I remember times in grammar school when we discussed time capsules. I remember thinking the idea of putting aside contemporary “artifacts” was clever, but I never became excited about them. I wish I could remember the years we engaged in the exercise of choosing the items; Maybe I was in the fifth grade (1989). I …
I have been making efforts to periodically, throughout the week, choose an occasion to listen to a webcast on a topic different from my day to day business. This week, Penn State’s Smeal College of Business’ Institute for Real Estate Studies hosted a panel discussion on capital markets in the real estate business with some …
I have been wondering over the past months about the extent to which this time in history might plant seeds of interest for our children, and how those seeds might sprout. Will the ongoing discussions about the nature of the coronavirus and possible mutations lead children to become more curious about biology? Will public health …
Last year I noticed an article on @WSJ about a possible change to the treatment of rebates from drug manufacturers attributable to government accounts of pharmacy benefit managers (PBM). I posted about it on Twitter when I saw it, as I have been interested in the apparent influence of this source of revenue within the …
May 23, 2020 was my 42nd birthday. As far as birthdays go, it was rather nice. The weather was pleasant in State College, and I enjoyed a nice Peloton ride after helping Becca with some gardening. In the morning, I read Michael Lewis’ Coach. Later in the early evening, I watched an NYU Faculty Insights …
It is 5:43pm on Saturday, May 16, 2020. COVID-19 continues to be the topic du jour. My personal objectives today included eating breakfast, power-washing our deck, helping Holger with elementary reading, and attempting to develop some insights on the structure of the pharmaceutical industry. Introductory and meandering thoughts I have been working in the insurance …
It has been a pleasant Mothers’ Day, Covid-19 notwithstanding. Saturday’s weather arrived as a rude and unwelcome winter guest, unconcerned with whether we were prepared for his visit. Sunday greeted us with his prompt departure. Spring has returned. We celebrated as a family with games of fetch and soccer at the field near our home. …
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.” Groucho Marx I wonder if there is a more applicable case of Marx’s quote in 2020 than the topic of corporate stock buybacks within the US political echo-chamber. Here is an interesting article from 2019 on …
While experiencing happiness, we have difficulty in being conscious of it. Only when the happiness is past and we look back on it do we suddenly realize – sometimes with astonishment – how happy we had been. Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis Our family traveled to Crete last year for a vacation. We visited …
Craig has always been a force of nature; I learned so much from him. Craig was the president of Hartman Employee Benefits (HEB) when I joined the firm and I was fortunate to work closely with him. He taught me a lot about business, including the importance of leadership, salesmanship, and, most of all, relationships. …