21st Century Thoughts

Traveling this week so sporadic blog posts at best.... One thought I had is the skill of management in the age of switching. People my age increasing change companies depending on who pays more (I support this) but it is way different than 50 years ago. There is no "contract" or "loyalty," it is all about the money. This is the only way to counter businesses increasing focus on profit over employees. Again, I support. Do not pledge loyalty to a firm who is not worried or does not care about you. But one skill that is forgotten in all of this: leadership and management. With such turnover, managers increasingly need to balance retention with the ability to plug holes more often. They need to adapt to younger workers and their needs while suiting those who have worked there for 30 years and are older. It is a balancing act of difficult proportions.  Good leaders are always hard to come by. They do not just appear but rather emerge when are needed. With every company s...

No major finance news since Omnicron wrecked markets this week. NFT's remain the same while crypto currencies continue to act in limbo while major companies increasingly seem destined to accept them purely because of workers leaving for lucrative startups. The focus is on the NFL's dismal decision yesterday to only play one game on national TV was a disaster. You scheduled 2 games at the same time and didn't even put one on Fox and the other on NFL network or CBS? Just dumb decision making. Sports scheduling had a weaker slate and the NFL decided to only show one game while competing against each other for views. Why? I will never get how they continue to pump out viewers at record rates. Are we really turning off the TV that much to where the only thing to watch is sports? I will admit, I can not name 3 current TV shows (not re-runs or prior shows, I mean started within the past year), but am I the majority of TV viewers now? I guess sports are hording what is left of the ...

Saw a couple different stats that upset me this morning in regards to crypto currencies (Bitcoin specific). The biggest one has to be this: 0.1% of all Bitcoin holders control 27% of the total supply. 27%. This is a glaring issue and a massive reason that people are skeptical on it. What is stopping 1% from owning 99%? Or price raising to the max? Nothing. It really is an issue that has no solution. If you regulate, you lose the decentralized component. If you turn a blind eye, then one guy owns all the currency in 30 years and you can't buy a coffee. Alarming but no real solutions exist to solve this issue. I am aware other strong crypto's exist (Catgirl coin in 3 years) but they seem like gimmicks and NFT's rather than a real currency. The future will continue to be shadowy until these issues are cured. The other note I saw was discussing the issue with inflation and the FED response. With 0% rates and inflation rampant, they need to raise them. There is too much cash, no...

The goal should be to make your assets grow into more assets. In an ideal world, your balance sheet has $1 billion in cash that can be diversified and grow into other investments... but that is not realistic for almost every single person that ever existed. So the goal remains: how do your assets grow into more? How can you increase your net worth with assets other than cash? How do you obtain them? Most people work for a paycheck rather than working to improve net worth. This is a concept that when achieved turns people into millionaires. This is the basis for those to make life changing money. How come those individuals who are doctors, lawyers, long time teachers / professors, or investment bankers seem to all make good money (2x-3x the national average) but are "capped"? Their careers are elite, but their upside is limited because they settle for their salary. They settle for the title and career. They are not working for their net worth but rather the salary. Is this a b...

Absolutely loved Spider-Man: No Way Home. Truly one of the best MCU films and will be one of the reasons theaters may make it out of the pandemic despite more signs of closings coming again. This movie was exciting and the best part was I felt like it was worth the months to years of hoping for an adaptation like this. It delivered, Disney sat back and didn't put in any outside of what we wanted which was Spider-Man.  9/10. Not the best superhero movie (The Dark Knight will always have that title) but on par with Spiderman 2. This is a movie that would make me watch Marvel again like I did pre-Endgame in 2019. Quality above quantity.

Shorter post today about goals and goal setting.  I set goals as soon as I believe I can commit to achieving them so my list grows every few weeks. They range from serious investments to learning about a topic. And I always set deadlines (loosely) but still want to have some pressure on me. But not all goals are the same. Some are fun (learning a language or being on Jeopardy) while others are serious (graduate school or business ventures). You need to ensure your goals are reflective of your day. Not everything has to be robotic or machine-like learning. The key is to not waste your time along the way. Time is limited after all.

I remember my senior year of college (only 1.75 years ago, but feels like decades) and the craziness of the last week. Everything shutting down, zero planning, pure chaos around the world. At the time, I did not realize the scope of the situation and I don't think anyone did. I told teammates "I hope this is serious because this is ruining everything." It was a bigger deal than I thought... But the issue is this: Cornell is closing their campus this week despite all being vaccinated. Georgetown is requiring boosters by middle of January. Colleges all over have mandate vaccines. Businesses now too. Government employees exempt of course but children in California have to be masked and vaccinated. And here is the main issue with this "pandemic turned endemic," it will not end. Vaccination rates do not matter anymore as this country continues to rack up cases and deaths this year despite vaccination rates being higher than last year. It does not mean vaccines do not...

Your goals are your goals. There is no debate on that. You need to achieve fulfilling and satisfying work in the limited time you have. You should work to satisfy your mind and heart, not your wallet. There is a sense of achievement that money can not give you. Money matters and you should try to maximize it, but satisfaction does not come from a paycheck. At the same time, work to impress your friends. There is a difference between working to show off and fit in with a group vs working to make your family and friends happy. I am not referencing moochers or low life individuals who exploit others; I am talking about those who genuinely love to see their family and friends happy. My work and goals correspond with making sure my family and friends are taken care of, and the only way to ensure this is with making experiences and memories the main income source. This is why money isn't everything. You can't take it with you after all.  Work for accomplishments so you can share it w...

The best skill you can have is the art of persuading. The ability to get everyone on board with your idea or concept is difficult yet achievable. But how do we do it? Watching powerful speakers gives off one common trend: doubt. Most people attempt to persuade by yelling over or complaining or saying "no." It isn't about this or this approach. It is about doubt. The best speakers cast doubt on your ideas. They do not write off or dismiss, they question. They convince you to defend your side while inserting their thoughts. Then, once your idea seems weak, they subtly convince you of an idea change. It is an art form of the highest power. Do not argue to change, argue to doubt. The change will take care of itself along the way if you maintain a rational approach.

Yesterday's game between the Vikings and Steelers should have been an exciting draw. Two teams fighting to stay alive, both franchises historically known, and big names on both sides of the ball in Cousins, Watt, Fitzpatrick, Claypool, Thielen, Barr, and Jefferson. So why did the game feel...bland? Actually, it sucked until the last 5 minutes of the game but by this time, I was checked out. The constant barrage of commercials, 15 minute halftime show of nothing, and one sided score in the first half made me snooze through the game. I also want to preface, I love sports. I watch everything I possibly can but find myself checking out more and more as time passes. Maybe its the politics, maybe its the lack of wow, or maybe its the corporate interference but something is causing me to lose interest. Maybe it has been COVID that made me realize I want to spend my time doing something else. Sports are no longer an escape from reality that allows the brain to turn off and unwind after wor...

I am moving funds into NFTZ. It tracks the performance of other NFT companies and weights based on performance and size. It's the easiest way to enter NFT without making one...yet. Taking a step back, think of how stupid yet genius the concept is. Everything is on our phone and the younger you get, the more digit your world is. For example, my Nonna is 87. No smartphone, all cash all the time, she has never used the internet, watches local TV channels and her Italian News (Rai). Technology to her is stupid and wastes time. Is she wrong? No, but also not right. It's simply a sign of age and the times. Now take my 16 year old brother. Phone everywhere, iPad for textbooks in school, car has "smart" features, apps for everything, no TV because of YouTube and streaming, and his sports are all integrated with video and stat tracking programs. His world is all technology, all the time. Think of NFT and what the goal target is. It isn't my Nonna or my parents. It is those...

No major topics, so here is a list of thinks over the past week that I loved: 1. Read Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Financial literacy is the key to happiness. 2. Pursue a new hobby. It is needed to escape work. 3. Be aware of surroundings. Understand where and what the environment is. 4. Find a way to make your time work for you. This is the most important skill to have. 5. Do not settle for less than you are worth. Valuating yourself is needed every day. 6. Fun is not always the same. It can change from day to day. 7. Honesty is always the best. It may hurt, but it is needed.

Add Japan to the list of countries banning crypto currency. The threat is real, alive, and its spectacular. The ability for something with not just no value but no ability to be spent in everyday life to generate so much publicity is incredible. Which is exactly why governments want to ban it. Jaime Dixon, China's very own, also has spoken negatively about it. Spoiler: that won't work. The internet is way too developed to care or be enforced. I would love to ask the 60-70 year old politicians in Japan how they are going to regulate something that is un-hackable and unable to be tracked, especially by older folks with minimal technology experience. I guess we are going to start looking like North Korea with cell towers banned and dial-up internet with 30 websites available. What's more incredible is cryptos are attractive to all age groups in all countries that have smartphones. There is no gender preference, no Wall Street Bias, or ageism at play. It is all about who wants ...

Pandemic is over, life has returned, I can now enjoy the presence of others again. My battle with COVID was very, very mild. 2 days of a low fever, a lot of head pressure, and loss of taste/smell. General fatigue was also a common symptom for me as well. Here on day 10, I feel so different compared to day 1. Truly night and day. I was vaccinated and thinking that it for sure helped with my symptoms being so mild. I also appreciate no breathing issues along the way. I am not at my 14 days yet, but feel 10x better than I did a week ago. The one benefit to isolation is how you spend your time. I worked, started my French journey, started researching for improving my Jeopardy knowledge, and studied for the GMAT. A year ago, I probably would have spent that time watching TV or laying around. I can not stress enough the importance of planning and utilizing time. It is limited and true time to yourself is even harder to come by. Enjoy it. Another thing I did was hop off social media even more...

No articles until COVID-19 is done with me... It feels like a cross between mono and the flu, headache is absolutely brutal. Hopefully this weekend is the last of this for me.