Jul 4Member-onlyProud to be an American in 2023We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. America’s governing document may be the the Constitution, but the soul of the nation was…America5 min readAmerica5 min read
Published inMoney: The Simple Way·Mar 22Member-onlyWhen It Comes to Money, How Much Is Enough?Three ways to avoid the relentless pursuit of more — Everyone wants to be rich, but the surprising truth is that you already are. Whether we are measuring by income or net worth, chances are that you are better off than most people on Earth. And you’re definitely better off than most people who have ever lived. Yes, there are…Money7 min readMoney7 min read
Mar 20Member-onlyHow to Teach Yourself a LanguageThe three stages of comprehensible input — Languages are incredibly complex, but learning a language can be incredibly simple (albeit, time intensive). You don’t need classes, textbooks, or flashcards. You don’t need to study verb tables. You don’t need to know grammar words like aorist or subjunctive or pluperfect. …Language Learning9 min readLanguage Learning9 min read
Published inMoney: The Simple Way·Mar 15Member-onlyBuy High, Sell Low: The Psychology of Losing Money InvestingEveryone knows that the basic strategy of investing is to buy low, sell high. This seems pretty easy. Get your money out of the market before a big crash, buy back in at the bottom, ride the next bull market to the top. How hard could it be? Well, it…Money8 min readMoney8 min read
Mar 13Member-onlyFour Critical Problems With Social Media 📵Are you using the platform or is the platform using you? — I’m not against using technology, but you shouldn’t mindlessly adopt the latest and greatest trends without counting the cost. Here are four critical problems with social media that may make you want to reconsider your decision to follow the crowd. 1️⃣ Distraction — Notifications, infinity scroll, and intermittent rewards cause…Social Media3 min readSocial Media3 min read
Published inThe Pen and the Sword·Mar 6Member-onlyWhy Do Remakes Usually Suck?Not every story needs to be retold — Sometime in the 2010’s, I heard there was going to be a live-action remake of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The original Disney film was one of the first movies I ever checked out from Blockbuster. As a five year old, there were some moments that were a little intense…Movies7 min readMovies7 min read
Aug 19, 2022Member-onlyHow I Accidentally Taught My Kids the Value of CounterfeitingI love being a dad — My seven year-old son is obsessed with the Avengers. His favorite movie is Captain America: Civil War. For a while now he has wanted to travel to Berlin on a Quinjet like they do in the film. The other day he asked my wife how much a Quinjet costs. Instead…Parenting4 min readParenting4 min read
Published inThe Pen and the Sword·Aug 18, 2022Member-onlyThe Most Underrated Harry Potter BookIt’s even better on a re-read — I’m going to let you in on a secret: The easiest way to determine if something is overrated or underrated is to look at how popular it is. The more popular it is, the more likely it is to be overrated. …Harry Potter6 min readHarry Potter6 min read
Aug 17, 2022Member-onlyHow to Know if an Idea is InterestingBeing true isn’t enough to capture our attention — As a writer, it’s in my best interest to come up with interesting ideas to share. But there’s a problem: How do I know when an idea is interesting? Usually, I end up defaulting to one of two approaches to evaluate my ideas: An idea is interesting if it is…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Published inMoney: The Simple Way·Aug 16, 2022Member-onlyShould I Build an Emegency Fund or Pay Off Debt?The key to personal finance is spending less than you earn. When you don’t, the result is debt. Debt is borrowing from your future self. It forces you to keep paying (extra) for things you’ve already bought. The longer you carry your debt, the more interest you’ll pay. Paying off…Money6 min readMoney6 min read