This week, pompous hypocrites filled the news space with talk of war crime tribunals. In an unprecedented move, Biden ordered the U.S. to share evidence of war crimes with international courts. During the same news cycle, America and allies threatened to pull aid from Niger, the poorest country in the world, because “they” overthrew a government […]
After advising Wall Street brokerages, SMAI guided a Treasurer & Governor during the Great Recession, evolving into a behavioral finance think-tank, where deeper research continued with interpretations of how economic info and emotional factors led to sound financial decisions. Setting new standards in economic forecasting that same Behavioral Economic Research now philanthropically works for the […]
Not Accurately Identifying The Problem Encore Performance Published on March 11, 2015 The governor’s balanced budget initiative has brought back an old argument that comes up whenever it is time to cut spending. How much more money is needed to make education work? Spending money on kids is a great argument but maybe the question […]
I saw the writing on wall, when the first non-broker trained CEO was appointed at MERRILL LYNCH. My boss, who answered directly to that CEO, said to me after the first meeting, “…some people make bold moves to climb to the top. Others hide behind the bold so they don’t get shot, in hopes of […]
We’ve just seen one of the most contentious elections in history. Has the American Dream been lost? America was founded upon personal freedoms, or so we were taught. We are the greatest nation on earth and I’d rather be nowhere else. The problem we have now has plagued civilizations throughout history. The regular person […]
Monday October 12th is Indigenous Peoples Day. If you miss the parade, you likely missed the one for Leif Erikson on October 9th, which was also the anniversary of John Lennon’s birthday—but be patient, I will connect the dots. Today, an emotionally skewed country celebrates the day in 1492, when Christopher Columbus discovered America. […]
For fear your grace should fall. —David Bowie In sound economic models, people add value and there is a direct benefit. Corresponding reward usually is proportionate to what is provided. Problems arise when people steal reward through power. In the public sector, it’s an easy place to […]
The surfing life, I discovered against the backdrop of the city, is a venerable one. —Ed Thompson While visiting in Los Angeles one summer, I invited my niece Brooke to lunch. She was bright, beautiful, and had a law degree but was employed as a retail clerk. She was making even less than […]
As darkness falls, I can hear them telling stories. The scent of cigarettes. There’s danger in the air. —Alejandro Escovedo It makes no difference who came before whom. All Americans are immigrants. —even the homo sapiens who crossed the Bering Strait during an ice age 14,000 years ago. Because of this, we are […]