A tribute to my favorite dog
Sam is 13. When we walk him without a leash, he never gets more than a little ahead or a little behind us. He hasn’t had an accident inside since he was a new puppy. He rides in cars like a champ. He doesn’t shed. He is barely interested in other dogs, just a quick sniff and swipe left.
Sam is 13. In the last year, we have seen him begin to struggle. His eyes have become cloudy and his vision is limited. We still toss him a treat after a walk, but he can no longer catch what he…
The secret that your broker doesn’t want you to know
Expertise in stocks and mutual funds is wasted. I should know. I spent more than twenty years as an investment expert. Let me let you in on a secret. There is only one stock fund you need. That’s it. Your broker will say need a portfolio of different stocks, bonds, and funds. He or she is over-complicating things and either parroting bad advice or selling you something. It’s time to simplify.
The One Investment Fund You Need
Whether you have $100 or $100 million to invest, there is only one stock-based fund you need: The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund. You can either buy it…
From $0 to $1,000, a gift for every budget
We can be lousy gift-givers. Oh, maybe not you. But you know that others are because you have received some of the bad gifts — or no gifts — from friends and family. Let’s fix that this year.
If you have a writer in your life, you can get your holiday shopping done today. Whether you have no money to spend or are ready to put a dent in your credit limit, these gifts will tell your writer that you think highly of them.
Gift #1: ApePal Writing Desk ($80)
Great writers have discipline and consistency, and part of that is when and where they write…
Take a euphoric moment every day
We are, all of us, critical creatures. Think about your last performance review, if you ever had one. What stands out? If you are like 99% of people, you won’t remember the areas where you were told you excelled. Instead, you will remember the criticism you received.
It isn’t only external forces that conspire to be critical. We are our own worst enemy. We tell ourselves that we are funny-looking, too fat, too tall, too dumb, too reckless, too undisciplined, and too poor. That’s just for starters. …
The Finds and Freedom of an NYC Trash Room
When we moved to New York City eight years ago, I was not expecting one of my favorite secret benefits of urban living here. Since we’ve been here, we’ve lived in three high-rise apartment buildings, and each one had a trash room on every floor. Trash rooms have been surprisingly satisfying. Before we get into this, I understand that not everyone who lives in NYC has a trash room available to them. I am privileged to have had this luxury. …
For nearly any job opening, the world has dozens of qualified candidates. You may be one of them. You could even be the “most” qualified, but that is not enough. Being qualified is, and I want you to hear this, the least important part of the interviewing process. That is because a smart corporation hires to make their team and organization stronger, not just to solve today’s problem. To win the interviewing game, candidates need to reconsider their entire approach to the interview process.
In a previous article, the Five Keys to Hiring Greatness, I discussed how a hiring manager…
We live in a time of the hustle and the side-hustle. Many people of all ages and most people between college and mid-30’s, have a side-hustle. The job you want to do after the job you have to do. For every writer, writing is a side-hustle. For every entrepreneur, it starts — and often stays — as a side-hustle. I am a fan of the side-hustle. Side-hustles keep you thinking, ideating, and dreaming.
Maybe you don’t have time for a side-hustle. Your job is all consuming, and add to that whatever family obligations you have plus the ongoing and never-ending…
Boredom as a creative tool
Boredom is undervalued. Boredom is vital to creativity and invention. Boredom is a powerful tool to unlock your potential. This is the case for strategic boredom.
Boredom is not a condition to solve, but an asset to manage. It may be the second most important driving force behind human development, right behind need. Don’t get me wrong, attributes like intelligence and grit and creativity are all important in taking an idea and turning it into something real. …
Crazy happens, but not this crazy. My mother is 91. She has seen everything: economic depressions, diseases, wars and assassinations. Every time I speak with her, she says, “I have never seen anything like this.”
No wonder we are like deer in the headlights. COVID and its health and economic impacts, the U.S. Presidential election and climate change make us want to lie in the fetal position until it all passes. Planning for anything is difficult. What will travel look like? What will weddings and other life events look like? What will jobs look like? …
For a business leader or an entrepreneur hiring even her first few team members, there is nothing that will accelerate that business like a great hire, and nothing that will derail that business like a bad hire. A large corporation can afford bad hires here and there, but a smaller business cannot. Over my career, I have hired, led, managed and fired hundreds of people, and that has led me to these Five Keys for Hiring Greatness, listed in order of importance. For each key, I’ve also included a question for you to ask prospective employees during their interview.
Key #1: Cultural Fit
Your…
