Before I "arrived" as they say, I had no idea how different clothes shopping was for men once they became successful. Honestly, I never thought much about it but the assumption was that in terms of logistics, it would be just like shopping at Wal-Mart only with better surroundings, better service, higher quality and higher price tags. You know, you walk into a Neiman Marcus or a Saks, look around at the merchandise, and then pay for it at a register if you were satisfied. I was totally, … [Read more...]
The Reason I Love America …
August 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
In the past 30 or 60 days, the amount I charged and then immediately paid off on the company's American Express card for small costs like office supplies, software, and hosting fees was more than the current market value of the house where I grew up as a child ... and it is the slowest month of our fiscal year. It is the home where I learned how to invest by reading everything I could get from the public library and where my parents started their now incredibly successful company in the tiny, … [Read more...]
Professor Richard Wolff Says Capitalism Is To Blame … for Everything
August 21, 2010 By 1 Comment
Amherst professor Richard Wolff, is arguing that capitalism is a failure because events like the housing crisis keep occurring with some regularity. Evil banks are "forcing debt" on more Americans who are downing under their bills. He proposes that we should create low cost "community owned" housing for everyone. Yes, Richard, because American Express and Discover showed up at your house, put a gun to your head and made you pick up a pen, place the tip of the pen on the cardholder … [Read more...]
The House of Amouage – Fragrances for Royalty, Executives, and Stars
July 17, 2010 By 2 Comments
I've been looking for another fragrance house to augment the Creed and Bond families. After a few references, I decided to have a sampler box of Amouage fragrances for men and women shipped from London so I can decide if I like them or not. They are the royally appointed Omani perfume house. I have absolutely no idea what to expect - none at all. Given the fact that the house was named for the birth place of the Sultanate of Oman, I'm going to guess the Arabian influence is heavy judging … [Read more...]
Department Store Sales Make Me Really Happy
March 14, 2010 By 2 Comments
Although I'm normally a Nordstrom's guy myself, I have to say that after reading an article a few years ago (The Wall Street Journal or The Financial Times maybe?) about the vastly improved quality of department stores suits such as the J.C. Penny brand thanks to the use of expert tailors in Hong Kong for a fraction of the price and trying out the difference for myself, I have been genuinely shocked at how good the improvement is. I waited until a 50% off sale and bought a couple of suits for … [Read more...]
The American Express Plum Card Program
February 12, 2010 By 2 Comments
How the American Express Plum Card Helped Revolutionize Mount Olympus Awards A few days ago, I mentioned in The Importance of Frugality in Building Wealth that one of the ways we were able to save money was by using the American Express plum card at all of my businesses. The new product offering by American Express, which is probably most famously known for its Black Centurion and Platinum Cards, is completely unique in the financial services industry. For business owners, the plum card … [Read more...]
The Importance of Frugality in Building Wealth
February 4, 2010 By 3 Comments
I was up until 6:30 this morning reading Stop Acting Rich ... By Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D., the author of the incredibly successful The Millionaire Next Door and The Millionaire Mind. It's remarkable because so much of what the "average" millionaire did to achieve his or her wealth is exactly, precisely the same things I, and members of my own family, did to become financially independent. The premise of the book is that most people get in financial trouble trying to emulate the purchasing … [Read more...]
I'm a private investor who loves architecture, furniture, clothes, history, philosophy, books, cooking, and music as much as I do finance. 
