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...]
Kiton Suits Literally Take My Breath Away …
August 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I have seen bespoke heaven and it is Kiton. If this is how women feel about shoes, I now understand them. I saw pictures of Kiton suites and was reading an article about them. My heartbeat began to accelerate, I got warmer and I wanted to scream. That is how amazing and happy they made me feel. They are made specifically to your body so that every movement, every fabric is designed to your tastes. Oh, you mark my words, when we go into hedge fund mode in a few years, this is what I will … [Read more...]
Strawberry Jam on Toast with Hot Spiced Tea
August 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
It's 2:30 a.m., I am up eating strawberry jam on toast with a cup of hot spiced tea and reading. Perhaps I stepped out of a British nursery rhyme and am still quite asleep in my bed ... The only thing that would make this better is if it were Christmas, snowing outside, the fireplace were crackling, and I was reviewing the profits from the operating company in my Brooks Brothers bathrobe with red velvet slippers. Maybe I really was a 19th century British financier that got … [Read more...]
How to Marry a Millionaire – An Economic Update on the 1953 Film
August 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment
In 1953, a great movie starring Lauren Bacall, Bette Grable and Marilyn Monroe was released called How to Marry a Millionaire. I got curious as to how much money it would take to equal the same net worth today so I did an inflation adjustment because I wanted to know how big their motivation was in the film. Turns out, someone who had $1 million in 1953 would have roughly $8 million today. That kind of asset base should generate cash dividends or interest of $34,000 per month without … [Read more...]
We’ve Taken Sides in the Johnny Weir v. Evan Lysacek War
May 3, 2010 By 1 Comment
Around the office, we discuss weighty issues - recent Supreme Court cases, appropriate regulation of derivatives, pricing of complex options trades, etc. For the past week, however, the water cooler talk has been the somewhat quasi-feud between Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek. Unfortunately, I've gotten sucked in because as I'm reading Fortune and The Wall Street Journal, a lot of people I know and care about are (I'm sad to say) reading People, US, and the other tabloid magazines. One can … [Read more...]
An Evening in the J.C. Penney’s Men’s Department
March 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
As promised in Department Store Sales Make Me Really Happy, Aaron and I headed out to J.C. Penney to follow up on the stuff I had mentioned and, sure enough, the sales were spectacular. It's clearly a different feel from the regular Nordstrom, Charles Tyrwhitt, and Thomas Pink shopping experiences from my New York days, but the amazing thing is I was able to get 1 pair of blue jeans, 2 t-shirts, 3 polo shirts, 5 dress shirts, and 5 ties. Before the sale, the total would have cost $540.74. … [Read more...]
I'm a private investor who loves architecture, furniture, clothes, history, philosophy, books, cooking, and music as much as I do finance. 
