Situational ethics
Ethics is interesting The topics of ethics and morality, in the abstract, elicit eye-rolls in many people. But those same topics often provoke the most interesting and engaging conversations with these same people. Because...
Category: Managing risks
The last safe investment is YOU
I love books that swing for the fences. They almost always include things I disagree with. And they’re not the sort of books that will average 5 stars on Amazon. That’s how I’d describe...
Some bold predictions [Sonnie Bailey, futurologist (cough, cough, splutter, ahem)]
* I use the term “futurologist” entirely tongue-in-cheek. In the spirit of taking a more positive approach to trying to predict the future, below are some of my predictions (and levels of confidence) relating...
How to predict the future
Trying to predict the future is hard. And in some ways, it’s impossible. But it’s a valuable exercise. Because in “predicting” the future, we also increase the likelihood that we can shape it. Lately, I’ve...
How much buffer do you need? (Or: four things I agonise over when providing financial advice)
I have clients worth tens of thousands of dollars, and clients worth tens of millions of dollars. I find it much easier to advise clients with millions rather than thousands. First up, I’ll admit...
You’ll never have the “right” amount of insurance (but don’t let that stop you)
You’ll never have the “right” amount of insurance, and that’s because we’re dealing with uncertainty. Working out how much insurance you need is hard. You can only tell whether you need insurance with the...
Do health insurers provide consumers with enough information to make rational insurance decisions?
Health insurers don’t provide advisers, let alone consumers, enough information to make rational health insurance decisions. This is my opinion. Let me explain. Last month I attended a professional development event which included presentations...
The gift of fear
(To a large extent, this blog is oriented towards money. But when I talk about “wealth” and “risk” it’s important to think in much broader terms. Wealth is not just about money. And managing...
It’s better to suffer pregret than regret
“Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets”, wrote Arthur Miller, famed playwright (and husband of Marilyn Munroe for 16 years). There’s a lot of wisdom in that...
If you need to borrow to invest, you can’t afford to borrow to invest
I caught up with an old friend recently. He asked why more people don’t borrow money to invest. My first thought was that people borrow money to invest all the time. It’s called property...