Both their own and their kids' student loans.
Perhaps they need to learn about minimalistic retirement.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
The Kapernick Caper Continues
So he says he's going to sue the NFL
and a reporter is stupid enough to ask if Green Bay is going to take him on.
I don't pay much attention to sportsball, but it is fun watching the forces of media and SJW's try to take it over.
and a reporter is stupid enough to ask if Green Bay is going to take him on.
I don't pay much attention to sportsball, but it is fun watching the forces of media and SJW's try to take it over.
Friday, October 13, 2017
Episode #217-Why Aren't There Jewish Bars???
Mocking vs. emulating Cappy
Just don't fuck up.
How black names hurt black people.
Do Jewish Bars EXIST???
"Clarey's Land of Canaan"
Leftists Eating Their Own
AND MORE!!!
In THIS EPISODE of The Clarey Podcast!
Direct MP3 here.
RSS feed here.
Just don't fuck up.
How black names hurt black people.
Do Jewish Bars EXIST???
"Clarey's Land of Canaan"
Leftists Eating Their Own
AND MORE!!!
In THIS EPISODE of The Clarey Podcast!
Direct MP3 here.
RSS feed here.
Another Reason to Enjoy the Decline
When your tippy top super secret spy agencies use "admin" and "user1" as passwords.
Don't know about you, but I'm pouring myself a drink and saying "fuck it."
Don't know about you, but I'm pouring myself a drink and saying "fuck it."
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Why Crypto-Currencies are the Next Dotcom Bubble
A couple months ago I was hired by a person who shall remain anonymous. He was instrumental in the launching of a reasonably notable crypto-currency and wanted to know what its value was. It was the classic meeting of the worlds of economics and technology where the tech gurus wanted to know precisely what was the value of the monster they created, so they enlist the help of clueless schmoes economists like me to do so.
This presented a problem to me because unlike say, a bond, a stock, or a rental property, currencies (crypto or not) do not produce income. They are a tool of economic exchange, a store of value, and naturally forming and evolving economic phenomenon since humans existed. Silver bars do not poop out little silver coins and gold coins do breed to make little gold coins. And since all currencies produce nothing, there is no means by which to value them. The value of currencies are therefore determined by their rarity relative to one another, whether they have intrinsic value (precious metals), utilitarian/commodity value (silver is used in electronics), purchasing power (the Big Mac Index) and the amorphous, whimsical, and impossible-to-measure trust and faith of the entire world's people.
So what I employed was a technique used to value traditional currencies where a stable currency (such as gold or the US dollar) was used as a base and the historical exchange rate or "ratio" between that base currency and the one I was attempting to value established an average. This average would then allow me to determine whether a currency was overvalued or undervalued relative to the stable base currency and we would have a rough estimate as to what a currency should be "worth."
For example, historically (when allowed to trade freely) the gold to silver ratio has been 47 to 1. During my lifetime the British Pound would fetch 1.8 US Dollars. And the Euro vs. Dollar exchange rate has been around 1.2. These exchange rates have been volatile, but you can ever so roughly determine a currency to be undervalued or overvalued depending on how far away from these averages they trade. But instead of using gold or the US dollar as the base, I used Bitcoin as the "base currency" by which all other cryptocurrencies would be valued.
This presented some obvious drawbacks.
Bitcoin, the eldest of all cryptocurrencies, isn't even 10 years old, providing little if any kind of historical performance by which a stable, long term average base can be established. Also, for the short 9 years it's been in existence, its price performance has been HORRENDOUSLY volatile as such a revolutionary idea as a cryptocurrency would be. Further complicating matters is that new cryptocurrencies are younger than bitcoin and all cryptocurrencies tend to move in concert with one another. This has relegated the pricing of various cryptocurrencies merely a theoretical exercise and me admitting to the client that all I could provide was a methodology that might work in 50 years time from now, but was completely worthless today.
In short, it was impossible to value a cryptocurrency today.
But my research had an unintentional side benefit. And that was a look into the INSANE underworld of crypto-currencies. A look that immediately flashed me back to 1998 because the parallels between the cryptocurrency market of today and the Dotcom market of 1998 are eerily similar.
First, both cryptocurrencies and dotcoms were revolutionary advances in technology that promised to revolutionize the economy. They were so new and society had yet to figure out what role they would play in the future economy and world, their values were impossible to assess. But we did know they were going to play a major and upheaving role in the future economy. There was profit to be made, but we didn't know precisely where, or how.
Second, there was a flood of them. Dotcom Mania had so captured the nation companies who never produced a profit in their entire existence were getting hundreds of millions in financing from venture capitalists. IPO's were celebrated when there was no profits to celebrate. And if you simply put an "e" or an "i" in front of your company's name, your market cap would septuple overnight. It was so bad you had Gen X'ers acting like millennials - achieving nothing, while being highly rewarded for it.
This easy money merely attracted more money as everybody thought they would transfer the entire world economy from bricks and mortar to digital in a mere year. And soon every industry, sector, and facet of the economy was going online. If I recall my dotcom history correctly, there was even a fish company that decided to sell shoes online. Yes, it was that insane.
However, the same insanity has infected the minds of the cryptocurrency market.
I'm no economist, but as far as my logic takes me, the world should only need ONE cryptocurrency. Maybe three or four in order to account for the fact people would want to diversify out of being reliant upon just ONE cryptocurrency. But when I did the research for my client...now approaching 4 months ago...there were....(drum roll please)
967 cryptocurrencies!
But wait, it gets better! In those four short months the number of cryptocurrencies has increased by 200!
Do not tell me this isn't Dotcom II all over again.
Third, and perhaps more eerie is how the cryptocurrency market has morphed from what should be a currency market to its own culture or society. And even the words "culture" or "society" understates this morphing. More like "religion" or "cult."
In doing my research I happened upon discussion boards, comments sections, facebook pages, and all other forms of social and not-so-social media where its participants were so far removed from the fundamentals of currency economics, it was now their daily personal hobby they'd obsess about because (as far as I can tell and I hate to sound so harsh) they really had nothing going on in their lives.
"Did you hear they're coming out with a new cryptocurrency with DOUBLE encryption???"
"I like BloggerCoin because they're backing up their currency with the intrinsic value of blog posts!"
"I heard about BloggerCoin, but I like FARTCOIN better! They're capturing people's farts so you can exchange your cryptocoin for human methane!"
In other words, people were discussing, talking, and buying cryptocurrencies not because of any economic fundamental value, but more like trading cards or Beanie Babies. It was novelty, a hobby, a culture unto itself that had nothing to do with intrinsic value. This too was the case during Dotcom while CNBC and the various "professionals" they had on were talking about Krispy Kreme donuts, upcoming IPO's and ill-understood technologies that had ne'er been tethered to profits or reality.
Which perhaps leads to the eeriest similarity of them all - ICO's and technospeak.
While the Dotcom bubble heralded IPO's (Initial Public Offerings) of the latest dotcom company that traded dog manure for Styrofoam widgets, this same "crypto-cult-culture" heralds "ICO's" (Initial Coin Offerings) with the same fanfare AND complete lack of profitability, intrinsic value, and sanity.
Never mind there's 1100 currencies out there already.
Never mind these coins don't produce dividends, rent, interest, or income.
Never mind the world really only needs 3-4 cryptocurrencies.
Nope, you got yourself an ICO! Let's uncork the champagne while cashing in our 401k's to buy FECESCOIN!!!
Worse, coupled with this unwarranted fanfare is the scariest hallmark of Dotcom Mania, "technospeak."
If you're too young to remember (or just too ashamed to admit you got duped by it) in order to get financing aspiring dotcom companies would talk over investment bankers' and investors' heads with technical jargon. Remember, the internet was relatively new technology and you could easily fool a Harvard MBA at a bulge bracket investment bank that you knew what you were talking about.
"If we increase the RAM on the baud information super highway, then the TCP protocol packets will be redirected to our mainframe servers, resulting in increased bandwidth and profit for our firewall. And if you invest $1.5 billion in 'E-genuity' you'll get a 20% share of our firewall profits!"
In a very Dilbertian way you could almost also guarantee funding by uttering the phrase "I understand if you don't get this technology, because it's pretty complex and over most people's heads." Bankers, investors, finance professionals and other incompetent egotists would trip over themselves to cut you a check to save their pride.
The same thing is happening in the crypto-currency market. In a desperate attempt to differentiate themselves from already-established crypto-currencies increasingly petty, even pointless technological traits and characteristics are being added (and heralded) as a reason to give THAT cryptocurrency at $4 billion valuation and not Bitcoin.
"Double encryption, triple encryption, double blockchain technology." I'll admit I don't know what that is and I don't care. But I know it stinks to high heaven when you're desperately trying to tie blog posts, tweets or some other faux-commodity to a cryptocurrency to vainly give it "intrinsic value." It's like I'm 24 all over again, they just happened to change the vocabulary this time.
The real question is: does all this mean the cryptocurrency market has no value? And the answer is "no, of course not." Just like Dotcom Mania there WERE companies that DEFINITELY had value and they are some of the largest and most successful companies today. Amazon, Google, Betterment, not only do these companies have value unto themselves, but brick and mortar that are explicitly "dotcoms" inevitably incorporated digital/internet technology universally. But like the dotcom market, it will only be a small minority of cryptocurrencies that have value today and will be around tomorrow. The question is how to determine who these are?
While there's no way to predict this or guarantee one cryptocurrency that's around today will be around tomorrow, I came up with a final, albeit simple metric for my client. The "We Accept Index" aka the number of Google search results of "We Accept Bitcoin" or "We Accept Dogecoin" etc.
Very simply "The We Accept Index" reconnects and measures the only thing that matters with a currency - whether it is accepted as such. Whether you can use that currency to purchase ACTUAL TANGIBLE PHYSICAL THINGS IN THE REAL WORLD. Whether other people deem it to have value. And it is here we find out just how few cryptocurrencies have value.
In all honesty, only two, MAYBE four have value:
Bitcoin
Litecoin
Ethereum, and
Dogecoin (and this was started on a lark!)
The remaining 99.7% of cryptocurrencies, in literal economic terms, have no value.
Thankfully, the entire cryptocurrency market is only $150 billion (today anyway) and does not present the threat to the economy the $6 trillion crash in dotcoms did. You don't have to worry about this article tanking the cryptocurrency market and then next, the world economy. But do be reasonable and rationale when it comes to "investing" in cryptocurrencies. You are gambling on a market that is eerily similar and stable as Dotcoms in 1999. If you must, invest in a diversified portfolio of them and do not cash in your 401k. Even I own a full Bitcoin that I paid $800 for some years ago.
The only problem is I can't find the digital wallet and have completely forgotten how to access that @&%*ing Bitcoin.
Which is of course another drawback to cryptocurrencies.
____________________________________
Check out Aaron's other neato stuff below!
Podcast
Asshole Consulting
YouTube Channel
Twitter
Books by Aaron
Amazon Affiliate
This presented a problem to me because unlike say, a bond, a stock, or a rental property, currencies (crypto or not) do not produce income. They are a tool of economic exchange, a store of value, and naturally forming and evolving economic phenomenon since humans existed. Silver bars do not poop out little silver coins and gold coins do breed to make little gold coins. And since all currencies produce nothing, there is no means by which to value them. The value of currencies are therefore determined by their rarity relative to one another, whether they have intrinsic value (precious metals), utilitarian/commodity value (silver is used in electronics), purchasing power (the Big Mac Index) and the amorphous, whimsical, and impossible-to-measure trust and faith of the entire world's people.
So what I employed was a technique used to value traditional currencies where a stable currency (such as gold or the US dollar) was used as a base and the historical exchange rate or "ratio" between that base currency and the one I was attempting to value established an average. This average would then allow me to determine whether a currency was overvalued or undervalued relative to the stable base currency and we would have a rough estimate as to what a currency should be "worth."
For example, historically (when allowed to trade freely) the gold to silver ratio has been 47 to 1. During my lifetime the British Pound would fetch 1.8 US Dollars. And the Euro vs. Dollar exchange rate has been around 1.2. These exchange rates have been volatile, but you can ever so roughly determine a currency to be undervalued or overvalued depending on how far away from these averages they trade. But instead of using gold or the US dollar as the base, I used Bitcoin as the "base currency" by which all other cryptocurrencies would be valued.
This presented some obvious drawbacks.
Bitcoin, the eldest of all cryptocurrencies, isn't even 10 years old, providing little if any kind of historical performance by which a stable, long term average base can be established. Also, for the short 9 years it's been in existence, its price performance has been HORRENDOUSLY volatile as such a revolutionary idea as a cryptocurrency would be. Further complicating matters is that new cryptocurrencies are younger than bitcoin and all cryptocurrencies tend to move in concert with one another. This has relegated the pricing of various cryptocurrencies merely a theoretical exercise and me admitting to the client that all I could provide was a methodology that might work in 50 years time from now, but was completely worthless today.
In short, it was impossible to value a cryptocurrency today.
But my research had an unintentional side benefit. And that was a look into the INSANE underworld of crypto-currencies. A look that immediately flashed me back to 1998 because the parallels between the cryptocurrency market of today and the Dotcom market of 1998 are eerily similar.
First, both cryptocurrencies and dotcoms were revolutionary advances in technology that promised to revolutionize the economy. They were so new and society had yet to figure out what role they would play in the future economy and world, their values were impossible to assess. But we did know they were going to play a major and upheaving role in the future economy. There was profit to be made, but we didn't know precisely where, or how.
Second, there was a flood of them. Dotcom Mania had so captured the nation companies who never produced a profit in their entire existence were getting hundreds of millions in financing from venture capitalists. IPO's were celebrated when there was no profits to celebrate. And if you simply put an "e" or an "i" in front of your company's name, your market cap would septuple overnight. It was so bad you had Gen X'ers acting like millennials - achieving nothing, while being highly rewarded for it.
This easy money merely attracted more money as everybody thought they would transfer the entire world economy from bricks and mortar to digital in a mere year. And soon every industry, sector, and facet of the economy was going online. If I recall my dotcom history correctly, there was even a fish company that decided to sell shoes online. Yes, it was that insane.
However, the same insanity has infected the minds of the cryptocurrency market.
I'm no economist, but as far as my logic takes me, the world should only need ONE cryptocurrency. Maybe three or four in order to account for the fact people would want to diversify out of being reliant upon just ONE cryptocurrency. But when I did the research for my client...now approaching 4 months ago...there were....(drum roll please)
967 cryptocurrencies!
But wait, it gets better! In those four short months the number of cryptocurrencies has increased by 200!
Do not tell me this isn't Dotcom II all over again.
Third, and perhaps more eerie is how the cryptocurrency market has morphed from what should be a currency market to its own culture or society. And even the words "culture" or "society" understates this morphing. More like "religion" or "cult."
In doing my research I happened upon discussion boards, comments sections, facebook pages, and all other forms of social and not-so-social media where its participants were so far removed from the fundamentals of currency economics, it was now their daily personal hobby they'd obsess about because (as far as I can tell and I hate to sound so harsh) they really had nothing going on in their lives.
"Did you hear they're coming out with a new cryptocurrency with DOUBLE encryption???"
"I like BloggerCoin because they're backing up their currency with the intrinsic value of blog posts!"
"I heard about BloggerCoin, but I like FARTCOIN better! They're capturing people's farts so you can exchange your cryptocoin for human methane!"
In other words, people were discussing, talking, and buying cryptocurrencies not because of any economic fundamental value, but more like trading cards or Beanie Babies. It was novelty, a hobby, a culture unto itself that had nothing to do with intrinsic value. This too was the case during Dotcom while CNBC and the various "professionals" they had on were talking about Krispy Kreme donuts, upcoming IPO's and ill-understood technologies that had ne'er been tethered to profits or reality.
Which perhaps leads to the eeriest similarity of them all - ICO's and technospeak.
While the Dotcom bubble heralded IPO's (Initial Public Offerings) of the latest dotcom company that traded dog manure for Styrofoam widgets, this same "crypto-cult-culture" heralds "ICO's" (Initial Coin Offerings) with the same fanfare AND complete lack of profitability, intrinsic value, and sanity.
Never mind there's 1100 currencies out there already.
Never mind these coins don't produce dividends, rent, interest, or income.
Never mind the world really only needs 3-4 cryptocurrencies.
Nope, you got yourself an ICO! Let's uncork the champagne while cashing in our 401k's to buy FECESCOIN!!!
Worse, coupled with this unwarranted fanfare is the scariest hallmark of Dotcom Mania, "technospeak."
If you're too young to remember (or just too ashamed to admit you got duped by it) in order to get financing aspiring dotcom companies would talk over investment bankers' and investors' heads with technical jargon. Remember, the internet was relatively new technology and you could easily fool a Harvard MBA at a bulge bracket investment bank that you knew what you were talking about.
"If we increase the RAM on the baud information super highway, then the TCP protocol packets will be redirected to our mainframe servers, resulting in increased bandwidth and profit for our firewall. And if you invest $1.5 billion in 'E-genuity' you'll get a 20% share of our firewall profits!"
In a very Dilbertian way you could almost also guarantee funding by uttering the phrase "I understand if you don't get this technology, because it's pretty complex and over most people's heads." Bankers, investors, finance professionals and other incompetent egotists would trip over themselves to cut you a check to save their pride.
The same thing is happening in the crypto-currency market. In a desperate attempt to differentiate themselves from already-established crypto-currencies increasingly petty, even pointless technological traits and characteristics are being added (and heralded) as a reason to give THAT cryptocurrency at $4 billion valuation and not Bitcoin.
"Double encryption, triple encryption, double blockchain technology." I'll admit I don't know what that is and I don't care. But I know it stinks to high heaven when you're desperately trying to tie blog posts, tweets or some other faux-commodity to a cryptocurrency to vainly give it "intrinsic value." It's like I'm 24 all over again, they just happened to change the vocabulary this time.
The real question is: does all this mean the cryptocurrency market has no value? And the answer is "no, of course not." Just like Dotcom Mania there WERE companies that DEFINITELY had value and they are some of the largest and most successful companies today. Amazon, Google, Betterment, not only do these companies have value unto themselves, but brick and mortar that are explicitly "dotcoms" inevitably incorporated digital/internet technology universally. But like the dotcom market, it will only be a small minority of cryptocurrencies that have value today and will be around tomorrow. The question is how to determine who these are?
While there's no way to predict this or guarantee one cryptocurrency that's around today will be around tomorrow, I came up with a final, albeit simple metric for my client. The "We Accept Index" aka the number of Google search results of "We Accept Bitcoin" or "We Accept Dogecoin" etc.
Very simply "The We Accept Index" reconnects and measures the only thing that matters with a currency - whether it is accepted as such. Whether you can use that currency to purchase ACTUAL TANGIBLE PHYSICAL THINGS IN THE REAL WORLD. Whether other people deem it to have value. And it is here we find out just how few cryptocurrencies have value.
In all honesty, only two, MAYBE four have value:
Bitcoin
Litecoin
Ethereum, and
Dogecoin (and this was started on a lark!)
The remaining 99.7% of cryptocurrencies, in literal economic terms, have no value.
Thankfully, the entire cryptocurrency market is only $150 billion (today anyway) and does not present the threat to the economy the $6 trillion crash in dotcoms did. You don't have to worry about this article tanking the cryptocurrency market and then next, the world economy. But do be reasonable and rationale when it comes to "investing" in cryptocurrencies. You are gambling on a market that is eerily similar and stable as Dotcoms in 1999. If you must, invest in a diversified portfolio of them and do not cash in your 401k. Even I own a full Bitcoin that I paid $800 for some years ago.
The only problem is I can't find the digital wallet and have completely forgotten how to access that @&%*ing Bitcoin.
Which is of course another drawback to cryptocurrencies.
____________________________________
Check out Aaron's other neato stuff below!
Podcast
Asshole Consulting
YouTube Channel
Books by Aaron
Amazon Affiliate
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Curse Free Episode #27 10-10-17
Must leftist politics infect EVERYTHING?
Childhood during the 80's.
Nyquil influenced dreams.
Boxing Ed Latimore.
"Meal penalty" and union stupidity.
Millennials can't hammer nails.
Millennials can't use analog clocks.
Late night talk shows pay for politics.
AND MORE!!!
In THIS EPISODE of The Clarey Podcast!
Direct MP3 link here.
Direct RSS feed here.
Childhood during the 80's.
Nyquil influenced dreams.
Boxing Ed Latimore.
"Meal penalty" and union stupidity.
Millennials can't hammer nails.
Millennials can't use analog clocks.
Late night talk shows pay for politics.
AND MORE!!!
In THIS EPISODE of The Clarey Podcast!
Direct MP3 link here.
Direct RSS feed here.
Monday, October 09, 2017
A Politics Free Childhood
In this pre-release excerpt from the upcoming podcast I ask the democrats and socialists of the world if it is possible to NOT put politics, SJWing, and virtue signaling into EVERYTHING, especially kids' childhoods.
Aim for Sanity
I was on The Hanging Chads Podcast where among many other things we talked about how, in an insane world, one's primary goal should be to attain sanity, serenity, and peace. Below is an excerpt if you just want to sample it.
They also interviewed Rollo Tomassi and were "thiiiiiisssss close" to interviewing Jenna Jameson. They are better than the average podcast and I would strongly recommend giving them a shot.
Link to their podcast page here.
Link to the specific episode here.
They also interviewed Rollo Tomassi and were "thiiiiiisssss close" to interviewing Jenna Jameson. They are better than the average podcast and I would strongly recommend giving them a shot.
Link to their podcast page here.
Link to the specific episode here.
Who's the Worst Generation? Baby Boomers, Gen X'ers or Millennials
Are per a request from Asshole Consulting, Cappy tries to apply some kind of logical methodology to an impossible question: which generation is the worst in America today? Though Cappy's loathing for the Baby Boomers is no secret, he loathes them all quite equally, but when you look at some data and public behavior a clear "victor" emerges.
Sunday, October 08, 2017
You May Love the Captain
By doing all your online shopping through Cappy's Amazon link.
Cappy makes a 7% commission on all purchases and it costs you nothing extra.
Just a way to make the Captain's day by doing all your online shopping here.
Cappy makes a 7% commission on all purchases and it costs you nothing extra.
Just a way to make the Captain's day by doing all your online shopping here.
Teeeeeaaaacheerrrrrrrssss
You may follow me on The Twitter here.
You may purchase the book "Worthless" here so you may avoid becoming your typical ditzy teacher.
Saturday, October 07, 2017
The Economic Case for Price Gouging: The Safety Doc Podcast
Dr. Perrodin, aka "The Safety Doc" has a podcast about all things safety. However, this particular episode about price gouging during natural disasters might prove to be some decent weekend listening pleasure should you be out doing yard work, going for a run, or just viewing the fall leaves.
Friday, October 06, 2017
Islamic Finance and Economics
I had an interesting request at Asshole Consulting. The client wanted my opinion on Islamic finance and economics. The economics part was interesting because there is (what I believe) to be a politically/religiously motivated force on the part of Muslims to use "economics" as a means to spread Islam. The handful of Muslim scholars/economists who advocate "Islamic economics" have used the financial crisis as a means to leverage Islam into economics, claiming western/capitalistic economics has failed, but communism has also failed, thus giving rise to demand for a "third alternative." In the video I analyze their claims of this "Islamic economics" and then also explain how capitalism is the only real economic system out there as it is inherent to human nature.
The second part is on Islamic finance which is actually interesting and there are some lessons westerners/non-muslims can learn from it. These lessons include frugality, non-speculation, the avoidance of debt, and financing legitimate concerns, not pie in the sky poppycock. And it also highlights how using religious principles leads to more conservative lending standards, which would have prevented western banks from needing a bail out.
Of course, if banks merely had lending policies AND FOLLOWED THEM, then you wouldn't have a theocracy lecturing you on how to lend, but that is a debate for another time.
The second part is on Islamic finance which is actually interesting and there are some lessons westerners/non-muslims can learn from it. These lessons include frugality, non-speculation, the avoidance of debt, and financing legitimate concerns, not pie in the sky poppycock. And it also highlights how using religious principles leads to more conservative lending standards, which would have prevented western banks from needing a bail out.
Of course, if banks merely had lending policies AND FOLLOWED THEM, then you wouldn't have a theocracy lecturing you on how to lend, but that is a debate for another time.
For the Aspiring Entrepreneurs in my Audience
I did an interview with David Barnett who is a sponsor of my show. Yes, it is a commercial of sorts, but I wanted to get him on because (not only did he pay me), but there are many of you who are aspiring entrepreneurs and you may be looking to entrepreneurship as a means of retirement. Also, most of you are aware of the overvalued stock market and purchasing or investing in small, privately held companies (as opposed to large, publicly traded ones) may provide higher returns.
I certainly plug his services, but 90% of the interview is good do's and don't's in the world of purchasing a small business. There's also some interesting anecdotes and stories that teach anybody about the risks of purchasing a business and entrepreneurship. Regardless, consider visiting David and checking out his videos to get a sample of what he offers.
I certainly plug his services, but 90% of the interview is good do's and don't's in the world of purchasing a small business. There's also some interesting anecdotes and stories that teach anybody about the risks of purchasing a business and entrepreneurship. Regardless, consider visiting David and checking out his videos to get a sample of what he offers.
Thursday, October 05, 2017
Episode #213 of The Clarey Podcast - ANGRY FEMINIST LIBRARIAN SPECIAL!
The USS Cappy is back to ship shape.
Why social workers are the true vampires of the world.
What girls can learn from angry feminists.
You just NEVER invest in California. EVER.
and MORE!!!
In THIS EPISODE of The Clarey Podcast!
Direct MP3 link here.
RSS feed here.
Why social workers are the true vampires of the world.
What girls can learn from angry feminists.
You just NEVER invest in California. EVER.
and MORE!!!
In THIS EPISODE of The Clarey Podcast!
Direct MP3 link here.
RSS feed here.
Wednesday, October 04, 2017
Outsource Your Kids!
"By all means. Breed, have kids, much like you "have an SUV." Outsource
them to daycare like you do your SUV to the dealer. But when your kid
has no attachment, loyalty, love, or respect for you, and is more than
happy to ditch you off in a cheap government nursing home facility and
NEVER visits you, I'd love to see the night-time advanced MBA course
that solves that problem."
my latest piece at LinkedIn!
my latest piece at LinkedIn!
Tuesday, October 03, 2017
No, You Will Not Build Her Her Dream Home
As I age and see more of not only my generation of men, but other generations travel down the path of life, I have realized that 'being nice' and trying to provide everything for your wife leads to her being spoiled and entitled. People (men included) if spoiled rotten will end up becoming spoiled rotten and so you need to ensure that everybody in the relationship faces, suffers, and endures what is required to support oneself. Any shielding or subsidizing people from these hardships, even if out of love, results in a slow but inevitable entitlement that is hard to unlodge and unseat once cemented into their psyche. This leads to, at minimum, strife and stress within the relationship, but more often divorce and an ending of the relationship.
But there is another drawback to "happy wife, happy life." And that is the financial ruination you will likely suffer if you try to provide for two people on the efforts of only one. I suggest reading this story before you boys start thinking about "buying your dream home" and before you ladies start thinking of forcing your husband to do the same.
But there is another drawback to "happy wife, happy life." And that is the financial ruination you will likely suffer if you try to provide for two people on the efforts of only one. I suggest reading this story before you boys start thinking about "buying your dream home" and before you ladies start thinking of forcing your husband to do the same.
The Day is Coming Ladies!
When you want to get serious about this life thing, contact me here instead of listening to Oprah, leftist, feminist slop.
Monday, October 02, 2017
Beyond Wealth
Without sounding like a completely spoiled, arrogant asshole, the largest hurdle I face in my life is what I like to call "The Impossible Trifecta." This "Impossible Trifecta" includes an individual who;
1. Has the time
2. Has the money
3. Has the stamina
to keep up with me.
Nobody to date does.
And at best, people have at most two out of the three.
You have an old man who is retired, has the time, has the money, but doesn't have the stamina to ride motorcycles across the Alaska highway.
You have a young lady who has the stamina and the money, but doesn't have the time to take off from work to go on a three week western adventure.
Or you have a young man who has the stamina and the time, but is unemployed and thus cannot afford to make it west of the Mississippi.
Only VERY rarely do I cross paths with a like-minded and equally-abled digital nomad soul, and usually it's atop mountain tops or in the remote hinterlands of Moab.
But during my latest adventure across the American West I had an epiphany. And it is one that is of ultimate importance for it defines what every man and woman should be aiming for in life. And not only is it what we should be aiming for, it debunks what society, the school system, and media have brainwashed us into think it should be.
"Post wealth."
"Wealth" or (in simpler terms) enough money to satisfy all our Earthly desires, needs, and wants has been every human's key life pursuit since time immemorial. Our immediate goal in life is to sustain our own lives, immediately followed by further securing our future lives through the amassing of enough wealth we no longer need to work. This goal of being "independently wealth" or in more modern parlance "fuck you money" has been at the foremost goal of every human in history. Historically, this has been a challenge where 99.999% of the humans have failed, working till death, dying penniless, or perhaps even dying in debt. It was only a rare occasion, reserved for kings, warlords, and modern day entrepreneurs, where enough wealth was amassed where you would be "set for life" and could then truly enjoy life, free of work, toil, and labor.
But today, especially for smart people who know the benefits of frugality, spartan living and minimalism, modern technology and advances in capitalism have made it so most people needn't become "millionaires" to achieve the nirvana of "independent wealth." Food, for instance, is effectively free, whereas in the past hunger was the number one scourge that plagued humanity. Clothing, which until the 1950's consumed nearly 20% of a household budget, is free (especially for un-choosy bachelors) who are willing to shop at Wal-Mart of Goodwill. Fuel and transportation is increasingly becoming moot, especially if your profession is digital/online. And unless you insist on living in a McMansion to keep up with the Jonses, a small studio apartment, or even a cheap flat in Cambodia, is more than adequate a place to rest your head and house some key belongings. In other words, the goal of humanity is easily within reach of those willing to major in the right subject, spend within their means, not have children they can't afford and otherwise just plain simply "not fuck up."
The problem is - tell the rest of society that.
While regular readers of this site are already familiar with the benefits of frugality and minimalism, the majority of people, western civilization or not, are completely and hopelessly brainwashed to think "wealth" means billionaire like status with bling, bitches, yachts, and Lamborghini's. Be it the dude bro frat boy who dedicates his life to becoming an analyst at Wall Street, or the Silicon Valley Virgin who gets his $150,000 a year job at Facebook, the inner city black girl who blows her check on weaves and brand name jeans, or even the desperate middle aged bankers who lease vehicles to maintain the Winnetka/American Beauty lifestyle facade, all of them think "wealthy" is at least 10 million dollars in the bank, if not a billion, all defined by the luxury items media and marketing has told them is the epitome of "wealthy.". And thus they dedicate their entire lives to get this "faux wealth," whether they can successfully amass the money to afford said luxuries, or cheat by borrowing the money to make it look like they can.
But while my regular readers are smarter than the average bear, there is a trap set forth in this pursuit of wealth and "fuck you money." Not that you guys would waste your wealth on sports cars or unnecessary McMansions, but the means by which one attains wealth, independence, and true freedom - entrepreneurship - can lead to a ruinous life even if your entrepreneurial venture is successful. And it is here the important lesson of looking "beyond wealth" lies.
Take, for example, three people.
One, Marissa Mayer, the formerly disgraced CEO of Yahoo.
Two, a colleague of mine who runs a "real" company.
And three, the ole humble Captain himself.
Marissa Mayer is 100%, completely successful and wealthy. She got a $186 million bailout for her retirement package when Verizon mercifully ended Yahoo's existence through an acquisition. You would think that with a new child and enough money to last her EASILY till her death she would retire forever and spend the time with her family, eating caviar all along the way.
Nope.
She has been successfully brainwashed to value work, labor, toil, and her career more than her own life and her own child. She can't want to get back to working as a CEO. Admittedly, she isn't an entrepreneur, but for those of you who are going to go the "loyal corporate man" route, hoping to amass your fuck you fund through a hard-working corporate career, remember you inevitably have to LEAVE THE CAREER. If (for whatever insane reason) I wanted to invite Ms. Mayer out on a month long Cappy-Motorcycle-Extravaganza, she easily has the money and stamina, but she simply does not have the time. She's too busy with her career to go an actually enjoy life, let alone raise her own child.
Then there is my colleague who runs a real company.
This company is real in that it has employees, payroll, divisions, assets, depreciation schedules, marketing departments and legal departments. It is a complex, complicated machine, that when ran correctly, results in handsome profits for my friend.
The problem is, though self-employed, my buddy has no free time whatsoever.
In the company having so many moving parts it is as complicated, and thus prone to breaking down, as a Tiger Tank. If it's not accounts payable, it's accounts receivable. If it's not insurance, its regulation. If it's not an employee, it's a piece of machinery. And if it's not a break in the supply chain, it's a legal issue. My friend does not manage the company as much as he does put out fires and deal with problems. It's not only mentally taxing, but he has no free time, nor energy to go out and participate in said theoretical "Cappy Cap's American West Motorcycle Hiking Adventuring Extravaganza."
Then there's the ole Captain himself.
My business model is very simple - a man and his laptop.
I have no employees.
I have no accounts receivable.
I have no divisions or legal departments.
I just have products I sell and consulting I offer, and an Amazon Affiliate program if you care to make some purchases.
My entrepreneurial venture is not only as simple as a P-51 Mustang, it's mobile, versatile, and allows me to work from anywhere. And while admittedly a fair amount of this was not by design, but unintentional, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate or realize the incredible benefits of its simplicity.
So yes, I do not make the millions my friend does.
And yes, I do not have the millions Marissa Mayer does.
But bar an unexpectedly short life expectancy, I am going to live the same 79 years they are going to, but with a fraction of my life wasted at work.
And this is the key point of looking beyond wealth.
Once you have food, clothing, and shelter covered, the primary focus of your life should be freedom. Specifically, maximizing the amount of free time you have to yourself, allowing you to live the maximum amount of your time on this planet the way you want.
You should not be a mentally deranged Marissa Mayer, Hillary Clinton, or Cheryl Sandberg dedicating your life to an office, a commute, a position, an MBA, or work.
You should not be my friend, held hostage by an overly complicated entrepreneurial venture.
You should be a minimalist, with a simple, though reliable source of income that can be done from anywhere, permitting you the freedom and budget to pull off "The Impossible Trifecta." And your biggest problem should be finding people you can enjoy in life, who you'd like to come tag along in your own adventures in life.
The key is when choosing an entrepreneurial venture is to ensure it pays enough, but is also versatile enough that it allows you to enjoy life "beyond wealth." Because whether you have $1 million or $10 billion, it won't matter if you're stuck in an office and can't join "Cappy's Drunk Rowdy Motorcycling Hiking Brigade Vegas Extravaganza 2018," make paper airplanes with your kid, or bang your hot wife while watching Spaghetti Westerns.
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Aaron Clarey is an economist and author. You should buy his books. You should also consult him if you have any questions. And you should tune into his podcast to hear him rant and rave.
Sunday, October 01, 2017
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