So a fellow financial blogger called me out on one of my posts, and said that the contents of it was “… insultingly rudimentary advice …“ or at least the message being put across in the post. Now I feel a little vindicated in that I didn’t write the post, it was one of my rare Guest Posts, however, I do wonder sometimes what other folks think of some of my posts.
Today, it is my Silver Wedding Anniversary, and somehow Mrs. C8j has managed to not chuck me out on my ear, and for that I am thankful. It’s hard to believe it is 25 years ago that we got married, but given all my wrinkles and grey hair, I suppose it isn’t that far out of the question either. For today’s reader, a rare actual picture of me on the blog! Check down at the bottom (please no style discussions about the glasses and such).
One of the good things about having to clean out my archives has meant I have read over some of the better pieces I have written and one of my favorites was the Worst Financial Advice Given, which I told at a meeting of the N.C.F.B.A. (the National Capital Financial Bloggers Association). This advice led to a dear friend (who died many years ago, another sad part of the story) buying a time share condominium in Orlando, and I stand by my statement that this was the most hideous financial advice I have ever given out (read the story, it is kind of funny, but bitter-sweet for me, since this was a wonderful guy, and I felt I stuck his head in a noose and then kicked the chair out from under him).
One of the things I end up doing a great deal as part of my regular job is looking back on projects and doing a Lessons Learned exercise to see what went right and what went wrong with the project that I might be managing or helping out with, with the hope that we repeat the things we did well and not repeat those things we didn’t do as well (that is the theory of the exercise at least).
My parents have been very helpful in my life, both financially, but also with very wise advice, and with that in mind, I’d like to share you a story my father told me (kind of a parable):
There once was a court jester who enjoyed a good joke, usually at the expense of the King, which got the Jester into deep trouble. …
So one of my sidelights is coaching basketball, and I love going to clinics from coaches who talk about coaching and plays and stuff (I’m an old gym rat at heart). Last Saturday I was lucky enough to hear from Dave Smart who is the head coach at Carleton University (the Ravens have beenCanadian Champions the last 3 years running), and he was fascinating to listen to. Coach Smart admits to being a perfectionist and telling it like it is, and one of the expressions he tells all of his players is “Don’t Pass the ball to the other team“.
A few years ago I car pooled with a wonderful guy we’ll call Jack for this story.
One day after my wife and I came back from a great vacation in Florida, I told Jack about how to get free tickets to Paramount Studios in Orlando, by attending a “Time Share Condominium Sales Pitch”…
Last night the National Capital Financial Bloggers Association met, and we did what we normally do, swap stories and ideas about finances and the like (see the N.C.F.B.A. blog roll in the side bar for the sites authored by this group).
What was the best advice you ever received for free? Let’s not include the important facts of life taught to us by our parents as we grow up, no, let’s concentrate on the advice from others, where they thought they were helping us out? Better still, advice from the media, how did it work out for you?
