What did the Trump family see when they traveled across the country during the presidential campaign? The short answer is dollar signs. The Trump organization announced a new mid-grade chain of hotels named “American Idea” on Monday, which will debut in Mississippi. According to ...read more
In episode #3 of The Meaning of Life Podcast, Ben and Vazken discuss money, and why it is probably making your life a misery. This is not a guide to getting out of debt or getting rich, but more a way to think about money and stop it controlling every moment of your waking life. ...read more
Today, the Huffington Post reported on a truly stunning fact -- a fact that should have the entire planet up in arms and threatening a global revolution. Based on statistics from Oxfam, the Huff Post reported that: "62 ultra-rich individuals -- a list that is primarily made up ...read more
As the saying goes: "some people are so poor that all they have is money." Judged by this standard, Donald Trump is about as wealthy as Lehman Brothers at the end of Q3 in '08. However, in Trump's reality, he is a super swell guy with so much dough he could buy you. In fact, ...read more
Your future life in America Other than topless actresses on daytime TV and two hour lunches, Europeans take several things for granted in their day to day lives that most Americans could not conceive of. While at a party in DC with some Spanish friends of mine last weekend, we ...read more
Oliver Green is a modern life burnout/angeraholic living in Bali, Indonesia and writing about life instead of making things worse by having one. R I C H When I was a kid I used to watch the WWF. There was a wrestler named Ted Debiase The Million Dollar Man – he was nobody’s ...read more
A reader left a very insightful and honest comment on the piece I wrote about the suicide of L'Wren Scott on Tuesday, giving her perspective on the tragedy as another person of immense privilege. Going by the user name 'Varvara', she detailed the struggles of having enormous ...read more
Here's a quick rundown of what you should be reading on this Friday morning. Why? Because it beats working. 1. Green Daze Constantly pondering how screwed you are financially? Feel like it's making you crazy, or at least unable to think clearly? Guess what? It is. NPR: How ...read more
For writers, thinkers and opinion makers in the West, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was the exclamation point that concluded all debate about the value of free-market Capitalism. Not only was this system of distributing resources efficient, it was also morally correct. ...read more
I have to confess, this is completely new to me. But the online-only currency currently going through a massive boom looks extremely interesting, and could pave the way for a completely new economy. Here's a great vid briefly explaining how it works (h/t the Dish): And as you ...read more
Matt Taibbi on America's backwards socialism: Ordinary people have to borrow their money at market rates. Lloyd Blankfein and Jamie Dimon get billions of dollars for free, from the Federal Reserve. They borrow at zero and lend the same money back to the government at two ...read more
In American culture, being rich is often equated with being intelligent. While it certainly takes particular skills to attain financial wealth, the notion that those with lots of money are somehow equipped to do other, vastly more complex jobs is completely unproven. In the world ...read more
