Friday, December 04, 2020

The end of all this

Yesterday I looked down at a stack of books on my floor and my eye latched on to Angus Maddison's The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective, one of the books I finally started early in lockdown, but into which I have made little headway. It occurred to me that if I don't press further into it now, before a vaccine arrives, I may never do so. Not that I am under any illusion as to the speed with which I will get a vaccine. It won't be very soon, nor should it be. But still.

That is one book I think I should make a special effort to press forward with. The guy has a pretty astoundingly unique perspective on history, pretty much the longest view possible.

In that I guess it's fair to say that Maddison serves in many ways as a model for my practice, where my goal is to lengthen and broaden people's financial horizons. To the extent that I can get people to do that and to take the most important steps for themselves and their overall, long-term happiness, the day-to-day vacillations of the stock market become almost meaningless. Moreover, when people are really focused on the things that are really important to them, they tend to fritter away less money on little bullshit.

OK. Now it sounds like I'm writing marketing materials. I should just read the damn book. And today, I should turn my attention to my task list cuz I gotta meet Z on the court at 3. 

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