Author Archives: Edward Brownlee

1 Simple and Effective Choice

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According to Steve Jobs, ’asking for help’ is one simple and effective choice in life you can make that separates the doers from the dreamers.

Apple’s co-founder and tech genius shared a story that illustrates this ‘1 choice’ which is an uncommon trait found in the most successful people. Here’s an excerpt:

”I called up Bill Hewlett [co-founder of Hewlett-Packard] when I was 12 years old.

‘Hi, I’m Steve Jobs. I’m 12 years old. I’m a student in high school. I want to build a frequency counter, and I was wondering if you have any spare parts I could have.’

He laughed, and he gave me the spare parts, and he gave me a job that summer at Hewlett-Packard … and I was in heaven.”

Further, Jobs added:

“Most people never pick up the phone and call. Most people never ask, and that’s what separates the people who do things from the people who just dream about them.”

In short, a single phone call greatly impacted Job’s trajectory and life. It taught him to be willing to ask for something he wanted.

But, most people don’t ask for what they want or need. Therefore, most of the time, nothing happens and people’s dreams, goals and desires go unrealized.

Sociologist Wayne Baker from the University of Michigan wrote a book called All You Have to Do Is Ask: How to Master the Most Important Skill for Success. In his research, Baker found that the ” — person who helps frequently and also asks for help frequently — is the most well-regarded and also the most productive”.

You must be willing to ask for help, which can be daunting because it requires that you lower your personal protective shield and admit to someone else that you need help.

The refusal to ask for help is a kind of arrogance, a blind insistence on doing it all by yourself no matter what, because along with it comes the message that no one’s help is worth the price in vulnerability it will cost you.

Among people, the refusal to seek help is not rugged individualism; it’s a function of fear. Not that there’s nothing to fear. Asking for help requires not only the admission that you need help, but also the willingness to allow other people some say in your personal affairs, which inevitably triggers the fear of falling into the hands of knuckleheads, petty tyrants and control freaks.

Asking for help is an admission that you’re ready for action and prepared to put your dreams to the test. The trouble with asking for help, in other words, is that you may get it!

But, it’s important to understand that when the most successful people want something, they’re willing to ask for it. If a 12-year-old Steve Jobs could do it, so can you.

  1. https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/steve-jobs-said-1-choice-in-life-separates-doers-from-dreamers.html
  2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/passion/201601/the-power-asking-help

April’s Consumer Price Index and Inflation

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CPI year-over-year inflation 4.9% as the economy showed signs of cooling 

Consumer prices in the U.S. rose 0.4% from March to April, up from 0.1% from February to March. Compared with a year earlier, prices climbed 4.9%, down just slightly from March’s year-over-year increase.

The nation’s inflation rate has steadily cooled since peaking at 9.1% last June but remains far above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target rate.

The Fed is paying particular attention to core prices, which exclude volatile food and energy costs and are regarded as a better gauge of longer-term inflation trends.

The Federal Reserve aggressively raised rates for more than a year to try to tame inflation by slowing economic activity, and indicated last week it might be done lifting them for now.

Core prices rose 0.4% from March to April, the same as from February to March. It was the fifth straight month that core prices have risen by 0.4% or more. Increases at that pace are far above the Fed’s 2% target.

Compared with a year ago, core prices rose 5.5%, just below a yearly increase of 5.6% in March.

Unlike the prices for products, the costs of services — from restaurant meals to auto insurance, dental care to education — are still surging. A major reason is that companies have had to raise pay in those industries to find and retain workers.

Federal Reserve officials say that fast-rising wages, while good for workers take home income, have contributed to higher costs in services industries because labor makes up a significant portion of there costs.

Positive Beliefs About Aging are Good for Memory Recovery

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From WebMD.com

Older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are more likely to recover their function if they feel good about aging, compared to those who have negative emotions about it, a new study from the Yale School of Public Health says.

MCI is a common form of memory loss. Positive beliefs about aging give older people a 30% better chance of recovering normal thinking.

“Researchers also found that these positive beliefs also enabled participants to recover their cognition up to two years earlier than those with negative age beliefs,” Neuroscience News reported. “This cognitive recovery advantage was found regardless of baseline MCI severity.”

More than 1,700 people over age 65 participated in the study, which was published in JAMA Network Open.

“In previous experimental studies with older persons, positive age beliefs reduced stress caused by cognitive challenges, increased self-confidence about cognition, and improved cognitive performance,” study authors wrote. “We therefore hypothesized that older persons with positive age beliefs would be more likely to recover from MCI and would do so sooner compared with individuals with negative age beliefs.”

“Older persons in the positive age-belief group who started the study with normal cognition were less likely to develop MCI over the next 12 years than those in the negative age-belief group, regardless of their baseline age and physical health,” Neuroscience News reported.

“Considering that positive age beliefs can be strengthened, our findings suggest that age-belief interventions at individual and societal levels could increase the number of people who experience cognitive recovery,” the study said.

References:

  1. Jay Croft, “Positive Beliefs About Aging are Good for Memory Recovery”, WebMD.com, April 13, 2023. https://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20230413/positive-beliefs-about-aging-are-good-for-memory-recovery

Reversing Mitochondria Decline Due to Aging

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“Mitochondria are the “energy factory” of our body and produce 90% of the energy our body needs to function.” ~ Cleveland Clinic

Mitochondria are the “energy factory” of our body and are essential organelles that play a crucial role in energy production, cell signaling, and metabolism, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Several thousand mitochondria are in nearly every cell in the body. The trillions of cells that comprise our body tissues run on the energy created by mitochondria. Their job is to process oxygen and convert substances from the foods we eat into energy. Mitochondria produce 90% of the energy our body needs to function. And, healthy cells rely on healthy mitochondria. Their optimal function leads to incredible health benefits, and is particularly essential to heart, kidney, eye, brain and muscle function.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Mitochondrial cytopathies—disorders of the energy-producing organelles of the cells—are an increasingly recognized cause of human illness. They can be caused by inheritable genetic mutations, acquired somatic mutations, exposure to toxins (including some prescription medications), and the aging process itself.

Mitochondrial diseases are chronic (long-term), genetic, often inherited disorders that occur when mitochondria fail to produce enough energy for the body to function properly. (Inherited means the disorder was passed on from parents to children.) Mitochondrial diseases can be present at birth, but can also occur at any age.

Mitochondrial diseases can affect almost any part of the body, including the cells of the brain, nerves, muscles, kidneys, heart, liver, eyes, ears or pancreas.

Mitochondrial dysfunction occurs when the mitochondria don’t work as well as they should due to another disease or condition. Many conditions can lead to secondary mitochondrial dysfunction and affect other diseases, including:

  • Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Muscular dystrophy.
  • Lou Gehrig’s disease.
  • Diabetes.
  • Cancer.

Aging

Mitochondrial decline is a natural part of aging, and it can also contribute to various age-related diseases and conditions. Our mitochondria are constantly renewed to produce energy and fulfill the vast energy demands of muscle and other tissues. As we get older, mitochondrial renewal declines and dysfunctional mitochondria accumulate in the cells, resulting in significant issues. Age-associated mitochondrial decline leads to a progressive decline in our metabolism, our overall energy levels, our resiliency and our muscle function.

Scientists hypothesize that supplements and lifestyle changes can improve mitochondrial health by increasing the availability of proteins needed for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production (AMPK activation, PCG-1a, NAD+, SIRT1/3). Here are some ways to help reverse mitochondrial decline:

1) Exercise regularly: Regular exercise can help stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis, the process by which new mitochondria are formed. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per day. Exercises, including both endurance exercises and resistance/strength training. These are done to increase aerobic fitness, muscle size and strength. Endurance exercises include walking, running, swimming, dancing, cycling and others. Resistance/strength training include exercises such as sit-ups, arm curls, knee extensions, weight lifting and others.

2) Eat a healthy diet: A healthy diet that is rich in whole foods, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats can help support mitochondrial health. Avoid processed foods, refined sugars, and unhealthy fats.

3) Take supplements: Some supplements, such as Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), niacinamide, Pyrroloquinoline quinone, or PQQ, nicotinamide riboside, and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), can help support mitochondrial function and slow down mitochondrial decline. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is the best known supplement used in treating mitochondrial cytopathies. Consult with a healthcare professional before taking any supplements.

CoQ10 is a nutrient produced naturally in your body. A powerful antioxidant, it protects your brain, heart and muscles. “CoQ10 is in virtually all cells in the body,” Dietitian Devon Peart, MHSc, BASc, RD, says. “It’s mostly concentrated in the mitochondria, or the ‘powerhouse’ of the cell. That means it’s involved in energy production and powers biochemical reactions.” In addition, CoQ10 has anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, aging is a factor in your CoQ10 levels. “Like many other things, it’s a natural function of age — your ability to make CoQ10 decreases as you get older,” Peart says, adding your ability to produce CoQ10 peaks in your 20s.

Niacinamide is a vitamin found in foods and supplements. It forms a major component ofvitamin B3. Niacinamide is the precursor to NAD+ and thus, supplementation is claimed to increase levels of this molecule and improve mitochondrial function. Niacinamide may improve mitochondrial quality of cells by causing dysfunctional mitochondria to fragment (autophagy).

4) Practice intermittent fasting: Intermittent fasting is a dietary approach that involves cycling between periods of fasting and eating. This practice has been shown to improve mitochondrial function and increase lifespan in animal studies. Restricting calories and fasting intermittently decreases energy levels in the body. To compensate, levels of NAD+ increase, which increases the ability of the mitochondria to produce ATP. This results in a subsequent rise in ATP levels due to improved mitochondrial function.

5) Manage stress: Chronic stress can contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction, so it’s essential to manage stress through practices like meditation, deep breathing, or yoga.

6) Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep can disrupt mitochondrial function and contribute to mitochondrial decline. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

Remember that mitochondrial decline is a natural part of aging, and it cannot be entirely reversed. However, you can slow down the decline and improve mitochondrial function by making lifestyle changes that support overall health and well-being.

Consult with a healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet or exercise routine.

References:

  1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15612-mitochondrial-diseases
  2. https://foodtrients.com/anti-aging/three-step-strategy-to-reverse-mitochondrial-aging/
  3. https://www.timelinenutrition.com/science
  4. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-coq10/
  5. https://health.selfdecode.com/blog/natural-ways-to-improve-mitochondrial-function/

Economics for the Citizen by Dr. Walter E. Williams

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“The first lesson in economic theory is that we live in a world of scarcity. Scarcity is a situation whereby human wants exceed the means to satisfy those wants. Human wants are assumed to be limitless, or at least they don’t frequently reveal their bounds. People always want more of something, be it: more cars, more food, more love, more happiness, more peace, more health care, more clean air or more charity. Our ability and resources to satisfy all those wants are indeed limited. There’s only a finite amount of: land, iron, workers and years in a lifetime.” – Dr. Walter E. Williams

“The first lesson in economic theory is that we live in a world of scarcity,” explains Dr. Walter E. Williams, an American economist, commentator, academic, and the former John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University, “Scarcity is a situation whereby human wants exceed the means to satisfy those wants.”

Economics is the study of how we use our limited resources (time, money, etc.) to achieve our goals. This definition refers to physical scarcity.

Americans always want more of something, be it: more cars, more food, more love, more happiness, more peace, more health care, more clean air or more charity. Our ability and resources to satisfy all those wants are indeed limited. There’s only a finite amount of: land, iron, workers and years in a lifetime.

Scarcity produces several economic problems: What’s to be produced, who’s going to get it, how’s it to be produced, and when is it to be produced?

There’s simply not enough resources to meet all the competing wants and uses. That means there’s conflict over limited resources and its uses. Basically, there are several methods of conflict resolution.

  • Market mechanism — let the highest bidder be the one who owns and decides how the land will be used.
  • Government fiat, where the government dictates who gets to use the land for what purpose.
  • Gifts might be the way where an owner arbitrarily chooses a recipient.
  • Violence has always been a way to resolve the question of who has the use rights to the coastline — essentially people get weapons and physically fight it out.

Many Americans would say, “Violence is no way to resolve conflict!” On the contrary, the decision of who had the right to use most of the Earth’s resources was settled through violence (wars). Who has the right to the income you earn has been partially settled through the threats of violence. In fact, violence is such an effective means of resolving conflict that most governments want a monopoly on its use.

The pertinent question that arise is what is the best method to resolve conflict issues surrounding the questions of what’s to be produced, how and when it’s produced, and who’s going to get it…is it the market mechanism, government fiat, gifts or violence, ask Dr. Williams.

Federal, state and local tax levies represent government claims on private property of American citizen, explains Dr. Williams.  In other words, taxes represent the government’s legal confiscation and theft of the private property of American citizens.

References:

  1. https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2005/01/economics-for-the-citizen-part-1/

Inverted Yield Curve and the U.S. Treasury 10 Year

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Given the inverted yield curve and its correlation to predicting recessions, the risk of recession is still elevated, explains Collin. The yield curve is inverted when long-term treasury yields fall below short-term treasury yields.

For example, the 10-year treasury yield is about 3-1/2% %, but the two-year treasury yield is about 4%. And the yield curve tends to invert once the markets begin pricing in Fed rate cuts and tends to send long-term yields lower. Long-term yields like that 10-year treasury yield are often based on Fed Funds Rate expectations over the next 10 years or so. So if the Fed Funds Rate is 5% like it is today, but the Fed Funds Rate is expected to be lower in a year or two, you’ll tend to see longer term yields decline to sort of average out what the Fed Funds Rate might be over the next number of years.

An inverted yield curve is usually followed by a recession. When the Fed hikes rates, it often slows growth along with inflation. It doesn’t necessarily just bring inflation down. When the Fed hikes rates, things in the economy and financial markets tend to break. Maybe the economy slows, maybe corporate defaults pick up, but any way you slice it, there can be negative consequences from Fed rate hikes. So when things break, the Fed then tends to cut rates to stimulate the economy, which can un-invert the yield curve. For example, short-term Treasury bills or treasury notes could fall if and when the Fed cuts rates and they tend to fall below that level of long-term yields.

Now, we think that’s what’s led to the yield curve being less inverted now, it’s really just due to expectations of sooner than expected rate cuts, so short-term rates have fallen more than long-term yields have declined. But if an inverted yield curve is usually followed by a recession, that doesn’t mean that the fact that the yield curve is becoming less inverted is sending a positive signal about the economy.

Just the presence of rate cut expectations tells us that the likelihood of a recession is on the rise, mainly because the Fed cuts rates when they need to, when they need to stimulate the economy. And we think, unfortunately, the Fed will tighten enough right now, not just to slow inflation, but they’ll likely weaken the labor market, which can lead to slower consumer spending, and then the risk of recession is still there.

References:

 

Measuring Success in Life

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“How many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you?” ~ Warren Buffett

The More You Give Love Away, The More You Get

“When you get to my age, you’ll really measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you. I know people who have a lot of money, and they get testimonial dinners and they get hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them. If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don’t care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster.”

“That’s the ultimate test of how you have lived your life. The trouble with love is that you can’t buy it. You can buy sex. You can buy testimonial dinners. You can buy pamphlets that say how wonderful you are. But the only way to get love is to be lovable. It’s very irritating if you have a lot of money. You’d like to think you could write a check: I’ll buy a million dollars’ worth of love. But it doesn’t work that way. The more you give love away, the more you get.”

Warren Buffett, CEO and Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway

Source: Tom Popomaronis, “Warren Buffett says this is ‘the ultimate test of how you have lived your life’—and Bill Gates agrees”, CNBC,  Sep 1 2019. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/01/billionaires-warren-buffett-bill-gates-agree-this-is-the-ultimate-test-of-how-you-have-lived-your-life.html

Consistency is key to building better habits! Always be consistent, it will helps you a lot. Maintain progressive consistency.

According to Bill Gates, measuring success in life relates to:

  • ‘Did I devote enough time to my family?’ Money can buy you many things like financial freedom and control of your time, but it can’t buy you an extra minute in the day or the love of family and friends.
  • ‘Did I learn enough new things?’ It’s essential to maintain an incredible appetite for learning and yearning for growth. Lifelong learning is essential for continuous growth, success and happiness.
  • ‘Did I develop new friendships and deepen old ones?’ A number of studies have even suggested that there are valuable benefits in cultivating deep relationships. “Our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health,” Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School, told The Harvard Gazette in 2017. “Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care, too.”

Source:  https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/06/bill-gates-measures-his-quality-of-life-by-asking-himself-3-questions.html

Finding Purpose

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“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

To find your purpose, ask yourself what you care deeply about. By focusing on purpose, you can align your life and work with your deepest values, and also relieve yourself of the expectation that life or the long slog of a career will be all (or even mostly) happiness and sunshine.

The Purpose of Life in Retirement

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“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

For some people, the purpose of life may be to make the world a better place. Others may believe that the point of life is to find and achieve personal fulfillment. And some may feel that the point of life is simply to enjoy it as much as possible.

Many scientists would say that the purpose of life is to evolve and to live a life of purpose, according to Psychology Today magazine.

Evolution is the process that allowed organisms to survive and thrive. Humans, along with every living animal or plant, owe our existence to it.

Our purpose is to “evolve” during our lifetime because that is consistent with our evolutionary purpose.

Thus, the purpose of life?” is that we are here so that we can continue to live, adapt, learn, and grow. A purpose of life, and our purpose, is to continue to evolve.

We Evolved to Evolve

“Evolution” is a process of learning, adapting, and growing to be more effective and efficient, we see evolution everywhere.

Evolution is fundamental to every living organism. Inherent to our existence is that we learn, adapt, and grow. Additionally, maintaining healthy personal relationships is existential to our existence

Health, happiness, and longevity are the payoffs for this. Since our biological evolution is the foundation of our existence, a purpose of our lives is to continue to “evolve” during our lifetime by learning and growing.

There are several ways to grow, adapt and learn (to find purpose) in life, such as:.

  • Helping Others – Volunteering your time to help others can be a source of purpose.
  • Cultivating Relationships – Spending time with friends and family. Healthy and supportive interpersonal relationships are essential for both physical and mental health.
  • Continuing to Learn and Grow – Henry Ford stated, “Anyone who stops learning is old — whether this happens at twenty or at eighty. Anyone who keeps on learning not only remains young but becomes constantly more valuable — regardless of physical capacity.” To learn is to grow.  
  • Pursuing Your Interests – Pursuing hobbies or activities you enjoy can be an effective way to bring meaning into your life. Focus on doing work that is meaningful to you, whether it involves pursuing a career that you love, developing your creative skills, or simply enjoying your leisurely pastimes.
  • Building Your Awareness – Becoming more aware of your own thoughts, interests, and connections to the world around you can also be helpful when you are questioning the point of life.
  • Practicing Gratitude – Practicing gratitude, or the act of feeling and expressing thankfulness for the things that you appreciate in life has been shown to have a range of benefits. It can strengthen relationships, improve happiness, boost resilience, and improve overall health.

References:

  1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/tech-happy-life/202010/what-is-the-purpose-life
  2. https://www.verywellmind.com/whats-the-point-of-life-why-you-might-feel-this-way-5272182

April 2023 – Financial Literacy Month

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April is Financial Literacy Month. It’s a month to raise awareness around financial literacy and wellness, and highlighting the importance of financial planning and of developing  healthy financial habits.

A new National Financial Educators Council (NFEC) survey found that lacking financial literacy — and not knowing how to manage personal finances — carried a high cost in 2022.

The NFEC survey showed that 38% of Americans said their lack of financial literacy cost them $500 or more, and a whopping 23% said it cost them more than $10,000 — a steep increase from the 10.7% who said the same in 2021.

As a result, the estimated average amount of money that financial illiteracy cost Americans was $1,819 in 2022 — the highest average since the first annual survey took place six years ago. This figure correlates with record-high inflation rates and other economic challenges, the NFEC noted.

In terms of common costly mistakes, overdraft fees were prominent: the median overdraft fee on a debit card is $34, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

According to the survey, which cites CFPB data, most debit card overdraft fees happen on transactions of $24 or less — and American consumers end up spending $17 billion a year on overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees.

References:

  1. https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/financial-literacy-or-lack-thereof-can-make-the-difference-of-%2410000-or-more-a-year-on