human capital

13 December 2024
Maybe there are Supermonkeys

In 2020 I wrote confidently that there are no Supermonkeys. I was wrong — or at least only partially right. Domain-specific excellence is real, and some people genuinely operate at a level that seems…
26 April 2024
Evolving thoughts on private education

My views on private education have shifted considerably over the years. I used to be firmly in the public school camp — we were zoned for good schools and the cost of going private genuinely staggered…
18 May 2023
Articles I never published

I'm taking a break from publishing on this blog — it might be permanent, I'm not sure. Before signing off, I thought I'd share some articles I wish I'd published: exit interview thoughts on Fairhaven…
2 April 2023
My crystal ball is on the fritz (#AI)

I've always said my crystal ball broke sometime in my late teens or early twenties. But right now, that feels more true than usual. The emergence of AI has me genuinely uncertain about what comes next…
16 September 2022
How I money (2022)

A follow-up to my 2019 “How I money”, showing how my wife and I actually structure our savings, investments, insurance, and spending three years on. Don’t treat this as a guide — it’s illustrative onl…
18 June 2021
Are you spending or investing? It’s not always black and white

It's easy to think you're either spending money or saving it. In reality, financial decisions rarely fall cleanly into one bucket. Businesses "spend" on wages and tools that are really investments in…
28 May 2021
Active investment is great! Just pick the right domain

Investing actively is great. By this, I'm talking about putting your time, energy, talents, knowledge, and expertise into how you invest. On the other hand, investing passively is great too. It really…
29 January 2021
What your balance sheet omits [human capital]

Your balance sheet shows assets you can sell and value easily. The most important thing it omits is human capital — your own ability to generate an income over the coming decades. For most households,…
24 April 2020
What are your shadow assets worth?

A typical balance sheet misses something important. Most households have "shadow assets" — things that can't really be liquidated but have the potential to be valuable. Speculative investments, antici…
31 March 2020
Even cash can be risky

It's not fun being asset poor and cash poor. It's rarely fun to be asset rich and cash poor either. If you've got cash on hand right now, you're probably feeling better than most. But there are real r…
1 March 2018
Financial advice for 16 year olds (and the rest of us)

Some high-level financial advice for 16-year-olds, and anyone who still feels young. The biggest investment in your early adulthood is in yourself. One of the best (or worst) financial decisions you'l…
17 August 2017
Career risk and how to manage it

Retirement is often a euphemism for being displaced from the workforce — and involuntary unemployment is one of the few things with an enduring negative impact on life satisfaction. Career risk is rea…