Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
Chinese Secrets of Great Service
“Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement.” – James Cash Penney Ever since my first trip to Hong Kong in the early 1980s, I’ve been impressed by the level of service you get from travel-related Asian businesses. Even the best service you receive in the States – first-class accommodations on the best U.S.…
Read MoreNotes From Asia: How to Stock a Hotel Room
At the Shangri-La Hotel in Xian, we’ve been upgraded – I’m not sure why – to an executive suite. (This is the second time we’ve been upgraded to a suite. What gives?) Our living room is big enough to hold a table and chairs, a seating area, and a desk. Off the large bedroom is…
Read MoreNotes From Michael Masterson’s Journal: “I’m on my way to China!”
I’m on my way to China for two weeks – and, based on past experience with trips like this, I know I’m going to have even more trouble than usual getting enough sleep. I’ve always needed at least seven hours of sleep to feel good the next day. And yet I’ve felt guilty about sleeping…
Read MoreThe Problem With Great Expectations
“There is hardly any activity, any enterprise, which is started out with such tremendous hopes and expectations, and yet which fails so regularly, as love.” – Erich Fromm I once pitched a real estate deal to a small group of affluent investors. I was (very loosely) projecting annual profits in the 25 to 35 percent…
Read MoreHow to Charm Anyone
“You know what charm is: a way of getting the answer ‘yes’ without having asked any clear question.” – Albert Camus Brian Tracy knows something about charm. Last year – in his first appearance as one of the speakers at our annual wealth-building conference – he charmed his audience with a friendly, low-key talk about…
Read MoreLet’s Look at the Real Estate Bubble This Way
Bill Bonner, the greatest writer I know personally, had this to say recently about the real estate market: “America’s real estate bubble has created a whole nation of geniuses … people who think they are smart because their houses have gone up in price. And the smartest of them weren’t content to merely watch prices…
Read MoreThe Government Wants You to Help Pay for My Retirement
“Social Security is a government program with a constituency made up of the old, the near old, and those who hope or fear to grow old. After 215 years of trying, we have finally discovered a special interest that includes 100 percent of the population. Now we can vote ourselves rich.” – P.J. O’Rourke “U.S.…
Read MoreWhat Can You Do About Gasoline Prices?
Gasoline prices in America are higher than they’ve ever been. According to some observers, the situation is bordering on a national crisis. The question is: What can you do about it? When confronted by challenges like these, we have two possible ways of responding. We can try to solve the problem on a global scale…
Read MorePractice Makes Perfect
Renato, one of my Jiu Jitsu instructors, has convinced me to get back into grappling in a kimono. “It will be hard at first,” he told me. “But after a few months, when you go back to fighting without the gi, your game will be better.” I know he’s right. But when he worked with…
Read MoreHow to Pick a Career Path
If you don’t know what you want to do, then you are going to experience a certain amount of psychological discomfort with any job you have. The problem isn’t the job, it’s your lack of direction. My advice: Keep working and saving while you are developing an ambition. How do you develop an ambition if…
Read MoreHow to Budget the Right (and Wrong) Way
Budget the right way by discovering what kind of budgeter you are (there are three kinds), and why you need 5 accounts to delegate funds correctly.
Read MoreThe Best Exercise Routine Ever, Part 2
On Monday, I told you why you should eliminate (or at least drastically reduce) jogging and weightlifting from your exercise routine. I explained that for years I was a die-hard runner and weightlifter, but I found it put an unnatural strain on my joints and tendons. By the time I was 40, I had all…
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