Blog Archives

I Don't Buy It So I'm Selling It

Selling

I probably should have written this two weeks ago but I wanted to finish my Munger trilogy. I dislike when hindsight bias is used and prefer when people tell me when they are going to do something or just did and the reasons for it so that the decision can be evaluated objectively.

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Man Up! Munger On The Benefits Of Diversifying Investments

Diversifying

This is the last in my three-part series excerpting what were the highlights for me from Charlie Munger’s extemporaneous comments and responses to questions at the Daily Journal shareholders’ meeting. Most financial professionals recommend diversifying your investments to avoid being wiped out financially and/or emotionally.

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Marshmallows, Munger, and the Benefits of Delayed Gratification

marshmallows munger

Warren Buffett and Bill Gates were interviewed recently to discuss why they are both so optimistic about the future of America as well as other issues. Naturally, one of the topics covered was philanthropy as Gates and Buffett are leading the charge with regard to the Giving Pledge and the two have given more money away than other people in the world.

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Compound Interest and How to Create Tremendous Wealth Owning Great Real Estate Long-Term

Waldorf Astoria Compounding Interest

Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it … he who doesn’t … pays it.”

-Albert Einstein

 

Waldorf Astoria Recent Sale Showing the Benefit of Long-Term Real Estate Ownership and Compound Interest

Another quick one this week given how busy a week it was.

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From Obama to Trump: 180 Degrees or More of the Same?

President Obama to Trump
From Obama

This post is a blatant application of hindsight bias. We all now know that when Barack Obama won the election and subsequently took office, the economy was melting down and the financial markets were in a free fall around the globe. To refresh your memory, there was the bailout of AIG by the Fed,

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Inflexibility When you Need it Least

Inflexibility

I have often made the case that apartments and home rentals are highly valuable because of the flexibility they provide people to move for whatever reason. Housing became way over-owned in the 2000s and this did great damage to our economy and society. I finally came across some interesting research that explored how damaging it was for underwater homeowners in terms of limiting their geographic flexibility to seek out employment and how this impacted their long-term earning power.

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Fanatics, Emotions, and It's Impact on Your Decision-Making

emotions Gary Carmell

With the college football NCAA National Championship game taking place on January 9, 2017, I thought it would be apropos to write about a fascinating study about how emotions can negatively impact people’s lives when decisions are made. The paper is called Emotional Judges and Unlucky Juveniles.

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Bob Dylan - Blowin' in the Wind My Variation on His Lyrics

Bob Dylan Blowin' In The Wind

With Bob Dylan having been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature over the weekend I thought I would honor him by being very self-indulgent and creating my own lyrics to Blowin’ in the Wind. I have often found that taking the time to figure out the most important questions to ask can be more mind expanding and powerful than just focused on getting answers.

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Power to the People? The Role of Insecure Growth

insecure-Power-to-the-People

One of the driving forces in the economy and society that has made us bullish on apartments is what I like to call “Insecure Growth.” It’s a situation in which the economy continues to grow, albeit slowly, jobs are materializing, and households continue to be formed and yet there is an underlying insecurity and anxiety about job security and how long one might be in a particular location.

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How Did We Get Here? Life Post Election

Election

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”

-Alan Watts

David Byrne famously sang “Watch out, you might get what you’re after” in Burning Down the House.

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