I am a great believer in self-employment, and think many more people should be self-employed than currently are. But I don't think everybody should be self-employed, for the simple reason that not everybody wants to be self-employed. But if work is to continue to be a part of our economic tapestry, then it needs to undergo some major restoration work. Is work primarily a … [Read more...] about Work is broken and we have to fix it – or else
Archives for July 2017
What is going to happen to your financial independence after the crash?
There is a phrase I frequently read and hear from financial independence types that I find extremely confusing, and which is one of many reasons I find the concept of financial independence troubling, at least as I've seen it promoted on the internet. The phrase is: "depending on what the markets do." A typical formulation is, "we'll be financially independent in 2018, … [Read more...] about What is going to happen to your financial independence after the crash?
What should I change my mind about?
It's become very fashionable in certain circles to prove your intellectual and critical thinking bona fides by changing your mind about ideas in the face of evidence or arguments to the contrary. In that spirit journalist David Leonhardt wrote this summer challenge in the New York Times, and I'm perfectly game. Now I just need some suggestions. There are some obvious … [Read more...] about What should I change my mind about?
6 things I wish I knew before starting a business
Running a small business is as fun and easy as you'd expect, and more people should do it. I'm an unabashed promoter of self-employment, not because it will make you rich quickly (getting rich quick is the wrong goal on the wrong time frame), but because it will make you self-employed. That's my unfortunate literal tendency which I can never seem to keep suppressed for … [Read more...] about 6 things I wish I knew before starting a business
On sophistication
One of my favorite euphemisms in the entire galaxy of finance and investing is the "sophisticated investor." A sophisticated investor, in legal terms, is one determined to be wealthy enough to be fleeced by con artists without missing the money too much. For example, not just anybody could invest in Bernie Madoff's hedge fund. Only those with plenty of money to spare could … [Read more...] about On sophistication