February 5, 2012

The Importance of Frugality in Building Wealth

Switching to Folgers coffee was an example of frugality.

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...]

Stereotypical Casino Food

casino-food-casino-buffet-chicken-fried-steak

This afternoon, Ruby stopped by and asked me to go to the casino with her.  I always enjoy spending time with family and was happy to do so, despite my general distaste for casinos (as an investor, I know the probability tables and payout ratios for most of the games; I love owning casino stocks but find myself unable to play the games without feeling like I'm doing something foolish). As she went into play, I grabbed dinner because I hadn't eaten.  I sat down with a book I picked up at … [Read more...]

The Douwe Egberts Coffee Machine at Headquarters

The Douwe Egberts Cafitesse C60 coffee system machine allows us to brew coffee, cappuccino, espresso, and other beverages in a matter of seconds.  It was something I had wanted for years and when the original company became successful, it was brought in immediately.

One of the first things I did when my original company became successful was to order a Douwe Egberts coffee machine for the breakroom.  For the uninitiated, Douwe Egberts coffee is the best in the world.  There are no exceptions.  In fact, I was visiting someone in a town called Branson, Missouri several years ago and there was a restaurant that had the perfect cup of coffee.  The waitress took time to go in the back, write down the name of the machine, open it and find the precise blend of … [Read more...]