Published inSimple, Not Easy·Nov 5, 2020Member-onlyFinancial Lessons from the PandemicSometimes it takes a global pandemic to confirm the precariousness of your financial position. According to the World Economic Forum, COVID has caused an economic shock three times worse than the 2008 financial crisis. Even if a vaccine was discovered tomorrow, it will likely take months, if not years, to…Personal Finance2 min readPersonal Finance2 min read
Published inSimple, Not Easy·Sep 27, 2020From Medium to SubstackDear followers, First, I want to thank you all for following me on Medium. This “blog” has allowed me to express my, sometimes, contrarian thoughts on work, personal finances, and entrepreneurship. Moving forward, I will be writing weekly on Substack. This is because sometimes I want to write shorter posts…Minimalism1 min readMinimalism1 min read
Published inSimple, Not Easy·Aug 21, 2020Member-onlyLast Mover AdvantageStarting a new law firm is exciting. An obvious perk is freedom from the 9 to 5 but the real benefit is the opportunity to build something out of nothing. To create a service that people want but don’t yet have. Antiquated notions are laying siege on the legal profession’s…Entrepreneurship3 min readEntrepreneurship3 min read
Jun 4, 2020Member-onlyShow Who You AreIt’s insane to me how law firms do little to help clients make an informed decision on who is best to represent them. Let’s start with law firm websites. For one, they all look the same. There’s a summary of the areas they practice, people on the team, and a…Business3 min readBusiness3 min read
Published inSimple, Not Easy·May 26, 2020Member-onlyWhy the New iPhone SE is the Perfect Phone for Those Who Want to Stay Off their PhoneYesterday, I received my new phone — the base model of the iPhone SE 2020. Aside from the reasonable price tag and solid build quality that Apple products are known for, Apple has constructed a smartphone that strikes the right balance between utility and passivity. In other words, it allows…Minimalism3 min readMinimalism3 min read
May 14, 2020Member-onlyHow to Make Accurate PredictionsAnd why experience doesn’t help much. As a litigator, I make intuitive predictions all the time. But does the mere fact that I make them often mean that they’re more accurate than those who make them sporadically? Does experience improve accuracy? Philip Tetlock says no. This may come as a…Life5 min readLife5 min read
Published inSimple, Not Easy·May 7, 2020Member-onlyThe Analog Challenge: A Month Devoted to Deep ThingsWorking from home has its advantages and disadvantages. While we no longer have the dead time associated with commuting to and from work, there is no shortage of endless distractions in our digital and physical environment. This led me to think: am I squandering this “extra” time? While I agree…Minimalism5 min readMinimalism5 min read
Published inSimple, Not Easy·Apr 29, 2020Member-onlyTools That Help Me Work From HomeWorking from home has been a difficult adjustment. Unlike so many others, I actually prefer to work in an office as opposed to from home because it provides a defined physical boundary that separates when I practice law and when I don’t. When I worked in a law firm, I…Productivity6 min readProductivity6 min read
Published inSimple, Not Easy·Apr 28, 2020Member-onlyThe Ugly Truth of How Biases Impact Our Decision MakingAn exploration into how anchoring bias impact our judgment. Anchoring As he explains in his Nobel Prize-winning book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” Daniel Kahneman vehemently disagreed with Amos Tversky, his longtime research partner, as to how and where anchoring impacted judgment. While Kahneman argued that anchors primed us through association, a…Life5 min readLife5 min read
Published inSimple, Not Easy·Apr 25, 2020Member-onlyThe Forgotten History of Conspicuous ConsumptionGiven that many of us have had to limit our superfluous spending as a consequence of the pandemic, I thought it would be interesting to learn about the history of conspicuous consumption. My assumption was that the concept of “conspicuous consumption” was a modern invention, perhaps emerging from the mid-20th…Life5 min readLife5 min read
