Words On Wednesday

I expected February's Thirsty Thursday Eve to be another cocktail, probably a Cuba Libre. However, much like getting laid off from work, sometimes unexpected things happen. Beer Cart was a Lima staple. When we were in office, it was the highlight of the week. After we went remote, I still went in occasionally on Thursdays when it lined up with manager training or an important meeting with the IT department. Over the past few months, I started trying to go into the office at least once per week for visibility and collaboration. If it wasn't on Coffee Monday, it was typically Beer Cart Thursday. As I left the office on Thursday, January 8, I had no clue it would be my last Beer Cart. Earlier that afternoon, I sent a picture of the beer fridge to some friends to gauge what I should get. I wanted a Ranch Water, but the officially branded ones weren't available. Instead, the Senior Director of Operations and official beer stocker recommended the High Noon Tequila Seltzer. Good ...

For a long time, my only investing was through regular 401K contributions through payroll deductions. Recently, I made a brokerage account through Wells Fargo and I've started to dabble in stocks. First of all, let me point out that I am not a financial advisor. I am not equipped to give financial advice. You're welcome to follow my methods, but I cannot guarantee profit or financial success. This is simply what I've chosen to do with some discretionary funds. I've always treated the stock market as something like legal gambling. Yes, I realize that the market tends to increase over time, and that investing your money properly will make it grow while leaving it as cash in checking and savings account will lose value due to inflation. The problem is I don't know how to properly invest. My 401K seemed like a safe bet, and a reasonable way to prepare for retirement. I contribute some from my paycheck before I ever see it, and my employer matches that. It's a great ...

As I was considering what book to cover for February's Book Report , I received the news that my position was being dissolved and I was being terminated from the company. It felt fitting, then, to read the book written by the co-founders of Lima One Capital. I'll wax poetic about my time at Lima later, but reading 'Lead Like a Marine' was a cathartic exploration into that shared experience. I never met John (Warren) in person, but I met Top (Thompson) several times and worked closely with several of the first few employees mentioned in the book. Chris Wilhoit participated in my team's daily standup for months. This book wasn't just recounting the history of some people at some random company; it was my job for several years, with people that I knew personally. The general pattern of the book is a military anecdote from John and Top (typically from Ramadi, Iraq), followed by the principles they learned from that experience, and then how they applied that to their...