The Monday Read

Extremely Busy Edition

Really busy this month for some reason. It’s like the stars aligned in order to line up tasks I need to complete.

Not complaining, mind you, most of it is interesting or necessary, and much of it is self-inflicted!

Email newsletter

I subscribe to a lot of email newsletters, but James Clear’s 3-2-1 is one of the best. It’s never too long and there is usually something useful in there for me. Recommended!

The Forum

The Forum is doing well (18,727 posts to date). Here are the latest active threads:

This week’s books

I read two books this week, and bought five. Clearly this is not ideal.

I enjoyed Finding Ultra, by Rich Roll. It’s not quite as good as the best in class books I mentioned last week, but I would give it a solid B. I didn’t find his backstory or adventures as interesting as his training methods and diet.

Prarie Fire, by Clay Martin, on the other hand, was dreadful. Crass, smug, and most of all mean-spirited. Very much the Rapture for gun/survivalist nuts. I only forced myself to read it to the end to try to understand the mindset a bit more, as I know people in Japan that talk and think like this.

Luckily I was able to return it for a refund so my money isn’t going to fund this guy or his friends.

This week’s links

1. Interesting video about public transport (etc.) in Japan: Why Tokyo is insanely well-designed
2. My own policy is ‘never’. Takes a lot of the worry out of the process! When Should You Sell a Stock That’s Down?
3. This was a fun video: Why Japanese Chef’s Knives Are So Expensive
4. More good news for Japanese holding companies? Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway may be buying Japanese stocks again, based on its latest bond issue
5. Even more optimism: The outlook for Japanese equities
6. My wife’s school will also be raising prices by around 15% this year: As costs soar, some Japanese companies do the unthinkable: raise prices
7. This video less optimistic: ‘Japanification’: As U.S. Inflation Surges, Here’s Why Japan’s Prices Have Held Steady
8. I am cautiously optimistic about Covid this year: Coronavirus: Game Over
9. Another look at this, from a UK perspective this time: Asset allocation quilt – the winners and losers of the last 10 years
10. Hadn’t thought about this in this way, but it rings very true: Everything must be paid for twice
11. Very clear video about why/how to invest in passive index funds: Why the 3 fund portfolio is king
12. I really like the driving on ice analogy: A day to remember
13. This is a great little short story: Sort by controversial
14. Pretty soon: How often should you expect a stock market correction?
15. I plan to give cash gifts to family and good causes regularly: Want to shelter as much of your money from inheritance tax as possible?
16. I wouldn’t mind seeing this scrapped: Japan’s mortgage tax relief system ‘unfair,’ leaves low-income earners ineligible
17. Really interesting data: Historical Returns For Stocks, Bonds & Cash Back to 1928

What do you think? Anything good in there?

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