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Better Relationships Beats More Relationships
Lifestyle December 7, 2021/Lifestyle For cutting through all the digital noise, there’s still nothing like face-to-face interaction. Some people might call it wasteful to travel by for a conversation when video chat or even a phone call would do. But a video call isn’t the same, and I believe that meeting in person can…
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How Will Americans Ever Retire?
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial I hate saying it, but Americans are financially illiterate, and that’s a real problem. Up and down the education and income scale, people don’t save enough to retire securely. They borrow heavily without understanding the costs, spend more than they can really afford, and they’re not prepared for an uncertain…
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World Cup Fever
Lifestyle December 7, 2021/Lifestyle World Cup fever is here. While Team USA failed to qualify this time, we’ve just been selected to host (along with Mexico and Canada) the 2026 tournament. This is a big opportunity, and I hope we use it well. In the US, we spread our sports fandom across so many sports…
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Our Digital Shadows
Lifestyle December 7, 2021/Lifestyle The internet is powerful because it connects us to each other. By the same power, it also connects different parts of our lives together. Everything we do online leaves a trace – a digital shadow. It’s time we all recognize that our actions traceable back to us, and act accordingly. The…
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Don’t Worry About Italy . . . Yet
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial Should we be worried that this latest Italian bond crisis is going to have a major economic impact here in the US? In my opinion, no. For the umpteenth time, the news media is hyping an economic crisis in Europe. This time, it’s Italy, which just formed a new government of…
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Blockchain: Beyond the Hype
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial When it comes to “investing” in Bitcoin, I say buyer beware. In just the last 5 years, we’ve seen Bitcoin rise from a few hundred dollars per coin, up to twenty thousand per coin, and then fall back down under ten thousand. That’s pretty extreme volatility, and I think that crypto-millionaires…
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The New Face of Technology Investing
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial A new breed of technology investors is rising in the modern economy. Rather than aiming for short or medium term profits, these techno utopians are chasing after radical technological improvements with unpredictable consequences. They’re broadly optimistic that progress will be positive, new capabilities will let us overcome the problems that are…
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Take Control of Your Legal Costs
Legal December 7, 2021/Legal I know I’m not the only one who has choked on my coffee when I opened a lawyer’s invoice. Simple services should not be so damn expensive. Of course, we need lawyers to get deals done, but too often lawyers bill us at hundreds of dollars per hour and are…
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What Everybody Gets Wrong About Retirement Saving
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial A friend recently mentioned he was not yet saving for retirement, and I promptly gave him a kick in the ass. The tax advantages of employer-sponsored 401k plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are formidable, so it’s a no-brainer to open and fund these accounts. But I hate how narrow the…
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Cybercriminals Can Ruin Your Business
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial For all of human history, there have been scum who make their living by scamming, extorting, and robbing more industrious people. The criminals who want to take your stuff can’t just show up at your office with guns and demand protection money. Not any more. But extortion hasn’t gone away. Far…
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How To Outmaneuver Your Bad Boss
Brokerage December 7, 2021/Brokerage Over the course of your career, you’ll have to work for some bad bosses, because, well, human nature. Some people are selfish or shortsighted, and others just aren’t aware of what they’re doing. There are so many different flavors of shitty bosses that it’s hard to address the subject without writing…
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America IS Still Great
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial Never have I seen this country so divided. You’re probably already aware of the many ways that Americans disagree, so I’ll spare you a recitation of the issues. What concerns me is the way our arguments now come with a vehemence that can rupture friendships, families, or even the nation. As…
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Invest Greedily When Others Are Fearful
Investment December 7, 2021/Investment We live in a time of great uncertainty, and smart people are wondering where they should put their money to weather any coming storms. More on that later. First, interest rates are important for understanding the investment environment, so I included a chart of long term US Treasury bond interest…
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Trump Signals Great News for Real Estate
Development December 7, 2021/Development It’s official, we have a new president in the United States. I want to take a high-level look at where the economy might be headed for the next four years. There is always opportunity, if you know where to look. First, let’s examine the current state of the economy. Our total…
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Death and Taxes
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial The intelligent investor is prepared for problems. We don’t know when disaster might strike, but eventually, the world will sling bad news in our direction. It’s doubly important to be prepared in our personal lives. That’s why I’ve already set up my estate for the inevitability that one day I…
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