June 2020

Investment Real Estate Outlook for the Rest of 2020 and Beyond

“The most reliable way to forecast the future is to try to understand the present.” – John Naisbitt Investment Real Estate Outlook for the Rest of 2020 and Beyond On Sunday, I briefly answered a question sent…

Why Rental Real Estate Outperforms During Economic Downturns

The Economics of Rental Real Estate Here are some facts about the investment real estate market that you might find interesting: * Rent payments have remained steady, according to the National Multifamily…

The Bridge Over the River Kwai

First published in French in 1952, then in English translation in 1954, this is a page-turner about British POWs building a bridge for their Japanese captors in Burma in 1942. (The author – who later wrote…

hospitality (noun)

Hospitality (hos-pih-TAL-ih-tee) is the cordial and generous welcoming and treatment of guests. Interesting that it comes from the same Latin root as hospital (“hospitalis,” which means “of a guest”). As used…

The Art of Equestrian Movement

An amazing display of beauty, strength, flexibility, and grace.

The Hidden Costs Of Asking For Favors

“Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.” – François de la Rochefoucauld The Unpleasant Truth About Asking for Favors I recently intercepted a memo from a partner of mine. It appeared to be a…

How Dumb Can Our Experts Be?

A friend tells me that I have to wear a face mask now. Florida, like so many states, has made it mandatory. The reason? The coronavirus is spreading! According to The Washington Post: “Public health officials…

lethological (adjective)

Lethological (leh-thuh-LAH-juh-kuhl) refers to the inability to remember the exact word you want. Example: “It’s on the tip of my tongue… um… um… Oh, no! I’m having another lethological moment!”

Paul McCartney's Unexpected Celery Crunch On Beach Boys Track

Paul McCartney was recorded munching on celery on the taping of the Beach Boys' song “Vegetables.”

A Video That Exposes Racism's Absurdity

This video says more to me about what is wrong and idiotic about racism than a dozen essays I’ve read… https://youtu.be/-qd2XyGFTzk

Why It’s Okay to Fall in Love With Your Investible Art

Passion is a popular emotion these days. We are encouraged to be passionate about our careers, our hobbies, and even our ideas. Like most popular ideas, this one is mostly wrong. On the risk/reward scale, it…

The Forgotten Avant-Garde Movement That Connected Three Cities

CoBrA was an avant-garde art movement (1948-1951) characterized by spontaneity, experimentation, and primitive images. The name was derived from the cities the CoBrA artists came from: Copenhagen (Co)…

prescind (verb)

To prescind (prih-SIND) is to withdraw attention. As used by Nicanor G. Tiongson: “Those who subscribe to the theory of art for art’s sake believe that they can prescind from the realities of their society and…

Word of the Day: Covid

“COVID-19 Never Grows Exponentially” – a video from Stanford University’s Michael Levitt on "fitting data,” an advanced strategy for machine learning and AI that demonstrates that COVID-19 did not ever grow…

An email from TS — June 24, 2020

Please keep writing these great essays. I love the investment ideas, but you prove over and over that there’s more to success than just making money.

The Skill Level Required For This

The skill level required to do this is beyond belief...

How Hormones Shape Our Competitive Instincts

“Testosterone is a rare poison.” – Germaine Greer Do Sex Hormones Determine Our Thoughts? Let’s talk about hormones. I have just come up with a theory. But before I present it, you should know this: It’s well…

strident (adjective)

Strident (STRY-duhnt) means harsh, insistent; excessively and unpleasantly forceful. As I used it today: “It does seem that an imbalance in the testosterone/estrogen ratio in favor of testosterone stirs up…

Tom Dyson on Detroit's Economic Future

A report on Motor City from my colleague Tom Dyson. To read it, click here.

Asymptomatic COVID Carriers Transmit Less Than Symptomatic

“A study on infectivity of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers” is one of several recently published studies which found that people that have COVID-19 but are asymptomatic are significantly less likely to…

Why Fathers Matter More Than Ever

Yes, fathers matter

Defining Privilege Beyond The Political Noise

“Tradition has it that whenever a group of people has tasted the lovely fruits of wealth, security, and prestige, it begins to find it more comfortable to believe in the obvious lie and accept that it alone is…

deference (noun)

Deference (DEF-er-uhns) is humble submission and respect. As I used it today: “The social privileges white Americans enjoyed, [W.E.B. Du Bois] contended, included courtesy and deference, unimpeded admittance…

The Hidden History Behind Juneteenth's June 19th Date

From History.com: Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that the Union soldiers, led by Major…

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

Vladimir Nabokov is among my favorite writers. Russian born, he wrote in several languages, but his English work astounds me. It is so eloquent and so chock full of wonderful English words that only a Russian…

Befriending Her Shooter: A Moving Story

“Befriending Her Shooter” – a moving story.

Tribal Dynamics in Business

Note: The following essay is an excerpt from the upcoming new and revised edition of Ready, Fire, Aim. Tribal Dynamics in Business “The person who knows HOW will always have a job. The person who knows WHY…

Venn Diagrams Reveal Hidden Connections Between Ideas

A Venn diagram uses circles to visually represent the relationships between things or concepts. Here are two interesting videos about them: One on how they work… … and one on how to use a Venn diagram to…

How Morals Influence If You’re Liberal or Conservative

proxemics (noun)

Yes, there’s a word for all the social distancing we’ve been doing: proxemics (prahk-SEE-miks). Basically, it’s the study of how people use space when they’re communicating. The term was coined in 1963 by the…

Word of the Day: Balletx

BalletX – “100 Days” by Calii Quann https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxQvb6BJLSo

Don't Bore Your Interviewer With Corporate Jargon

“Don’t expect others to listen to what you have to say unless what you have to say is interesting to others.” – Michael Masterson If You’re Trying to Impress Me, Don’t Do This He had been strongly recommended…

feign (verb)

To feign (FAYN) is to represent fictitiously or deceptively; to put on the appearance of . As I used it today: “I opened and shut my desk drawer loudly to feign some sort of activity in my office. ”

Tug Of War's Brief Olympic History

Tug of War was an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1920.

The latest issue of AWAI’s Barefoot Writer — June 14, 2020

In this issue: * 15 Ways to Reshape Your Brain and Propel Your Creativity Into the Stratosphere * Become a Google “Influencer” and Reap Near-Infinite Rewards * Are “Shiny, Flying Squirrels” Sabotaging Your…

Homeless Man Delivers Unexpected Wisdom

“Homeless guy spits some truth”

Fine Art As a Long-Term Investment

“There’s something to be said about the art-industrial complex, the collectors who recognize that your work has some sort of future economic value.” – Kehinde Wiley In 1989, a triptych by Francis Bacon sold…

acumen (noun)

Acumen (uh-KYOO-mun) is the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions. As I used it today: “Why is it that some art lovers – even those who have… no financial acumen at all – often make gobs of money…

Michael Jordan's Annual Nike Earnings Dwarf Malaysian Factory Workers

Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike each year than all the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

Favorite Essayist Delivers Quick Amusing Read

“Full Bore” – a quick, amusing read by one of my favorite essayists in Taki’s Magazine. Click here.

A hand-written note

I wanted to tell you what a crazy kick-ass year we had – and to thank you. If I hadn’t met with you in late 2016, I doubt very much I would have ended up [here]. And studying your career & your various…

Doctor Explains COVID-19 And Lockdown Most Clearly

I’ve watched 50+ interviews with doctors and scientists on COVID-19 and the lockdown. This doctor does the best job in explaining the facts in a way that anyone should be able to understand.

How Social Media Replaces Deep Reading With Shallow Bytes

The End of Real Knowledge “The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most…

Why Truth May Be Less Important Than We Like to Think

In Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, James Clear wrote about truth from an evolutionary perspective. He pointed out that for our primate ancestors, understanding the…

cursory (adjective)

Cursory (KER-suh-ree) describes something that is rapidly and often superficially performed or produced. As I used it today: “When you use search engines and social media to shape your thoughts on topical…

How to Change the World by Doing This One Thing Every Day” by James Altucher

A good thought piece. To read it, click here.

Schools of the Future: A Skeptical Look

This short WSJ video reports on what some believe schools will be like in the future. I don’t believe it…

The End of Intimacy, Trust, and Love

“When I got my first television set, I stopped caring so much about having close relationships.” – Andy Warhol I’ve been thinking about how the world has been coming apart lately. Homo sapiens, as is often…

How A Police Station Encounter Changed My Perspective

On Friday, I wrote an essay trying to make sense of the senseless killing of George Floyd. As part of that essay, I told three stories about my personal experience with racism and police brutality. One of…

anagnorisis (noun)

Anagnorisis (a-nag-NOR-ih-sis) is the point in a play, novel, etc. in which a principal character recognizes or discovers another character’s true identity or the true nature of their own circumstances. As I…