A family member came by today and the course of the conversation got me thinking about the reasons that I have managed to achieve everything I set out to do with far less effort than should be required, and succeed, whereas most people never do. One of the secrets, I think, comes down to the way I frame questions. Most people, when they have decided upon a course of action, look for confirmation of their hypothesis from other people. They ask questions of their friends, family, … [Read more...]
Thoughts on Business, Politics, and Life from a Private Investor
Most Recent Posts
Mail Bag: Should I Take Out Student Loans to Invest?
One of the single most common questions I receive from friends, family, and readers who are enrolled in college is, “Should I take out student loans and invest the excess above and beyond the cost of college?” No doubt spurred by the historically low rates – the interest expense on a typical government student loan [...]
Debbie Gibson Has Invaded the Office
This is the most bizarre thing that has happened to me in years. All day long, out of nowhere, I have had the 1988 hit song “Lost in Your Eyes” by Debbie Gibson in my head. It was released when I was 5 or 6 years old. I don’t even remember anything about it, nor [...]
Earning Money on Your Money
One old definition of “being rich” is when your money earns money. This afternoon, I was writing a piece and reviewing the dividend yields on some of the common stock holdings owned by my household personally, outside of the business, when I began quantifying that in the back of my mind. How much would it [...]
Martha Stewart, the Christmas Ham, and Status Quo Bias
Just Because Something Is Old Does Not Mean It Is Right A significant error in thinking comes from people using “It has always been this way” as justification for the state of things. As if, somehow, precedence confers legitimacy. Just because something is old does not mean it is right. Being long-established does not mean [...]
France Has Triumphed with a Cultural Victory!
For the past six hours, I have been playing Aaron, Ashly, and Ian over the Internet at a game of Civilization V. By the time it was done, I kept getting a feeling that the latter two were up to some devious machinations because my military adviser relentlessly informed me they could wipe my civilization [...]
About Joshua Kennon
I'm a private investor who loves architecture, furniture, clothes, history, philosophy, books, cooking, and music as much as I do finance. Continue reading ...
Connect with Joshua Kennon
You can send mail bag questions, subscribe to updates on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest, where I track stuff I like, collect, study, and find amusing.
Investing for Beginners
To read my content for new investors on a wide range of topics including investing in stocks, investing in bonds, investing in real estate, and investing in mutual funds, head over to Investing for Beginners at About.com, a division of The New York Times, where I have thousands of articles and lessons.
Member Support Services
- Register As a New Member
- Upgrade Your Membership (Coming Soon!)
- Change Your Password
- Recover Lost Password
- Contact Customer Support
Membership has its benefits. When you are logged in, you see the most recent version of the site (not an archived cache), you can post comments and join in the discussion, and more! It takes less than 10 seconds to join and basic membership is free.
