CFI Blog

Monkey Brain Knew It All Along

Monkey Brain Knew It All Along

“To paraphrase Oedipus, Hamlet, Lear, and all those guys, ‘I wish I had known this some time ago.’” –Roger Zelazny Once, several years ago, we actually invested in stocks as opposed to index funds. One of those stock picks was Apple. I don’t remember the exact circumstances, but it had something to do with Apple … Read more

Small Business Debt is Debt Too

“It’s one of those things; you just get a very nice stroke from being included in the next thing.” –Andreas Katsulas In my previous startup, when we started it took many months before we got our first big break. Then, we got a job with a major defense contractor working on one of their prime … Read more

The Difficulty of Predicting Your Retirement Number

The Difficulty of Predicting Your Retirement Number

“It is likely that unlikely things should happen.” –Aristotle Imagine that you’re sitting in an airplane, and suddenly there’s some bumpiness. The plane shakes a little and dips and rises. The pilot comes over the intercom and tells you to buckle up because you’re undergoing a little bit of turbulence. Gripping the seat a little … Read more

Does Your Financial Planner Really Need to be Local?

“They usually have two tellers in my local bank, except when it’s very busy when they have one.” –Rita Rudner I recently attended a seminar about the state of the Fort Worth and Dallas housing market, put on by the real estate editor of the Dallas Morning News. He was talking about how demographic trends … Read more

To Err is Human, But What If an Algorithm Errs?

To Err is Human, But What If an Algorithm Errs?

“To err is human: to forgive, divine.” –Alexander Pope How many of you have used a GPS to get somewhere when you were driving? I am a big fan of using Waze (we even call her “Wendy” when she gives us directions), the application that is supposed to account for current traffic conditions on your … Read more

Starting Your Own Gig and Managing the Band

Starting Your Own Gig and Managing the Band

This is part of a series. If you have not read the articles that build up to this one, I recommend that you do so first. Answering the Question Why About Your Money Monkey Brain’s Common Weapons Money Comes and Money Goes Cracking the Whip on Your Money A Contract on Your Life What if … Read more

About to Go Shopping? Gargle First!

About to Go Shopping? Gargle First!

“Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gargle.” –Dr. Robert Anthony We probably all know the axiom that if you want to go grocery shopping, don’t do it on an empty stomach. You’ll be hungry, and every piece of food you pass will look good. As a result, you won’t stick to … Read more