Thing One Choose Carefully Several years ago, the organization that oversees the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards conducted a revealing experiment. They wanted to see whether prospective clients would truly evaluate an adviser’s competence—or simply respond to confidence and presentation. They hired a professional DJ, gave him a crash course in financial buzzwords, dressed him in a sharp suit, and placed him in front of individuals actively searching for f

Thing One Why Starting an Exercise Plan Might Help You Understand How to Think About the Economy I was recently browsing health and fitness websites for exercise “secrets” when I came across an article that made me think about the similarities between an individual trying to get in shape and the political class trying to “get the economy in shape.” The article was called Why Crunches and Sit Ups Do Not Get You Six Pack Abs. The opening paragraphs hit me like a ton of br

Thing One To Save or Not to Save (When You’re Young) There’s an old saying often attributed to former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan: "There’s no fool like an old fool—except a young fool. The young fool just hasn’t lived long enough yet to realize it." It’s blunt, but it’s also remarkably accurate—especially when it comes to money. Every generation seems to rediscover the same idea: that youth is for living, not planning. Saving can wait. Retirement is decad