Archive for the 'Psychology' Category
Mauboussin on Strategy
December 1st, 2008This is a great writeup by a Michael Mauboussin who is a strategist for Legg Mason. I agree with his conclusions and the similarity between the flack Buffett received in 1999 is very similar to the flack he is getting today.
Mauboussin on Strategy
Separation
December 1st, 2008I am reading a wonderful new biography about William Wilberforce, the great British anti-slave trade campaigner. As part of the book, the author, William Hague, describes the slave trade, how slaves were kidnapped and transported in the most brutal conditions with no regard to health or humanity.
One of the more disgusting stories describes how […]
Who owns these stocks?
November 17th, 2008After months of internal debate at Goldman, the seven top executives at the firm, including Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein, asked the board’s compensation committee to grant them no bonuses. The board approved the request on Sunday.
The executives will only be eligible for their base salaries, $600,000 for each. A firm spokesman said the executives […]
Adversity and Underprivilege
November 17th, 2008There is a fascinating article in the New Yorker by Malcolm Gladwell on how outsiders and the underprivileged sometimes have an an advantage. He profiles Sidney Weinberg, the guy who transformed Goldman Sachs into a powerhouse, and how he came from a very poor upbringing. Its a really good read.
Malcolm Gladwell on adversity
Buffett addresses the market
October 17th, 2008This is an absolute must read to everyone scurrying for cash right now:
Buffett speaks
Jewish Perfection
July 25th, 2008Perfection is definitely not a Jewish thought or attribute. Consider the patriarchs of Judaism such as Noah who gets drunk, Jacob who steals his brother’s birthright by misleading his father Isaac, and even Moses, the greatest of all Jews, speaks with a lisp and disobeys God. And we could have a field day talking about […]
Voyage
July 16th, 2008This is one of the best things I’ve ever read:
To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea–”cruising”, it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and […]
“What do you do for a living?”
June 1st, 2008I had a conversation with one of my best friends this weekend and we talked about many things. My friend was commenting on how much I had changed and asked me about some of the steps I had taken to effect that change. And we touched on a very important point that has been of […]
Excellent article on not giving up
April 29th, 2008The Wall Street Journal has an excellent article on the front page of the personal journal section called, “If at First You Don’t Succeed, You’re in Excellent Company.”
Here is an excerpt:
What makes some people rebound from defeats and go on to greatness while others throw in the towel? Psychologists call it “self-efficacy,” the unshakable belief […]