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Gamify Your Goals
Lifestyle December 7, 2021/Lifestyle It’s been two and a half months since many of us made New Year’s resolutions and I’d bet that most of us are continuing right where we left off last year. Too often, by the arrival of spring, our plans have turned to shrugs and sighs. Maybe next year. To break…
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The Essential Ingredient for Business
Investment December 7, 2021/Investment There’s an old saying that says trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets. In life and in business, every single encounter or transaction is an opportunity to put another drop in the trust bucket. It’s also a chance to squander years of goodwill with a single bad move. Getting…
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Mind Over Matter
Lifestyle December 7, 2021/Lifestyle Everybody wants to know the secret to success in life. I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do have a worldview that has helped me get where I’ve always wanted to be: financially successful, happy at home, and master of my own destiny. As a child, my grandmother…
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No Risk, No Reward
Investment December 7, 2021/Investment I love the saying no risk, no reward. It’s equally true for investing and for a life well lived. If you’re not in the game, you can’t win anything, and taking too little risk is like sitting on the sidelines and watching others take all the glory. Getting in the…
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Use Leverage Wisely
Investment December 7, 2021/Investment When you’re ready to make a real estate investment, there are a lot of bases you need to cover, but none is more important than financing. You can get everything else right, but if you over-leverage, you’re gambling instead of investing. Over-leveraging is the biggest financial error I see in real…
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The Right Kind of Vacation
Lifestyle December 7, 2021/Lifestyle The ideal vacation is more than just a rest, it’s an opportunity to continue growing. I want my holidays to complement the rest of my life and fill in the gaps that I’m missing in my day-to-day. Whether it’s an outdoors adventure, a chance to recharge and reflect, romantic get-away with…
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Is Your Kid’s College Tuition A Good Investment?
Investment December 7, 2021/Investment College is supposed to educate our kids and make them ready for a competitive world, but is the system working? I’m shocked by the lack of basic skills in research, analysis, and mathematics demonstrated by many recent college grads. The capacity to think and communicate clearly is now considered special,…
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Watching Sports Is a Waste of Time
Lifestyle December 7, 2021/Lifestyle Some might call this heresy, but I think watching sports on TV is largely a waste of time. TV viewing, including sports, is a passive activity. When we’re looking at a TV, we’re taking what the world gives us and forgoing any opportunity to shape our lives and experiences. In other…
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What Is The Right Amount To Invest In Index Funds?
Investment December 7, 2021/Investment When I hear friends talking up the wonders of index funds, I have conflicted feelings. On one hand, it’s great that they want to invest. On the other hand, index funds are not a golden ticket. By playing a game of averages, these funds can build wealth and also hold you…
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Social Media Is (Mostly) A Waste Of Time
Lifestyle December 6, 2021/Lifestyle There’s no reward for perusing social media. No score keeping for “likes” or “shares”. And no real value in seeing what your old high school fling looks like now and how many kids she has. Time is a precious commodity. And after a brief period several years ago when I fell…
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What Makes An Attractive Borrower
Investment December 6, 2021/Investment Everybody knows the old saying in real estate: location location location. In my deal-making part of the industry, there’s another version: reputation reputation reputation. Being known for good judgement smooths the deal making process amazingly. This is particularly true when it comes to raising capital. This insight is why I…
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Price is What You Pay, Value is What You Get
Financial December 6, 2021/Financial When I was young, my brother taught me that you get what you pay for. Whether it’s a sofa, a suit, a bottle of Scotch, or an attorney, there’s a big difference between entry level and the good stuff. Life is short, and I’ve learned it’s better to pay for quality.…
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DIY Projects That Are Worth It
Lifestyle December 6, 2021/Lifestyle If you own your own home, you know all about maintenance. Some house projects require a skilled professional, others are simple do-it-yourself tasks, but most fall into the grey zone – I could do this myself, but should I? Since there is no end to demands on our time and energy,…
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Exercise Your Best Self
Lifestyle December 6, 2021/Lifestyle Everybody wants to know the secret of success. These days, our social media-driven culture gives us a high definition picture of what success looks like, who’s winning, and who’s losing. While pop culture images probably distort reality, I have my own vision of what success looks like. It starts with…
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Winning Big for Investors
Investment December 6, 2021/Investment Recently, I’ve received messages from our readers asking for more details on how our ideas translate into real returns for investors. To illustrate how Alliance converts expertise into profits, I want to share the story of a recent deal. Background In 2013, our team identified a great acquisition target: A 25,000…
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