A trillion, at least in the US is 1,000,000,000,000. (Interestingly, in the UK up until 1974 it was bigger, one million times bigger.) If you had time to pile up a trillion dollars in $100 bills you’d need a big ladder, a head for heights, and a steady hand. It would be 631 miles high. A trillion seconds is the equivalent of 31,688 years. If you spent $1m a day, it would take 2740 years … Continued
I recently came across ‘pareidolia’, a word I hadn’t encountered before. Pareidolia is defined as the human tendency to perceive meaningful images—often faces—in random or ambiguous visual patterns, like seeing animals in clouds or what looks like Uncle Jeremy’s face in a toasted teacake. Our brains search for order and patterns almost as much as kids seek out tomato ketchup. We add significance to shapes that appear in a few random dots, coincidences, or a vaguely familiar story that obviously must “mean … Continued
We all know people who have suffered grief and loss. It sometimes seems it only happens to other people, until it happens to us. Despite its importance, few topics are as easy to put off as writing a Will. Many people assume it can wait. “Yes, yes, we’ll sort it all out — when we … Continued
Let’s be honest – many, if not most of us, are pretty uncomfortable, even reticent, to think about the future. It’s not that we are lazy or disinterested, but mental gymnastics with figures, especially if it involves spreadsheets, is not something that floats our boats. Okay, maybe that’s just me but I suspect there are … Continued
There are two doors. Inside door one is someone with an eight-figure bank account, an exotic car collection, keys to a beach house, and no financial problems ever again. The other opens up to an individual with Marvel superhero build, with a perfectly functioning body, zero chronic pain, glowing skin, thick lustrous hair, and energy … Continued
In the fast-paced world of modern business, “efficiency” is the holy grail. But, as Indiana Jones found out, it’s almost impossible to get hold of, and there are more important things after all…people. Businesses and individuals are pushed to the limit with AI streamlining operations, automating tasks, striving to boost productivity and profit margins. But, … Continued
Chancellor of the Exchequer, the only job in parliament that lets you drink alcohol at work, but only during the Budget speech… allegedly. Chancellor, the title alone sounds, “Old School”. You would expect every statement to be written at a desk fashioned from oak recovered from the HMS Victory, written on vellum with a large … Continued
When I was very young, I thought the Everest of technology was a “Slinky” the magical spring that could go downstairs. Roll forward a few years and it was the Sinclair ZX home computer (manufactured in Dundee by Timex). Now, we have Alexa running the home, the fridge ordering groceries, and mobile phones that can … Continued
Aviva and Age UK’s ‘Retirement Reality: Managing money in mid-retirement’ report highlighted a few worrying retirement statistics. Aviva and Age UK surveyed 1,000 mid-retirees (aged 65-75) who have a private pension and are on a moderate retirement income or have a final salary pension over £20,000 per year. Here are a few of the report’s … Continued
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one” – Albert Einstein . I’m sure there are many of us that remember the following mind-bending quote. “There are known knowns. These are things we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things we know we don’t know. But there … Continued
