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The last 20 years have seen over a billion people lift themselves out of poverty. Employment rates have risen creating the opportunity for people to enjoy better homes, food, education, health, and career prospects. This normally generates high levels of trust in our institutions, governments, business, and indeed capitalism itself. However, research suggests the very opposite is happening, in the developed world, and  especially in the UK. Uncertainty over the … Continued

Who Knew 28th October Was National Chocolate Day?   At least in the US it was. However, it seems that it’s not all sweetness and light in the milky smooth world of chocolate. People are boycotting some chocolate brands, but not for health reasons. It stems more from moral outrage at the practices hidden beneath that seductive dark brown coating. I was reading a piece from Virtual Capitalist about the journey our favourite chocolate makes from … Continued

We have two coffee drinkers in the office. Tim, and myself. Simon is a tea drinker. Our coffee selection reflects our individual tastes with coffee from every corner of the known world including Brazil, India, Columbia, Kenya, Guatemala, and more. (For the record, Simon’s happy with English Breakfast Tea.)  There’s the old joke of what does Brazil produce more of than any other … Continued

“The best way to teach your kids about taxes is by eating 30% of their ice cream.” – Bill Murray.  Many years ago, we were planning our first foreign family holiday to Florida, so the kids were talking through where we should go, and what we should see. No prizes for guessing that Disneyland was top of their list followed by every other theme park you could think of.  … Continued

“Learning to choose is hard. Learning to choose well is harder. And learning to choose well in a world of unlimited possibilities is harder still, perhaps too hard.” – Barry Schwartz.  I don’t know about you but I find shopping easy, but not simple. I start with a shopping list. I go to the supermarket, get … Continued

“It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” – Howard Huff  It’s easy to plan around certainty. Unfortunately, life has a quirky sense of humour and likes to keep us guessing. Who amongst us woke up on the first of January and wrote off 2020 due to the global pandemic, economic meltdown, travel bans and decided not to book their summer holidays until 2021… or 2022? Imagine knowing when … Continued

Back in the days when alchemists roamed the earth, their ultimate challenge  was  transforming lead into gold. Looking at the chart below, that would have been the equivalent of filing down the corners of a fifty pence piece to make ten pence pieces. Lead has been a far more valuable investment than gold on many occasions.   … Continued

“The truth is revealed by removing things that stand in its light, an art not unlike sculpture, in which the artist creates not by building, but by hacking away.” – Alan Watts There are two sides to every story with the truth lying somewhere in between. In the red corner we have US Consumer Sentiment, … Continued

“Perfection is unattainable, but if we chase perfection we catch excellence” – Vince Lombardi. Expediency or Excellence? I believe recent events have coerced us into adopting expediency over excellence. While much relates to the current environment, this trend has a long history. Consider music. Is the recording of a live concert better than being there? … Continued

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.”  Amateur, competent, professional. The amateur always props up this list. Unfair. Amateurs bring energy, passion, and conviction into whatever they do. Put your money away, it’s just for fun. It’s the taking part that counts. Kids are great examples. Getting their help with gardening or painting can create mayhem, carnage. Secretly though, parents love to see them get … Continued