Posts by Early to Rise
Is Your Ego Blocking Your Success?
“Egotist, n. A person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me.” – Ambrose Bierce (“The Devil’s Dictionary”) How big is your ego? Is it big enough to propel you forward? To help you achieve your goals? Or is it so big that it’s getting in your way? In an article in…
Read MoreHow to Pick a Financial Adviser You Can Trust
“The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action.” – Frank Herbert Not all financial planners are bad. But many are bad for your wealth. Financial planners can screw things up for many reasons: Conflicted interest and just plain dumbness are the two…
Read MoreHow to Judge a Learning Program
How many piano/guitar/you-name-the-instrument courses have a 90% success rate? Answer: none. How many language programs? Same answer. How many colleges or graduate schools or technical schools end up seeing 90% of their students graduate and then use the knowledge the attained in their careers? Again, the answer is zero … or close to zero. You…
Read MoreThe Richest Man in Babylon, Part 1
Babylon was reputed to be the wealthiest city of the ancient world. Not just in terms of its ruling class, but also among a large population of merchants and professionals and farmers who lived in beautiful homes, enjoyed produce from their own gardens, and were able to comfortably retire well before they were too old…
Read MoreHow I Plan to Beat the Stock Market Safely
“No one tests the depth of a river with both feet.” – Ashanti proverb I’ve been talking to people I trust and have recommended to you — and they’ve convinced me that right now there are still two good options for conservative investors like me. First, I am going to invest about 20% of…
Read MoreHow to Quintuple Response Rates with the Reciprocity Rule
“The soil in return for her service / keeps the tree tied to her, / the sky asks nothing and leaves it free.” – Rabindranath Tagore (“Fireflies,” 1928) In “The Psychology of Persuasion”, Robert Cialdini tells the story of a university professor who was interested in how deeply people feel about reciprocity — how strongly…
Read MoreWhen It Comes to Productivity: The Old Tricks are Best
“So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.” – Peter Drucker Here is the most important thing I know about management: There is no one right way to run a business. I’ve seen successful businesses built and run by all sorts of people practicing all varieties…
Read MoreAll Ya Need to Know About Table Manners in France
“Good manners consist of doing precisely what everyone thinks should be done, especially when no one knows quite what that is.” – P.J. O’Rourke (“Modern Manners,” 1988) Let’s start with bread — that wonderful French contribution to good eating. If you have a bread plate, your bread goes there. If you don’t have one…
Read MoreTwo Facts About Advertising and One Truth About Copywriters
“I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn’t like it.” – Samuel Goldwyn You relied on a one-trick pony, a copywriter who has had great success with a particular type of promotion — so much success that he insists on rewriting it for every one of his clients. But your business is…
Read MoreFive Good Reasons to Own a “Vacation” Home
“Home is where the heart is and hence a movable feast.” – Angela Carter There are at least five good reasons to buy a second home: 1. It can become your future retirement home. Buy it now and have it paid off in today’s cheap dollars. Years from now, when your friends and neighbors…
Read MoreHow to Become a Creative Genius Using Your Right Brain
“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” – Albert Einstein You should develop your creativity not because it will make you rich or famous but because it can extend and enrich your career. You don’t need a creative mind to achieve something important. Plenty of very successful people — businesspeople,…
Read MoreFinancial Independence: What Is It? Why Should You Want It?
“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt Twice a year, on January 1 and July 1, I review and revise my goals. When I think about ETR — an important…
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