Monday Minute: Policy Update and Dysfunction in the Senate
Close the Gap, giving parents the opportunity go close the education gap caused by school closes, virtual learning, and others issues during the pandemic.
Continue readingMissouri can trust Eric Schmitt
When political pundits complain about “the deficit,” they usually mean the trade or budget deficit. But there is a far bigger problem in our politics today: the trust deficit. Our government, our political parties, and elite institutions have so abused their authority that Americans have a hard time believing any public official anymore. That’s why, especially in the last few years as …
Continue readingSummary of Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor
The Father of Value Investing Benjamin Graham, “the father of value investing,” is considered one of the most significant influences on Warren Buffett. Buffett himself says, “More than any other man except my father, [Graham] influenced my life.” Buffet says one does not need “a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information” to be a successful investor. One needs …
Continue readingIt’s Your Ship – Leadership on the Benfold
I’ve had It’s your Ship on my shelf for a while and finally got to reading it. Captain D. Michael Abrashaff challenges the leadership styles he encounters in the Navy and believes there is a better way, and acts on it. Captain Abrashaff takes the Benfold from a ship sailors couldn’t wait to leave to one that empowered them and challenged them, …
Continue readingFrom 300 to 800 – My Financial Journey
I usually take time on January 1 each year, when not putting away Christmas decorations, to reflect on the growth I’ve made in key areas over the past year. I think over items like faith, family, health, work, leadership, and, the subject of this post, my finances. Where was I? What was my goal? Did I reach my goal? Was …
Continue readingBelieve in People to Reclaim the American Dream
Believe it or not, I’ve never met or spoke with Charles Koch. I did have the honor and pleasure of meeting David Koch before he passed. He was both warm and well-grounded. But, I’ve never met Charles. That said, I’m fairly certain we’re well aligned, in both policy and business. I’ve no doubt we could probably waste several hours solving …
Continue readingHow to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business
How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business by Douglas Hubbard was more technical than I expected and a great refresher, and then some, on my old statistics course. Hubbard gives several insights into the reason to measure and methods to think about how and what we’re measuring. According to Hubbard, measurement is the process of reducing uncertainty. …
Continue readingReflection on our Digital Declutter
This September, Heidi and I read Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. Newport first shows how our digital environment has stolen our attention and diverted it too often meaningless and wasteful activities. Often, social media is described as the worse offender. But, I’m sure we can add several other activities, like television, gaming, or endlessly searching shopping apps. Clicking a “👍” on an …
Continue readingDigital Minimalism
I read Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism this week and it made myt think through my use of digital tools. I even suggested to Heidi that she read it and I’m hoping to begin a digital declutter on October 1. Few books have been impactful enough to make me seek immediate remedies, but Newport is persuasive in his argument. In Digital …
Continue readingInvesting between the Lines
In my desire to reach financial independence, I am on a mission to increase my investing knowledge. I’ve read several books on the subject, and Laura Rittenhouse’s Investing Between the Lines just happened to be the next book on my “investing” reading list. Understanding the management that operates a business is essential to the research needed to truly invest in …
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