Asking For Directions: A Personal Finance Story (Chap. 13)

Authors’ note: Explaining personal finance can be pretty dull. That’s a problem, if you need to learn about personal finance. On a plane from St. Louis to Seattle, I decided to try and fix the problem. What if I could wrap some personal finance concepts inside of a quirky (funny?) short story? My goal here […]

Is Tesla Nearly Bankrupt?

New Year’s Eve presents the opportunity to, as a friend of mine said, “get into a car and race all of the drunks back home.” Something I hope we all avoid (hey- use Uber). As we turn the page and move into 2018, it’s an appropriate time to ask the question: Is Tesla bankrupt? What […]

Is it possible to start a business with little to no money? How?

So, I’m driving behind a commercial pickup truck that had this sign on the back: “Not responsible for broken windows” On the back of the truck’s cab, it had this sign: “ Stay back 100 feet. Not responsible for broken windows.” Really, bro? It seems a little unrealistic to think that you can pile a […]

What Happens to The Founder of a Company Backed by Angel Investors if the Company Fails?

I remember a Christmas when I was in grade school, and my mother told me that one of my gifts was “ten feet long”. Turns out it was a basketball hoop. Nice, Mom. Sometimes, are perception of what is true is far different that reality, and unfortunately that happens when a business fails. A founder […]

What Is The Hardest Truth Of Economics?

Complexity can kill. I saw it 20 years ago, and I’m seeing it today, and it’s one of three hard truths about economic and finance. Here’s what I mean: So I was working out at the gym today, and CNBC had yet another story on Coinbase, which is a marketplace where Americans to buy and […]

Why Do So Many Startups Fail?

So, I’m trudging down the hall of “Acme Hotel” at 11pm on Thanksgiving night with my family and our luggage. I drove five hours to get to Thanksgiving dinner, I ate and drank quite a bit (driver was sober- not to worry), and all of us just wanted to go to bed. I noticed some […]

What is the most ethical U.S. corporation?

When I was growing in the ‘70s, it was common to throw trash out the window on the highway. I have vivid memories of eating McDonald’s in the car and heaving it out of the car at high speeds… Hard to believe, isn’t it? Over time, people in the US gradually got rid of that […]

Turning The Clock Back: A Personal Finance Story (Chap. 12)

Authors’ note: Explaining personal finance can be pretty dull. That’s a problem, if you need to learn personal finance On a plane from St. Louis to Seattle, I decided to try and fix the problem. What if I could wrap some personal finance concepts inside of a quirky (funny?) short story? My goal here is […]

Best Lesson in Salary Negotiation

I smiled. “Yes- I think that number is reasonable, given my skill set and what you need.” The next one who speaks loses- and I didn’t say a word. Andy, the CEO thought for a minute. He had asked me three times if I was willing to come off (come down) on my salary demand, […]

Life Lesson That I Least Expected

Setback and disappointments frequently lead to a better outcome than you expected- or imagined Oh, come on- people just say that to make themselves feel better after a setback or disappointment. You don’t really mean that. Yes I do. And, as time goes on, I’m even more convinced that it’s true. Have a question about […]