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Bias For Clarity

Bias for action. Gets things done. Go-getter. Traits companies big and small look for. And for good reason, you're being hired to do things! However, action is a secondary step that often overshadows the primary step, direction.   Clear direction is the foundation that enables our actions to takeoff. Without it, we're stuck in the mud.  Striving for clarity is an underrated skill. Having the courage to ask ( seemingly ) obvious questions, and to check in, making sure we're all on the same page. "O bvious " questions are a low risk, high reward way to add value. At worst, you'll add confidence to our actions. At best, you discover a misalignment that saves us from a dead-end.  The more people, the more clear we need to be. The bigger the initiative, the bigger the risk of reaching the finish line, only to realize expectations were off.  Success is always uncertain. But we can be certain about what we want and what everyone's job is. Things that can be clea

Does Printing Money Cause Inflation?

With countless industries unable to operate and millions unemployed, governments around the world are forced to step in. To weather the storm, trillions of dollars have been "printed" and infused into the economy. With all this stimulus going on, people are naturally concerned, what about inflation?? Money, like anything else, abides by the law of supply and demand. All else equal, the greater the money supply, the lower its value. However, supply is only one factor. Money's value stems from what it can buy, "goods" are a big part of the equation too. The US dollar for example has value because of the US goods and services you can buy with it. If the supply of goods become scarce or if demand rises beyond supply, the value of money decreases (you'll need more dollars) and vice versa. A Supreme t-shirt requires more dollars, a H&M t-shirt requires less. Monetary stimulus has people concerned about hyperinflation. This occurs when the money

Winner Take All: Bull Market For Some

On March 23, the stock market bottomed. Down a whopping 30% for the year in one of the most dramatic declines in history. Interesting enough, take a look at the market today and you'd think everything was fine. What happened?

Are IPOs a Good Investment?

Lemonade, a fast growing insurtech company recently took its stock public. Listed on July 2, it sprinted out the gates. In only a few days, the price soared 200%. Rocketing from $29 to $90. Lemonade is a breath of fresh air in the insurance industry. An old-school, high-margin industry ripe for disruption. This is a compelling story, one that made me pay attention pre-IPO. When the IPO happened, I couldn't help but to regret not investing.  I could have tripled my money! IPOs are naturally tempting. The potential leaves investors salivating. The chance to get in on the ground floor of a future Amazon? Sign me up. As exciting as they seem, their historical performance leaves a lot to be desired. IPOs are just stocks, and like most individual stocks, they underperform the market. Even if we just look at first year performance, where interest is highest, underperformance is prevalent. A DFA  study  analyzed the first year performance of over 6000 IPOs from 1990-2018 and

Advisor or Salesperson?

Walk into any bank branch. Ask for investment advice and you'll be directed to one of their "advisors". Advisors is in quotes because most don't actually give much advice.