The blogosphere is filled with early retirement (ER) advocates. They are great! I am totally on board with working towards financial independence (FI) and early retirement. I do not, however, support the idea that you should cut your lifestyle to the bone and save every spare penny so that you can sit around and drink […]
Do you want to meet interesting people? And expand your circle of acquaintances? And leverage your hoard for personal and professional success? Then philanthropic networking is for you. Not all Networking is created equal Networking can be intimidating. And it can feel forced. Which is why being invited to hang out with people who share […]
It’s 5am on a Sunday in October, it’s 35F, and I am handing out beer to sweaty athletes in an alcohol branded t-shirt that I have put on over my down jacket. I am volunteering! But who on earth am I volunteering for? To this day, four years later, I have no idea. Backing up […]
Do you know how much money you save through your mortgage interest tax deduction? No? Neither do most Americans. Most of us consider it to be a big deal because we are told by our realtors and mortgage brokers and financial advisors that it is. Unfortunately, none of those groups are doing your taxes for […]
We live in an amazing country, in an amazing time. We are also bombarded by choices every moment of every day. So much so that entire movements have sprung up in praise of simplicity. The Minimalists, the Life Hackers, the Marie Kondo Magic of Tidying Up sock organizers, etc. are all focused on removing distractions […]
Many people, my acquaintances included, believe that a nonprofit can be judged outright as good or bad based on one metric. One metric! Think about that for a minute. What if your worth as a person was defined by your debt to income ratio? What if Dragon Corp was valued on the NYSE based solely […]
Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, has an interesting interview in The Atlantic today. Hoffman is a fan of what’s known as Capitalist Philanthropy. To some, it’s a term of derision. But what does the Dragon think? I think Hoffman makes some solid points. Today’s interview is in response to another article which questioned the outsized […]
Altruism. We all know what it means. Or at least, we think we do. But this word carries far more weight in philosophical circles than it does in our everyday lives. The extent to which you rely on the literal definition of the word impacts whether you believe that altruism is inherently positive or negative. […]
A quick google search will turn up article after article listing the positive effects of altruism on mental and physical health. The top cited effects are: Lower stress levels / reduced cortisol Greater self esteem Less depression Lower blood pressure Longer life Greater happiness Boom! Who doesn’t want more of those effects in their life? […]
It’s a divided world. Finding common ground is a tough ask in the current political environment. But it is possible, and a little time spent investigating why you believe what YOU believe and why others believe what THEY believe can help you identify your priorities and have productive conversations with your loved ones. Giving is […]
The Altruistic Dragon 