decline, the portfolio remains up 21.07% year to date, outperforming both the S&P 500 (+9.21%) and NVIDIA (+…
Selling Cash-Secured Puts on Lufthansa (LHA): A 14.5% Annualized Return Opportunity
After booking a trip to Ireland with Lufthansa, I found myself doing something I often do when a company catches my attention: looking at its stock and checking whether there are any interesting options opportunities.A few minutes later, I found myself selling a put option on Lufthansa shares. The trade offered a potential annualized return of approximately 14.5%, while giving me the opportunity to acquire shares at a price I would be comfortable owning.That's exactly the kind of setup I like.The TradeOn June 1, 2026, Lufthansa (FRA: LHA) shares were trading at approximately €8.53. Rather than buying the stock outright, I sold a cash-secured put option with a strike price of €7.60 expiring…
Can Options Traders Invest in Ireland? Exploring the Irish Stock Market
As we are planning a trip to Ireland this weekend, I decided to take a closer look at the country's stock market.Actually, this has become a bit of a habit. Whenever I visit a new country, I usually end up researching its stock market, major listed companies, and investment opportunities. The funny thing is that while I often do the research, I rarely get around to writing an article about it. This time I wanted to change that.To be honest, before starting this research I didn't know that much about Ireland. I knew they use the euro, that Jameson whiskey comes from Ireland, and that the country is located next to the United Kingdom. I also knew that Ireland has its own native language,…
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…