Thoughts on Business, Politics, and Life from a Private Investor
As part of their plan to completely derail all dietary restraint, Jocelyn and Aaron plotted against me today. The result was the baking of two distinct styles of delicious cookies; one a white chocolate oatmeal cookie with cranberries and the other a white chocolate oatmeal cookie with cherries. Here are some more pictures of the white chocolate oatmeal cookies ... … [Read more...]
Aaron and I got to be the lucky recipients of an original recipe creation by Jocelyn tonight. The amazing thing was, each serving had only 500 calories after measuring the ingredients and portion sizes. It was refreshingly light yet satisfying, which is a difficult combination to achieve. Between Ruth's Chris Steakhouse last night, the Julia Child recipes that are bound to be cooked up this week (entirely new, of course ... we are ready to experiment beyond our usual favorites), and these … [Read more...]
Another batch of books arrived from Amazon.com following my book buying binge at Borders the other night. That's typically how it goes, though ... I buy a few dozen books at a time, mostly in business, philosophy, psychology, investing, finance, history, and biography (all non-fiction - I'm not a big fiction reader). Early in my career, books were my biggest expense. When my first business was making only $500 a month in profit, I probably spent $250 of it on buying books to learn. Today, … [Read more...]
Jocelyn came to visit Aaron and me! After picking her up from the airport in Kansas City, we headed to a nearby Ruth's Chris Steakhouse because we wanted something good and it was unquestionably worth it. I had read their annual report a few years ago and wanted to experience the food for myself. I have never bought any shares but at least I understand the company better. The thing that made me happiest is that 1.) it's not the type of place you're going to run into a lot of so-called … [Read more...]
Over the past year, I have grown my hair out to donate it to a charity called Locks of Love that creates custom-tailored hair pieces for children suffering from cancer (and the unfortunate side-effect of baldness, which comes from full-scale chemotherapy and radiation treatment). They aren't wigs - they will actually fit each child's head and no one can tell the difference - they can even swim without a problem. That is one of the reasons they need hair donations because the costs are high for … [Read more...]
It's that time of year again ... I'm reading through all of the insurance policies covering our businesses, houses, etc. There are some interesting surprises, as always, and I'm guessing a lot of the provisions apply to most of your reading this, as well. We utilize several different insurance companies, each for a different purpose. When it comes to homeowner insurance, just look at these surprising facts: Did you know that if a nuclear weapon is accidentally discharged and your home … [Read more...]
You all know that I can tolerate almost any political point of view as long as the person espousing it can intelligently explain their reasons for their beliefs and support it with facts and data. For example, although I don't personally agree, Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol didn't believe in charity because he thought the poor should either work or starve to death because he himself had worked his way up to success. I think that is bad public policy, but Scrooge was … [Read more...]
From a purely sociological and psychological perspective, I would have to agree with the recent assertions by Frank Rich in The New York Times regarding the true meaning of "take our country back", which has been the battle cry of the Tea Party Movement. In fact, I believe, after much reflection and study, that most of the anger (which seems to be originating almost entirely from the southern, poor, white, non-educated regions of the country) has to do with what Charlie Munger calls … [Read more...]
Though the home renovations have gotten the most headlines due to their nature (constant onslaught of choices and tasks that need to be completed), one of the most important items on the agenda of the six-month project has been to drastically reduce my digital footprint. By the end of the program, I will have one personal presence [...]
This makes me sick. This high school is ranked in top 5% of high schools in the United States. The worst part of the video for me was the part where the kid says, “I was never taught that knowledge”. It’s not somebody else’s job to teach you, it is your job to seek out [...]
This is a great way to start the day … one of the reasons I love writing this blog. Joshua, [In American Households Continue to Deleverage But That Only Tells Part of the Story, you wrote] “The numbers are just figures on a sheet trying to explain human behavior. Study the behavior, what is driving [...]
We’ve been looking for a corn chowder recipe to add to the “permanent” on-demand recipe collection but most are geared toward summer when fresh corn on the cob is abundant in the Midwest. This allows you to use the rich pulp, corn juices, and kernels to create a delicious, thick chowder that can be eaten [...]
The best message I received all day in the usual flood of reader submissions … Hello Mr. Kennon, I am 24 yr old who has saved/invested incessantly since I was 18, and my portfolio just recently breached 6 digits! I have always had a similar mindset to you when it comes to the future value [...]
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. Continue reading ...
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