February 5, 2012

Don’t Spend Money to Feel Better About Yourself

Emotional Shopping Leads to Debt

I happened to be reading a forum for venture capitalists and investment bankers and there was a section for people new to the industry who work in major financial centers such as New York. We're talking about first year analysts earning between $60,000 and $90,000 including signing bonuses, and, if they are lucky, a $50,000 to $100,000 bonus depending upon annual profits, living in a majorly expensive city, who probably have significant student loans. Some of the people were advocating that … [Read more...]

Cherrywood Capital Group Successfully Divested Two of Its Investments

Fountain Pens from Kennon Home Accessories

Phase I of our secret project and my third quarter goals are both going really well, even though I'm spending an inordinate amount of time on the manuscript for my next book, which is a guide to calculating intrinsic value of stocks, bonds, real estate, and other assets. Everything Merging Under the Kennon & Company Brand Remember the $31,000 we spent on the paid search advertising pilot program last September?  Yeah, part of that involved testing various keywords to determine if we were … [Read more...]

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...]

David Oscarson Releases New Pen Series

David Oscarson Consider the Liles Black Pen

Sweet!  David Oscarson released the next installment of his pen series called Consider the Lilies.  They were inspired by Luke 12:27 when Christ said, "Consider the lilies, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Here's the company's official statement on the pens: Marking our Tenth Anniversary, the Lily Collection speaks of our gratitude for all that is virtuous, beautiful and pure. In a … [Read more...]

Aurora Talentum Classic Fountain Pen

Aurora Talentum Classic Fountain Pen in Black with Gold Trim

Lately, I've been writing with a black and gold fountain pen from Aurora. It came as part of the inventory expansion we did at Kennon Home Accessories to launch the pen business this winter, and I've got to say, I've never written with anything like it. Truth be told, despite it being only $325 retail, it feels far more durable and enjoyable than some of the $850 or $1,200 pens I own. Quantity: … [Read more...]

Michel Perchin Pens Really Turn Me On

Michel Perchin Pens

When I was a teenager sitting in high school French class, I recall relentlessly mocking my teacher for the idiocy of buying a $200 or $300 pen.  Fast forward to today, and not only do I have a massive pen collection, but I've fallen completely and totally in love with Michel Perchin pens to the point that when I have the retail store launch it's full in-store pen department in the fourth quarter of this year, we are going to bring them in and sell them. The average retail price for most of … [Read more...]