I really didn’t think I’d have to write again about gamblers who don’t understand risk after addressing it here and, to some extent, here, but then I stumbled on the story of Jim McIngvale, aka Mattress Mack. Mattress Mack owns a furniture chain in Houston called Gallery Furniture. You may Continue Reading
Impeachment: What the Democrats Are Really Telling You
This is not a political blog, so I will not opine on the merits of impeachment. One thing this blog does do though is look at why people act the way they do. So, I think I have an interesting spin on what the “hidden message” is that the Democrats Continue Reading
Ian’s Brief, New & Revisited
I’m starting a new occasional feature to revisit some past posts and drop some interesting brief asides too short for a full entry. So here we go… Passive Investing Passes a Milestone I’ve discussed before the impact passive investing has had on the behavior of markets. Well, congratulations, passive fans, Continue Reading
Central Banks Remain Determined to Destroy the World
The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting the same result. Albert Einstein (well, not really, see here) Central banks continue to use the same ineffective tools to manage monetary policy, namely quantitative easing and negative interest rates. There is absolutely no empirical evidence these Continue Reading
IANS Alert: Did Talcum Powder Cause Your Cancer?
First, if you didn’t see the post on corporate governance earlier in the week, take a look! Second, if you don’t remember, what an IANS ALERT is, I covered it here and here. The short version is when there are significant claims events out there in the system that insurance Continue Reading
On ESG, Corporate Purpose, and CEO Self Interest
I’m going to warn everyone upfront this entry may be considered controversial. Some of you won’t like it. I doubt I will get invited to sit on any boards after this (though I would suggest my arguments below are precisely why I should). It is going to border on political, Continue Reading
Quick Hit: NFL Playoff Predictions
I’m working on a longer piece for next week about stakeholders vs. shareholders but since the NFL kicks off tonight, I thought I’d commit to print some predictions for the season. Biased Experts Every year at this time, the supposed “experts” predict which teams will make the playoffs. Most of Continue Reading
Confirmation Bias and Hurricanes
Hurricanes bring out the worst in people. No, I don’t mean looting or storming Costco like it’s 12:01 on Black Friday. I mean it brings out the worst analytical side of people. Hurricanes take away our ability to think rationally and return us to earlier times where we attributed things Continue Reading