Posts from — April 2009

Hey guys, I just wanted to check in and let everyone know that I’m still alive. I know it’s been quite a while since my last post and I apologize.  Life has a funny way of flying by if you aren’t looking and the past few months have been no exception.  My job has kept me on the road around 30 of the past 60 days.  It’s hard being away from family, but it’s definitely a big plus that I’m getting to do what I love, flying all over the world and making a difference in a lot of people’s lives.  With that said I wanted to give you a quick update of what I’ve been reading, doing and finding of great value.  So here we go:

The Hard Way

As most of you know, I have the privilege of writing for one of the best blogs on the internet, The Art of Manliness.  Recently, I placed years of thoughts into a single post, entitled, “The Hard Way.”  Here’s a brief teaser:

This “easy” epidemic has reached every aspect of our culture from health to education to relationships. People don’t want to workout and eat healthy because it’s hard. No problem, according to the creators of 1,000 different diets promising a great body with little to no effort. As for expanding one’s knowledge, why waste time reading a whole book when you can get the gist from the Cliff Notes? And relationships? Well, working through marriages can be difficult, so “experts” have stepped in to hand you a Kleenex and pat your back as they tell you, “You deserve to be with someone who adores you for you, don’t feel bad about ending things and moving on to someone new who will better meet your needs.”

At some point it has become acceptable to avoid things because they’re hard. Success has become some sort of self-help scavenger hunt with all of us desperately wanting to find an easier way than just grinding it out, a magic solution to life’s equation waiting to be uncovered.  We cut corners and call it “optimizing.”  We take the path of least resistance and dress up our cowardice in the guise of efficiency.  And in doing so, we’re killing ourselves, one life-hack at a time.

There’s nothing wrong with working smarter or making things more simple. There’s no reason to make something harder than it has to be. And I’m not suggesting we go back to plowing fields by hand or walking uphill both ways to work. The problem is that many of us have begun to think that if something is hard, it is automatically wrong and must be changed or substituted immediately. In the process we often fail to reach our real goals, substituting in ones that are more “realistic.” And more importantly, we rob our character of some much needed pruning. We’re missing out on a fundamental truth of manhood – doing things that are hard molds boys into men of strength and character.

See the full post here.

Ramit Sethi’s New Book, “I Will Teach You to Be Rich”

One of my favorite bloggers, Ramit Sethi, just released his much anticipated book and I was lucky enough to be part of the launch community.  What does this mean?  Basically, I got the book a few weeks before it was released to the public and had a chance to engage in live weekly discussions on the web with Ramit and other members of the community.  Not only was this an incredible opportunity to dig deep into a great book, it also was one of the most innovative product launches I have ever witnessed.  On top of engaging with readers, Ramit produced a team of “superfans” that became evangelists for his book and produced a wildfire of discussion and anticipation.  The result, “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” reached #1 on Amazon in a matter of hours, selling out and causing his publisher’s to have to do an emergency printing of additional copies.

The following is one of the most valuable sections of the book, “The Ladder of Personal Finance.”  It gives the EXACT advice that I would give to any friend that asked me the basics to managing their money:

Rung 1:  If you employee offers a 401(k) match, invest to take full advantage of it and contribute just enough to get 100 percent of the match.  A “401(k) match” means that for every dollar you contribute to your 401(k), your company will “match” your contribution up to a certain amount.  For example, for easy math, let’s assume you make $100,000.  A “100 percent match up to 5 percent of your contribution” means that you’ll contribute $5,000 and your company will match it with $5,000.  This is free money and there is, quite simply, no better deal.

Rung 2:  Pay off your credit card and any other debt.  The average credit card APR is 14 percent, and many APRs are higher.  Whatever you card company charges, paying off debt will give you a significant instant return.

Rung 3:  Open up a Roth IRA and contribute as much money as possible to it.  (As long as your income is $101,000 or less, you’re allowed to contribute up to $5,000 in 2009.)

Rung 4:  If you have money left over, go back to your 401(k) and contribute as much as possible to it (this time above and beyond your employer match).  The current limit is $15,500.

Rung 5:  If you still have money left to invest, open a regular non-retirement account and put as much as possible there.  Also, pay extra on any mortgage debt you have, and consider investing in yourself: Whether it’s starting a company or getting an additional degree, there’s often no better investment than your own career.

Get this book!  For years, “Random Walk Down Wall Street” by Malkiel has been my go-to personal finance favorite, but this book has now taken it’s place.

The Wife and I Have Become VAYNIACS!!!

Ever since I was young, I’ve been fascinated by the world of wine.  My dad has been a a wine fan for as long as I can remember and some of my best memories involve some great wines we have shared together over the years.  Marelize, my wife, also grew up in a family that enjoyed good wine.  Recently, I checked out the website, “Wine Library TV” after hearing so much about it through various sources.  Creator Gary Vaynerchuk is a young, wildly charismatic wine expert, who has found a niche as the internet’s wine guru.  He has an uncanny pallet and ability to describe various flavors that come out in each wine and he does so without the snootiness so characteristic of many winos.  Needless to say, Marelize and I are hooked!

The following are a few great episodes to check out:

How to train your pallet

Wine as an investment with Mad Money’s Jim Cramer

Tours of some incredible home wine cellars

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