Joshua Kennon is a Managing Director of
Kennon-Green & Co., a private asset management firm specializing in global value investing for affluent and high net worth individuals, families, and institutions. Nothing in this article or on this site, which is Mr. Kennon's personal blog, is intended to be, nor should it be construed as, investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell a security or securities. Investing can result in losses, sometimes significant losses. Prior to taking any action involving your finances or portfolio, you should consult with your own qualified professional advisor(s), such as an investment advisor, tax specialist, and/or attorney, who can help you consider your unique needs, circumstances, risk tolerance, and other relevant factors.
One of the biggest mental model obsessions I’ve had for the past few years – so consuming that I rarely even mention it in public, and hardly ever on this site as I am still working on fully grasping the implications and mechanics – is something called signaling theory. The gist of signaling theory is that at all times, in all situations, you are broadcasting aspects of your identity, beliefs, personality, and lifestyle to the people around you, often with significant social implications. It exerts such a strong pull on civilization that I consider it second only to the social proof mental model in importance. It interacts with other mental models so efficiently, it often goes unnoticed.
A huge percentage of the writing on this blog is about positive models for success, including using things like mental models in an ethical and honest way to maximize your gains in life. Yet, I also keep case studies and files on anti-models of behavior; things that, if emulated, can cause suffering, distress, unhappiness, and failure.…
We’ve talked so much about how no one, other than economists, want to discuss what is really driving a significant portion of income inequality – technological advancement – but I came across another perfect illustration of how radical the shift to a knowledge economy away from an industrial one has been for the labor force.…
For his 31st birthday this week, Aaron presented me with the menu he wanted me to make for his dinner. I was happy to oblige, especially given the birthday dinner he gave me. He was very specific, requesting: Main Course – Slow-roasted, French-style braised short-ribs simmered in a red wine reduction with carrots and onions, served over…
Correlated risks that aren’t apparent at first glance can be some of the most dangerous risks to your business or investment portfolio because you haven’t adequately prepared for something to go wrong. That is why I so often mention correlated risk so that you don’t think you’re more diversified than you are in reality.
I’ve never smoked. I hate the taste of alcohol. I’ve never done drugs. I did well in school and became successful at an early age. I save way more than I spend, growing my family’s investments every year. I’m far more productive than the typical person in my country. Specifically, the average American spends a staggering…
You know that old television show 7th Heaven? Sometimes, I think I live in it. I was woken up this morning by my five-year-old niece, two-year-old-nephew, and grandmother (their great-grandmother) calling a phone I keep beside my bed. She (my grandmother) was watching the kids; they missed us and wanted to talk since we hadn’t…
By now it should be no surprise that cheese in on my mind. (I was excited for the suggested cheeses several of you left on the other post; thank you for those!) I have a huge book on its way that details the different types of cheeses, how they are made, the flavor profiles, and more, which I can’t wait to dive into sometime next week. I’m not quite so ready to begin actually making artisan cheeses ourselves, but I do want to add this topic to the list of things we know beyond the education that has been picked up through trial and error over the past few years due to our culinary pursuits.
We’ve done it again. Despite our own stupidity, and constant attempts to trip ourselves up with in-fighting, at this exact moment, by nearly every conceivable economic metric, the United States has the largest group of individual people enjoying a higher standard of living, more total wealth, longer median lifespans, and more free time than any other civilization that has ever existed, at any point in recorded human history. There has never been a point when life is better than it right now. You’re living it. I feel like we should go get a cake or something.
With all of the cooking we’ve done in the past few years, one of the biggest changes is the revelation we had about the value of good cheese. There have been three cheeses that stood out as exceptional. We still have a lot to learn about this culinary sub-category, but when you come across a wedge that is a winner, it’s a thrill because you add an entirely new flavor profile to your repertoire.
