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Making a Beef Stew at 10 p.m. Might Not Be the Best Idea … But I Wanted to Try the Staub Cookware
I'm disappointed I haven't been able to keep up on the blog or my messages this month because there have been some wonderful memories and experiences the past few weeks, from putting on a puppet show for my nephew to having an Auntie Mame movie night with pizza for a few members of my family. … [Read More...]
I’m Stumped on a Real Life Opportunity Cost Calculation: We’ve Hit a Snag Choosing the Wall to Wall Carpeting
The economists among you will enjoy this. I’ve run into an opportunity cost trade-off that has me stumped. The fact it has me stumped has me frustrated. That is distracting me from more important things. What is my problem? Carpet. Carpet is my problem. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big fan of nicer carpet, [...]
I’m Working on a Recipe for Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese Crumbles, Whole Almonds, Fresh Chicken, White Onions, Tomatoes, and Drizzled with a Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Vinaigrette
We’re working on dinner salad recipes tonight and my dish of choice was a spinach salad with blue cheese crumbles, whole almonds, fresh chicken, white onions, tomatoes, and drizzled with a cinnamon pear balsamic vinaigrette. It’s not perfect but it is a very good starting point. One option is to take it more in a harvest [...]
Mail Bag (Two Parts) – Which Financial Ratios Would You Use to Value Airline Stocks?
A question about airline stocks and performing financial statement analysis on an airline company: If you were asked to perform a financial statement analysis for an airline what 5 ratios would you use and why are these the most relevant ones? – Pauline I wouldn’t. Airlines are notorious commodity-like businesses that require large capital expenditures [...]
The Sitting Room – Before and After (In Progress) Home Renovation Photos
The home renovation or home upgrade project continues to progress. There is still much to be done so these aren’t really before and after pictures … more like before and in-progress pictures, half of which are taken at night in low light. I decided to post them, anyway, for Aunt Donna because it will give her [...]
Mail Bag – What Drives Successful People and How Do You Overcome Discouragement?
This is a Mail Bag question from back in December. I’m using it for several people, who wrote asking about many of the same concepts, which is why it got bumped to the front of the line even though I still have old messages from September and October to which I am working on responses. [...]
Stealth Wealth (Why America’s Rich Hide Their Money and Why You Should Practice Stealth Wealth Yourself)
In our discussion of how much money it takes to rank among the top 1% of wealth in the United States, we uncovered the fact that roughly 80 out of every 100 members of the “new elite” in the United States – those with at least $5 million to $10 million in liquid net worth [...]
My Day In Pictures – Staying Home During a Winter Storm to Take Deliveries – Thursday, January 12th, 2012
There is a winter storm descended on the area, announcing itself last night with raging winds that ushered in snow flakes and ice. The temperature dropped so low that it almost feels as if the cold is seeping into the house, radiating from the glass window panes, which hardly ever happens since the home is [...]
Sometimes, An Upgrade Is a Downgrade
Depending upon where you live, you may have noticed the blog design fluctuation in tests the past week or two. Some of you were served a new version of the blog that was more graphic intensive but easier to navigate (or would have been, once it was fully rolled out). I was fairly optimistic about [...]
Mail Bag: You Are A Narrow Minded Prick
In a recent article published at About.com, a division of The New York Times, I addressed a significant group of readers who write to me asking how to handle their emotional inability to watch the value of their stocks fluctuate. The article, You Don’t Have to Invest in Stocks to Get Rich, provided some alternative [...]
Every Month, 200 Fresh Roses Are Delivered to My Home (A Lesson on How to Save Money)
I’m working on an essay about how to run your home like a business to maximize your purchasing power when I realized my actions today provide a great didactic example of how I work in my day-to-day life. Earlier, I did something that I’ve wanted to do since my childhood. I’m not sure why [...]
Mental Model: Addition Through Subtraction
Sometimes, in order to make something better, or work more effectively, you must take something away. This principle is called addition through subtraction. The theory behind addition through subtraction is that reducing components and complexity can add value if you make something: Simpler Faster More reliable More profitable Less expensive (though not always; certain strategies [...]
The Family Has Finally Selected Some of the Artwork for the Home And Pierre Bouillo’s Fortune and the Child Won
I very rarely get exhausted. Right now, that’s how I feel. I’m beyond exhausted. Between the office and the home renovations, I’m ready to sleep for a few days at this point. It’s been years since I’ve been this ready to get certain projects behind me but I’m running against the six-month deadline I established [...]
Late Night Dividend Calculations Over Tea and Downton Abbey
I’m reviewing the dividend distributions for the last fiscal year over a cup of tea with cream and sugar and buttered toast, working out the final capital retention policies for one of the companies. Striking a balance between opportunity costs is particularly hard because, as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours”. Suddenly, very good [...]
Once Upon a Time Set Design Makes Me Think the Evil Queen Was Spying On Our Home Renovations
This Sunday New Year Day, the family slept in until 11 a.m. and then decided to do brunch again, having enjoyed the Belgian waffle party so much the other night, as we watched movies and television shows on Hulu Plus and Netflix, starting with Once Upon a Time, an ABC family show. The premise [...]
President Obama Signs Law Allowing Indefinite Detention of Americans Citizens Without Constitutional Protections Such as a Trial By Jury
Stop what you are doing because this is one of the most important things you will ever read. If you have any knowledge or sense of American history, you will understand why. It doesn’t matter if you are conservative, liberal, libertarian, or politically agnostic, this effects you. President Obama just signed his version of John [...]
Some Things In Life Shouldn’t Have a Price Tag
There is a great story about legendary British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, that goes something like this: At a dinner party one night, a drunk Churchill asked an attractive woman whether she would sleep with him for five million pounds. “Oh my, Mr. Churchill … I suppose, but we would have to discuss the terms,” [...]
A Memory of Long Ago and a Way to Reflect It In My Life Today
After the Belgian waffle party tonight, once the goodbyes had been said and the lights turned off, I set to work on the personal projects that need to be accomplished. This led to me, in the silence of my living room, remembering something that brought me tremendous joy. When I was 18 years old, my [...]
My Day In Pictures – Belgian Waffle Party
We had an impromptu Belgian waffle party tonight at the house and it was awesome. The recipe came from America’s Test Kitchen and included buttermilk, seltzer water, sour cream, sugar, salt, unbleached flour, eggs, vegetable oil, and a host of other items to create a waffle batter mix that was crispy on the outside and [...]
Reflections on 2011 and Setting the Agenda for 2012
Fiscal 2011 was huge for us. I feel like it went too quickly because we didn’t get everything finished we wanted but in terms of progress toward our ultimate goals, it was very good personally and professionally. The companies grew, profits were up, the family expanded, there was quite a bit of travel, and this blog, [...]
My Night Equals Rocking Out to Dixie Lady, Reviewing More Home Upgrades, and a Ton of Work That Needs to Get Done in the Next 72 Hours
There has been a lot of progress today but it’s been disorganized. There will likely continue to be because I am in the middle of some projects I haven’t discussed on the site and very well might be up until four or five in the morning. Right now, I’m sprawled out on a blanket [...]
Mental Models Applied: Don’t Fall for the “Too Nice to Use” Trap
Of the many stupid things to do in life, one of the most foolish is to the fall for the “too nice to use” trap. The moment I hear anyone, whether friend or family member, business associate or stranger, talk about how they “never use” something, I want to grab them by the shoulders and [...]
I Got Around the Joining the Nespresso Club and I’m a Total Convert to the Whole Nespresso System
Back in June, I picked up one of those new Nespresso machines that Nestle was touting so heavily in their annual report. With my schedule, the projects, work, and extra-curricular activities such as this blog, I hadn’t gotten around to ordering the Nespresso pods or setting up an on-going subscription because I wanted to do taste [...]
If The Price of Gas Matters to Your Family Budget, You Are Doing It Wrong
The Lesson: It is not the cost of a gallon of gasoline that counts. It is the inflation-adjusted cost of a mile driven that matters. As I read the Chicago Tribune, I came across an Associated Press article called Gas Takes Its Biggest Bite Out of Family Budget In 30 Years. That piece states: When holiday travel [...]
Maintaining Sacred Spaces By Carving Out a Secret Places and Rituals for Yourself and Your Family
If any of you remember the television show Boston Legal, each episode ended with two main characters, great lawyers Denny Crane and Alan Shore, having drinks and cigars on the balcony discussing the cases and events of their day. They were best friends that took time to block of a private area of their lives that [...]
The Three Ways of Making Money In Business
There are three ways to make a lot of money in business. Typically, most businesses that are successful at making money do it in one by focusing on one of three models. They either: Sell many things at a low price Sell few things at a high price Sell many things at a high price By way of example, let’s look [...]
I'm a private investor, author, and business philosopher who started with nothing and was essentially retired by my early twenties thanks to my first Internet startup. I went to school on a music scholarship and spend my days doing what I want and growing Kennon Green Enterprises, LLC, the family holding company. 
