George Friedman, who founded the well-known geopolitical strategy firm Stratfor and now runs a group called Geopolitical Futures, recently wrote that one of his most controversial calls is that Japan will rise as East Asia’s leading power by 2040. It certainly is a contrarian forecast. How could Japan, with massive government debt and an aging, […]
Julie Won
A Tale of Two Train Systems…
On January 1st of this year, the New York subway opened its long-awaited Second Avenue line with much fanfare. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was on hand, people cheered, and, as The New Yorker’s Nick Paumgarten wrote in a recent piece, the mood on the train that day was positively “giddy.” The reason for the […]
The 2-Minute Thought: Is Any Human Endeavor Getting Less Competitive? Investment Is No Exception
In 1969, Harvard accepted 20% of about 6700 applicants. It wasn’t easy to get in then, but it sure beat what it’s like now. In 2015, there were 37,307 applicants to Harvard, and the acceptance rate was 5%. Harvard’s director of admissions said there were far more qualified candidates than the university could take. Over […]
The 2-Minute Thought: Is Retirement Bad For Your Health?
A 2010 study done by three researchers at the University of Zurich found that retiring early could increase the chances of serious health issues and premature death. Specifically, it estimated that each year of early retirement was associated with a 1.8 month decrease in lifespan, and it highlighted a higher incidence of cardiovascular disorder – […]
The 2-Minute Thought: The Clouds Part for Value Investors
The dozen or so year-end letters to investors I’ve read so far suggest that the clouds finally are parting for value investors. There is a positive tone in the letters that contrasts sharply with early 2016. Value investors buy undervalued out-of-favor securities based on careful fundamental research. An important part of that practice is being […]
The 2-Minute Thought: Unraveling how we see immigration
Attitudes on immigration are complex. With recent news flow so focused on politically charged atmospheres around the world, it is easy to believe that the globe has turned against immigration. But attitudes within regions are variegated. And large swaths around the world support immigration more than they oppose it. A 2015 Gallup World Poll done […]
Why We Love Our Jobs… Or Don’t…
In Glassdoor’s yearly survey of the best places to work, California-based chain In-N-Out Burger always does surprisingly well. This year, In-N-Out Burger ranked as the seventh best place to work in the nation. In Silicon Valley it was number three, surpassed only by number one Facebook and number two Google. It tied with LinkedIn and […]
The 2-Minute Thought: Stock valuations seem high so you should . . . do nothing?
The good news is that U.S. stocks have had a great run – and especially so since the November election. The more worrying thought is that they look more expensive. We know that when stock valuations are high, returns in future years are lower — and vice verse. From over 100 years of stock data, […]
The 2-Minute Thought An Oversupply of Haigui?
How quickly things change. Not so long ago, most Chinese who studied overseas stayed overseas because job prospects were far superior to those in China. Now, according to China’s Ministry of Education, three-quarters of Chinese students are returning home after graduation. Finding a job overseas has gotten harder, while the job market in China has […]
The 2-Minute Thought: This year, spend less time on time management . . .
entrepreneur.com A recent article in The Guardian by Oliver Burkeman titled “Why time management is ruining our lives” addressed — well, how time management is ruining our lives. How we spend each day and string those days together into a meaningful life has been a central human question since ancient times. But in this modern […]
The Psychology of Gift Giving…
Gift giving can be a simple joy or a source of stress. We want to give gifts that bring happiness to the recipient, but we know they can fall flat or end up being returned, discarded or re-gifted. When we laugh at Johnny Carson’s quip about there being only one fruitcake in the world that […]
The 2-Minute Thought: Doing Good Work at In-N-Out Burger
USA Today It’s always a source of wonder when fast food chain In-N-Out Burger ranks near the top of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work, as it has in recent years. This year (the 2017 list) it ranked seventh nationally. Silicon Valley News reported that In-N-Out was the third best place to work in Silicon Valley […]
