Patrick Brennan

Comments:

• I took the shingles vaccine, two years ago, and felt sick after both shots. Ibuprofen was very helpful. I took the Covid jab last Saturday and all I got was a sore arm. Flu coming soon.

  Post: Jabs Anyone?

  Link to comment from September 21, 2024

• Rick, your contributions to AARP's tax program is most notable. I learn a great deal from your articles about that work. How many people finished their return with you and went home feeling much better? I'll bet more than you can count.

  Post: Never Quite Enough

  Link to comment from September 21, 2024

• For the most part, throughout my childhood, college years, and then into adulthood with a nice, living wage career, I always spent virtually all my money and never accumulated any appreciable savings until I was 25 YOA. My parents always lived within their modest means, but had fun, and I spent my means. And then, for some reason, my income began to exceed my lifestyle and I began a lifetime of saving. Much like my Dad, I think I reached a threshold of contentment, and kept saving the rest. As my income went up over time, I would save more and more while modestly increasing my standard of living. Now, I must fight the thrifty gene, and it's a nasty one. :)

  Post: We can’t control what others do and we can’t stop misfortune from striking. But we can control our own actions. Those who are financially prudent will most likely enjoy success, even if events don’t always go their way.

  Link to comment from September 14, 2024

• Angels Landing in Zion NP is really quite a site. In early June, on a clear day, I drove into Yellowstone NP from the east on Hwy 14. Once in the park there is a scenic overlook, Lake Butte Overlook, that provides a panoramic view of Lake Yellowstone, and to the southwest, the Grand Tetons. It's just a spectacular place, so if you drive into the park from Cody, or exit on Hwy 14, you gotta stop there.

  Post: First Place by Jonathan Clements

  Link to comment from September 8, 2024

• Jan 1, 2020, the WSJ had an article about how to create a new habit and make it stick. You start with a trigger, then do the act. Start modestly and then add to whatever it is. Well, needing to get more fit, my trigger is to turn the coffee pot on when I roll out of bed. Then, I go to an empty bedroom and do 20 pushups and plank for 1 minute. By the time I'm dressed the coffee is ready and I have a small fitness victory for the day.

  Post: The Habits of Old Men by Andrew Forsythe

  Link to comment from September 8, 2024

• These are very, very difficult decisions. Perhaps one way to approach the decision would be to ask what courses of action might lead to regret later?

  Post: Final Decision

  Link to comment from September 1, 2024

• With regards to # 7, the book Leadership BS, by Jeffrey Pfeffer, a Stanford Bus School professor specializing in organizational behavior, specifically power in organizations, is a great read on the topic of toxic leadership. Bottom line, workers must look out for themselves, be skeptical of their leaders, and never expect loyalty to be reciprocated. The book is a must read for anyone heading into the corporate working world.

  Post: What We Believed

  Link to comment from August 31, 2024

• Great article. A while back, I became fascinated with a bio-tech firm that seemed to have a magic treatment to rejuvenate skin after burns. This technology exists, Avita Medical is an example, but this company I was following was a fraud in plain site. That's what made it so fascinating. It looked like a real company, had a distinguished business professor on it's board, had a compelling founder's story, they got their product ready, hired sales people, but....they tried to skirt some FDA approvals saying their product didn't need them for their indication. On one particular conference call, after a few hard analyst questions, the CEO yelled at the shorts, threatened them and the naysayer bloggists, and basically lost it. Needless to say, they went bankrupt and all the way down there were sell side analysts hyping the stock. It was an incredible thing to watch implode over a period of years. I can only imagine all the money that was lost, meanwhile management did quite well--that's where all the cash went, to compensation.

  Post: Avoiding Bad Guys

  Link to comment from August 24, 2024

• I couldn't agree more with your thoughts about consuming the news and intentional reading. I'm going to redouble my efforts to consume less news and fill my time with more productive activities.

  Post: Still Learning

  Link to comment from August 24, 2024

• Very good question.

  Post: Unasked Questions

  Link to comment from August 3, 2024