From the monthly archives:

April 2009

The Only Reason I’ve Still Got Cable TV Is My Guilty Conscience

April 17, 2009

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most frugal guy on Thrifty Street, but I don’t like paying for things I don’t use. That’s why I don’t have a personal cell phone, and it’s why I refuse to buy a melon baller in spite of all that flashy advertising from Big Melon. And lately, cable [...]

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The Key to Success = Neil Young (or, Why You Need a Rival)

April 8, 2009

Most people know the importance of having mentors and role models in business, particularly for those at an early stage of their career. While I don’t dispute that such people are important, sometimes its even more important to have the exact opposite- a rival, an antagonist, or even a nemesis. Or, as I like to [...]

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My Beard of Stubbornness and the Sunk Cost Fallacy

April 6, 2009

About three weeks ago, a number of guys in my office started talking about having a handlebar moustache growing contest as we raced towards our end-of-quarter targets, sort of like a playoff beard ritual for tech geeks with no hope of ever making a professional, semi-pro, amateur, recreational, or co-ed middle school sports team. I’m [...]

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The Ethics of Investing in Smokes

April 1, 2009

I love getting comments from readers, especially when they challenge what I write or present another take on an issue. I got a very interesting comment from a reader earlier this week stemming from my Globe and Mail article about investment strategies. In the article, my love of tobacco stocks* is mentioned. Here’s what reader [...]

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