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December 29, 2023
Product or Progress? When Steve Jobs came up with the idea for the iPhone, was he looking for the next phone? The next minicomputer? The next big Apple product to sell? Or was he trying to advance civilization? Was his fire stoked by trying to improve how we lived and worked? Or just profits and getting rich? Was Jobs focused on the product or on progress? When we head to the gym, the health food store, or, for that matter, to our therapists, nutritionists, or doctors, are we concerned with the products or services they offer? Or is our sole […]
December 22, 2023
“Thanks so much for coming up today,” Tim said. “My pleasure,” I replied, having flown up just to meet with him. “It’s always so much better to meet in person. ‘Get to know you and you, me,” he said. “I agree.” Never having met him before and chatting over the phone a few weeks earlier, I was curious as to why he had asked me to fly all the way here to meet this morning. He dove right in. “So, I have gifted $150 million to our IDGT, and my wife has done the same. We have also purchased in our trust […]
December 15, 2023
“Morris is getting worse,” he said. Michael wept while sharing the news. “He remains unable to speak. I’m concerned that as he gets older, we will need to place him in an institution. I don’t think we’ll be able to manage this much longer.” “And Aimee is so sweet,” explaining how his daughter was trying to help despite her own serious issues. “But with her C.P., she will need back surgery to fix a problem she has with her spine.” “I also worry about how the world will treat her,” he went on. “She is beginning to become aware that she is […]
December 12, 2023
Convincing signs that we’re moving closer toward 2% inflation keep adding up. When October’s PCE inflation data was released, it was very similar to the CPI data earlier in the month. The report revealed headline inflation grew only 0.049%, a welcome revelation compared to expectations of a 0.1% increase. Similarly, core inflation rose only 0.163% versus consensus estimates of a 0.2% increase. Even stripping out more volatile shelter costs, inflation is running below 2% on an annualized pace over both a three-month and six-month timeframe. Even if we zoom out to the last nine months, we’re looking at annualized inflation […]
December 8, 2023
I have been reading (yes, me reading!) the book Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s just amazing what this man has done with his life. What stands out among many themes is how Arnold blames no one for anything. According to his philosophy, you get what you get and build what you make of your life. In one of the chapters, Arnold speaks about his life, dealing with his father, and his challenges. He reveals how he chose (and still chooses) not to allow those things to impact who he is. He talks openly about the fact that many of […]
December 2, 2023
Stock Market Markets rallied in November on the basis of a stronger-than-anticipated economy, resilient consumer, tempered inflation, and the realization that the Fed will likely pause rate hikes. For the month, Wall Street’s three major indices performed as follows: The Dow +8.8% S&P 500 +8.9% Nasdaq +10.7% In November, both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite saw their biggest monthly gains since July 2022, and the Dow broke its three-month losing streak in bold fashion. Inflation November’s highly anticipated Consumer Price Index report revealed the cost of goods and services remained flat from October, with annual inflation increasing […]
December 1, 2023
Well, another Thanksgiving in the books. This one had extra special meaning for me. It marks the second year in our new home and new town. It’s been a year very much in transition, both professionally and, in many ways, personally. I can honestly not think of a year where I thought more about my mortality than this one. ‘Seeing my children continue to grow and mature, watching what they do and how they think about things. And how we influence those behaviors, good and bad. I’ve thought a lot about how different my life has turned out than what I had […]
November 24, 2023
Remember life before 9/11? You could travel without taking off your shoes. The flight attendants would make REAL food for you on the plane. They could carve meat with a real knife, and the silverware was, well, silver! Then it all changed. We had to take our shoes off. Plastic forks and knives. Limits to what you can and cannot take on the plane. Heightened security everywhere. But then, relatively quickly, we saw innovations spring forth. There was Clear. Then, TSA Pre-Check. (Yes, Clear was before TSA Pre-check!) We could pay for services, both private and governmental, to help make […]
November 17, 2023
There is nothing worse than unused potential. The idea that one can do and be so much more yet chooses not to. I’m not saying that everyone has to strive for total optimization like some machine, and you definitely have the right to be exactly who you want to be. But wouldn’t it be so much more fulfilling to see what you really CAN be? To push those limits and see what you can do? Maybe try your hardest and leave it all out there, even just once. By pushing far out of your comfort zone, you might just show […]
November 10, 2023
Are you stressed or depressed? Words that sound so similar but have very different meanings. Or do they? How often have you said, “Man, I am so stressed?” Now think about this for a second: how often have you said, “I feel so depressed.” Or “I am so sad today and don’t know why.” Probably never. Very seldom do we (people in general) sit with our feelings. Instead, we’re always moving on to the next thing or simply saying to ourselves, “I’ll deal with that later.” We may even subconsciously treat an admission that we’re depressed or feeling something as […]