There are often extenuating circumstances that factor into a hand-to-mouth existence, but there’s one thing that can turn finances around and leave you enough to invest. — Recently someone on Quora asked me how an employee living hand to mouth can find the funds to invest. First of all, I’m sorry. It can be painful to live in that particular circumstance. But let’s be frank. Extenuating circumstances aside, the reason anyone is living hand-to-mouth as an employee…

The short answer is yes, but it’s best to reframe ‘methods’ as ‘patterns’ or ‘routines’ that prompt desired results. — I received a Quora question recently asking what are some proven leadership methods I’ve observed during my career. There are! …

The 401K basics for beginners — “You should have started yesterday.” It’s a widely applicable and common lament for a multitude of reasons. When we are teenagers, it can apply to those high school essays that were assigned weeks ago. …

Always be the lighthouse, not a weather vane — In times of (and don’t you just love these fancy phrases?) increased ambiguity and significant dislocation, it’s an opportune time to build your personal brand — substantially, properly and, down the line, profitably. Let me explain how. In any period of uncertainty or high ambiguity, people look for the adult…

How can you be the “virtual” adult in the room? — There is more than just a virus flying around right now. Misinformation, significant ambiguity, ignorance, folly, poor decision making. It’s a stressful time — although I don’t need to tell anyone that — and the lack of an adult in the room on many issues has been astounding. What are…

Don’t let yourself get tricked into panic — A number of years ago, I took my then young family to our local county fair. It was one of those dog days of summer, full of all sorts of bad food like cotton candy and deep fried Oreos. We rode all sorts of bad rides, held baby chicks, looked…

You feel it all the time, but are you using it to your advantage? — When I ride my motorcycle on chillier days, I rarely notice how cold I am when zooming around. It is only when I come to a stop and begin to warm up slightly that I realize just how frigid I felt in motion. …

Volatility can equal opportunity — As I sit here in mid-March 2020, I can’t help but think of Sesame Street. Now, you might suppose that’s an odd thing to be thinking of given the current state of things. …