Always Be Closing The movie Glengarry Glen Ross is a classic and its probably the best sales movie ever made. Some throw that accolade to Boiler Room, The Pursuit of Happyness or The Wolf of Wall Street. Others think about non-financial selling like fracking contracts in Promised Land, aluminum siding in Tin Men (my choice for runner-up sales movie),or the other classic “Everyman” salesman of Death of a Salesman. But the combination of the GGR…
The Unmasking of America As I sit here on a Friday morning, waiting to launch forth in my car dragging my motorcycle trailer to Utah to gather with twenty or so pals to hang out at a lovely western lodge as we ride the canyons, I am wondering how the CDC revelation that we vaccinated people of the world no longer must wear masks outside and inside (so long as we are not in a…
That Old Black Magic Have I mentioned that I’m retired? That is supposed to mean that if I have anything to worry about, its about whether my deck renovation is on time and in budget or my new plants are getting enough or too much water. But despite being retired, I have an urge to stay engaged in the business activity in which I spent my productive years. I am not entirely sure why that…
A Sunday Lecture It’s almost 10am on Sunday and I am killing time before I am supposed to give a guest lecture in a course being given at the University of San Diego graduate business program. The Sunday morning time is a little unusual, but in these days of virtual education and even more so in graduate business education, there are more and more courses that are given on weekends and since Sunday is half…
Taxes My youngest son just called me. He is doing his taxes on TurboTax and he had a question about some trust income and a K-1 that he had received that showed some foreign-source income. His question was whether he should include it or not in his return. I gave him my best answer to his questions to the best of my understanding as to how he should present his taxes to the IRS and…
The Good Earth Yes, I am borrowing Pearl Buck’s title and no, this story is not about a family living in a small Chinese village. This story is about sowing and reaping the resources that the Earth gives us. In microcosm, I am living the reality of reaping what I sow right here on this little hilltop. Some of my days are spent teaching and there is little that happens in this world that is…
Gentleman in Waiting It’s a funny thing in the expert witness game, the generally accepted view is that an expert’s ability to write extensive and factually accurate reports and rebuttals, all properly referenced and footnoted, is one level of proficiency. Being analytically astute, compelling and hard-charging are all attractive attributes but the analytical and written work constitutes only one level of proficiency as an expert. Please understand that these are very long and involved reports…
Investment Advice The old saying is that advice is worth what you pay for it. I am guessing that other than a doctor, an investment professional gets asked for free advice more than anyone else. Lawyers may fit into that spectrum somewhere as well, but I’m guessing that if you could meter advice you would find aches and pains in the lead, closely followed by how to make or not lose money, with the query…
Treat Em’ Mean It Keeps Em’ Keen I have a Welsh friend and while I have never been to Wales, I imagine it as a hard place where life has to be worked for one inch at a time. This friend was a rugby-playing, bar-brawling intellectual that one would think was reasonably enlightened, but no so much. Don’t get me wrong, he is a great friend of mine and we are Godfathers to one of…
Dead Presidents Tomorrow is President’s Day. That makes this President’s Week when many school have their winter holiday. My own grandkids are up at my house in Ithaca enjoying the snow during their week off. George Washington was born on February 11th, and conveniently, the only other United States president whose birthday we choose to deem worthy of celebration is Abraham Lincoln, who was north on February 12th. For many years we celebrated each of…