Financial Problems

February 6, 2016

Bad Choices = Bad Behavior

ChoicesA couple of years ago, a bankruptcy lawyer I know called to schedule an appointment with me. For the purpose of this article, I’m going to call him “John.”

October 10, 2015

Debit Card Nightmare

Debit Card NightmareBoo! Since Halloween is right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to discuss a scary situation we’re all facing.

April 18, 2015

Guidelines For A Disgraced Congressman

Ben Franklin - 13 Virtues to Moral PerfectionIf you pay attention to the news, you know about the recent resignation of our local U.S. Congressman, Aaron Schock. Schock is currently under investigation for violating federal law while he was in office. Some of the violations include using campaign funds for his own personal benefit, overcharging the government for mileage expenses, and flying around in private jets that were owned by individuals or companies who donated money to his campaign.

March 14, 2015

A Banker Responds to My Novena

BankDuring the first three years of my law practice (1983 to 1986), I rented an office from some other attorneys. In addition to the use of an office, I was allowed to use the other attorneys’ receptionist to answer a separate telephone line that I had set up in the reception area. My agreement also included an arrangement in which I was able to use one of the secretaries to prepare legal documents. She kept track of the time she spent doing my work, and I paid an agreed-upon hourly rate to the attorneys for her services.

September 27, 2014

Is Your Life Out of Control?

outofcontrolAccording to Dorothea Brande, author of the book, Wake Up and Live, the most important success secret she has ever discovered is to “[A]ct as if it were impossible to fail, and it shall be.”  From a business perspective, I can tell you that in my 31 years of practicing law and working with numerous business owners, Brande’s “secret” really is one of the true principles of success in the business world.

August 23, 2014

A Different Perspective on the Robin Williams Suicide

Robin WilliamsAfter the recent suicide of the famous American actor and comedian Robin Williams, various reasons were given to explain why he killed himself. Some of the reasons included the fact that he had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, suffered from severe depression, and was having money problems. For whatever reason, at the age of 63, Williams ended his life after determining that he was better off dead than alive.

August 2, 2014

Creative Destruction

Creative DestructionOne of the things I wanted to cover in my series of articles concerning Jeff Bezos and Amazon.com is the process of creative destruction.  Have you ever heard of “creative destruction”?  It’s a term that was originally used by an Austrian economist, Joseph Schumpeter (1883–1950).  Schumpeter described creative destruction as an essential process that takes place in a free-market economy, wiping out entire industries after new technologies are discovered and put into place.

July 26, 2014

Aggressive Behavior, Anger, and Trust

AngerOne evening during the summer of 2005, I called one of my clients and asked him if he would come over to my house to fix a problem with my plumbing.  His name was Jim, and at that time he was in his mid-50s.  We had done business with each other since the early 1990s.  I was originally introduced to Jim by another client who owned several rental properties and had hired Jim to work on his properties.

May 31, 2014

The Life of an Entrepreneur

EntrepreneurIf you’re like me, you probably never heard of Saint Bernardino of Siena (1380–1444).  I learned about him a couple of weeks ago when I read a summary of his life.  His feast day is on May 20, the same day as my birthday.  This year, when I turned 57, I decided that it was time for me to learn about the saint who is honored by the Catholic Church every year on my birthday.

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