I recently finished reading Nassim Taleb's newest book: "Skin In The Game: Hidden Asymmetries In Everyday Life". The phrase "skin in the game" refers to having a personal stake in something (a decision, policy, advice given, etc...). That "stake" can be monetary, reputation or something else, but Taleb believes that people should be exposed to …
Easy Money
"The easy money has been made" is a very dangerous sentence. It implies that whatever gains you have now, were easy to achieve - whereas any future gains are going to be much harder to come by. I love this chart from Morgan Housel* that shows various financial news outlets and the date when they …
We Need The Wall
We need "The Wall". No - I am not talking about the proposed border wall between the US and Mexico. I am talking about the "Wall of Worry". The "Wall of Worry" is not a physical wall. "The Wall of Worry" is made up of everything that investors think may knock the stock market down …
Pension Buyout Offer – What To Consider
Recently, large companies have been offering to buyout employees and former employees from their company pension plans. This makes sense - the pension obligation is a liability for the company and one that is hard to quantify. How long will you live? What payment option will you choose? And at what age will you take …
Bridge Communities – A Chair Affair
On June 7th, 2018 Bridge Communities held their annual "Chair Affair" fundraising event at Elements in the Hotel Indigo. Bridge Communities is a DuPage County based charity that provides homeless families with mentoring, housing and supporting services. This fun event has attendees bid on various chairs designed by local artists via silent and live auction. …
