Category: That’s Interesting

That’s Interesting

Cloud Computing – How Does It Work?

One article that caught my eye this past week was: 55-year-old woman makes history and $140 million by taking her tech company public…

Recycling: Does It Make Economic Sense?

My first money-making venture was collecting newspapers door-to-door. My friend, Drew, and I filled up his garage with used newspapers, loaded them up into my parents’ orange Ford van, and took them to the recycling center. The going rate for newspapers was $.03 an inch. One week, our payout hit a record $17. In retrospect, I think …View Article

Celebrity Endorsements’ – Worth the Cost?

Arnold Palmer’s death probably ranked about 100th on the list of stories the media was covering last week. The first 99 all involved presidential candidates, which is tough to compete with. Nevertheless, I thought Arnold Palmer’s death should have been a bigger story because of his impact on celebrity endorsements. The pioneer of celebrity endorsement …View Article

Podcast: Revolutionizing Radio

You are missing one of the great innovations of the past decade if you are not listening to podcasts on a regular basis. A podcast is simply a radio show that has been recorded and can be downloaded or streamed through your computer or smartphone. Why is podcasting so important? Because traditional broadcast radio is …View Article

Slot Machines – Expensive Entertainment

A lot of similar character traits can be found among financially-successful people. Many are obvious, such as frugality, living beneath your means, consistent saving and investing, modest cars, etc. A less obvious trait is that they tend not to have expensive hobbies or vices, and keep their household debt at a minimum. This article could …View Article

Publicly Funded Stadiums – A Terrible Idea

Publicly funded stadiums are a subsidy that I put in the category of “questionable at best”. They have high fixed-costs that requires very high occupancy over several years to be profitable (like cruise ships). I am sure this will offend some sports fans who believe that their fancy new stadium is the best thing their tax dollars …View Article

Productivity Drives Living Standards

America’s remarkable gains in living standards over the past 240 years are the direct result of higher output per hour of employment. Too few Americans fully grasp the link between productivity and prosperity. To see that connection, let’s look first at the country’s most dramatic example—farming. Farming – the ultimate example of productivity growth driving …View Article

Middle Class – Does That Describe You?

I have observed that many high-income, high net-worth folks do not feel wealthy. They typically think of themselves as middle class. I have also noticed that many people who are middle class feel poor. This poses a question: “What is middle class anyway?” There is no single definition; however, some economists consider the bottom 20% of …View Article

Warren Buffett on America’s Future

Warren Buffett (AKA: the Oracle of Omaha) is not only the world’s most successful investor. He is also one of the most quoted, humorous, and admired citizens in the history of our country. Today, I wanted to share this passage from his company’s 2015 annual letter to shareholders. Warren Buffett so eloquently and simply captures …View Article

Credit Scores: A Predictor of Reltionship Success?

Apparently, the Federal Reserve does more than set interest rates. This week I learned that they recently released a study on how credit scores predict the success or failure of romantic relationships. Here are the major findings of the study (just in case you don’t want to read all 57 pages): The research shows: The …View Article