Brexit’s Aftermath: Referendum Contagion? It’s bigger than Trump. That’s the instant, inescapable, and more than a little harrowing takeaway from Britain’s vote Thursday to leave the European Union (“Brexit”). What’s less clear: 1) how far will the pendulum swing towards protectionism?; 2) who will be the leaders of this nascent movement?; and 3) whose agenda(s)...Read More
Better to Be a “Joly” Than an “Immelt” “Choose your parents wisely.” –wisecrack “Nothing grows in the shadow of an oak.” –old saying Current General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt may be a terrific businessman in his own right. But, his now decade-plus tenure as GE chief will always be compared — negatively — to that...Read More
“Nice . . . uh, Gig?!?” In 1998, I was gleaning the want ads and found a position for a Private Chef for a family…. I am presently one of 9 employees who work at their house. The place is huge and it is just the 2 of them. I cook dinner only 6 days...Read More
Schwarzman’s “Nazi’s” Comparison We have met the enemy, and he is . . . us. –Pogo Stephen Schwarzman, a Wall Street honcho, made headlines last month for comparing President Obama’s proposal to raise (the absurdly low) tax rates on hedge fund compensation — called “carried interest” — to Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Funny, I had...Read More
The Quick & Simple Way to Fix Wall Street[Editor’s Note: in a post last week, “Financier, Heal Thyself? Don’t Count On It,” I promised a part 2. This is it. Heads up: if you read this blog purely for real estate content, or want a post with a little levity — skip this one.] Want...Read More
Lincoln et al on Wall Street “Often limb must be amputated to save a life; but life is never given to save a limb.” –Abraham Lincoln In sustaining Wall Street while adulterating everything else about America, are we violating Lincoln’s dictum? What we should be doing now is isolating, minimizing, and ultimately replacing Wall Street...Read More
