Yeti keeps stuff cool. Videos like this help me get through the winter. … [Read more...]
The Big Short and The Prudent Man
If you want to lose even more faith in the big banks on Wall Street then see the movie The Big Short. It’s an excellent portrayal of what ignited the Great Recession based on Michael Lewis’ book of the same title. It never ceases to amaze me how little we learn from history—one that's littered with financial disasters. If you want to make money and keep it then you would be wise to focus your attention on the prudent man rule. Bevis Longstreth writes in the footnotes of Modern Investment Management and the Prudent Man Rule: Of course, it was early recognized that market manipulators could … [Read more...]
Commit to a Life of Success
You may be familiar with Shane Ellison from his book Over-the Counter Natural Cures and his action-oriented website www.thepeopleschemist.com. I’ve read his book several times and refer to it, and his website, regularly. Shane suffers no fools. He tells it the way he sees it, often times, with language not meant, shall we say, for the dinner table. Recently a client and I were talking about sports—wrestling in particular—and he was reminded of Shane’s blog: My New Year’s Resolution 2016. In it Shane talks about how he’s helping his 10-year old son Blair commit to a life of success through … [Read more...]
Warren Miller: Your Search for Freedom Part II
“You know I liked your piece on Warren Miller but he wasn’t the ground-breaking filmmaker on skiing,” said my client yesterday, from Jackson Hole, WY during our regular talk. “The first guy was John Jay. He lived in Williamstown, MA next door to my friend when I was a kid,” he said. “Years later, when I was president of my ski club John Jay put on a great show for us.” I wikipedia’d John Jay and according to Warren Miller, he “virtually invented the ski film in its modern form.” If you’ve ever skied Suicide Six in Woodstock, VT or have seen the skimobile at Mt. Cranmore in North Conway, NH … [Read more...]
Warren Miller: Your Search for Freedom
If you’re a skier then you know the name Warren Miller—famous for his ground-breaking ski movies shot in some of the most beautiful mountains in the world. I had a chance to meet Mr. Miller, age 91, over the weekend on a ski trip to Montana. He was in the lodge, named after him, signing copies of his soon to be released book. In his book, Miller writes about the first job he had, when he was in fourth grade, stocking shelves at the local grocer. He was able to get a job when, during the Great Depression, the unemployment rate was 25%. But what struck me was not that he had a job, but how he … [Read more...]
Friday Free For All: Can Anything Reduce Health Costs?
Companies Fight Healthcare Costs, Together Companies are banding together to fight rising health care costs with group buying they hope will give them more bargaining power with providers. Louise Radnofsky reports at The Wall Street Journal: Twenty major companies—including American Express Co., Macy’s Inc.and Verizon Communications Inc.—are banding together to use their collective data and market power in a bid to hold down the cost of providing workers with health-care benefits. The newly formed alliance of companies, which cover about four million people among them, plan to share … [Read more...]
An American Treasure: Richard Feynman
If you're a fan of the late physicist Richard Feynman then you're in luck. Over the weekend I visited Bill Gates' website: gatesnotes.com and found an absolute treasure: Thirty years ago I went on vacation and fell for Richard Feynman. A friend and I were planning a trip together and wanted to mix a little learning in with our relaxation. We looked at a local university’s film collection, saw that they had one of his lectures on physics, and checked it out. We loved it so much that we ended up watching it twice. Feynman had this amazing knack for making physics clear and fun at the same … [Read more...]
Islamorada Sunset
Happy Thanksgiving from Dick and Debbie Gratitude Keeps Your Heart Healthy Taking the time to focus on what you are grateful for is not only good for your soul, but it is also good for your heart. New research suggests that gratitude helps the heart because it reduces stress, a huge factor in heart disease. Read more here from NPR on why the more grateful people were the healthier they were. … [Read more...]
The Monday Melee: The 7 Fastest Growing Restaurant Chains
It seems every time you turn around there's a new restaurant chain popping up offering burgers, shakes, burritos and every other kind of food you can imagine. Here are the seven fastest growing chain restaurants as compiled by Restaurant Business Online: Rank Chain name Systemwide Sales % Change in Sales Average Unit Volume Total Units 1 Pieology Pizzeria $44,600,000* 230.4 $1,600,000* 42 2 Blaze Pizza $33,000,000 230.0 $1,500,000 50 3 Smallcakes A Cupcakery $38,700,000* 133.1 $600,000* 88 4 Nékter Juice … [Read more...]
Tory Burch’s Commencement Speech at Babson College
I watched this inspirational video over the weekend: … [Read more...]