Sleep on It

Insufficient Sleep is a Public Health Epidemic according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The Better Sleep Council can help!



"The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep". --Anonymous

"SLEEP - Those little slices of death, how I loathe them". --Edgar Allen Poe

"Problems always look smaller after a warm meal and a good night's sleep". --Anonymous

"It's a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it". --John Steinbeck

It's probably unrealistic in our fast paced, competitive lives to expect or demand any fixed amount of sleep hours. I think we should strive for quality of sleep. Try to improve factors such as diet, exercise, bedroom environment etc. that improve sleep efficiency, and avoid things that result in poor sleep quality such as excessive caffeine or alcohol, stress, etc.

There are some good sleep tips here at

The Better Sleep Council

What is your secret for a good nights sleep?

Gambling and other Myths

Many people ridicule casino gambling by saying, "I've got better things to do with my money".  Ironically, some of those will lose their assets through risky, and questionable venture capital schemes. Another cites the stock market as a glorified ponzi scheme, yet it has rebounded nicely since 2008 thanks to aggressive Federal Reserve policies. At one time owning a house was nearly a sure bet investment, but we all know what happened in the 2008 financial crisis, and the ensuing melt down in housing prices. All sorts of investment vehicles have been promoted over the years with varying degrees of success. 

It seems that markets reel from one bubble to the next, with each bubble usually exacerbated by leverage and debt. The famous economist John Galbraith in his book "A brief history of financial euphoria" readily describes the common features and circumstances that have given rise to some famous financial bubbles including the Tulip Mania of Holland back in the 17th Century. History it seems, has a bad habit of repeating itself. 

What then is the answer to creating and preserving wealth? It still comes down to a vocation that pays, common sense, diversification, and a bit of luck or good fortune in life. You also have to avoid the scammers and get rich quick schemes along the way. Greed and ignorance will generally get you in trouble, although there are many "legitimate" ways to lose money too, as already mentioned.

Don't fool yourself, investing is still gambling, although some bets are better and more informed than others. Sometimes a casino bet has much better odds than more "traditional" investments.  At least in a casino you can generally calculate the odds against you. There are more than a few companies that have had their stock prices drop to zero - a few of them have been Dow Index companies. Thus investing, speculating and gambling are all part of the same spectrum. Perhaps a successful professional poker player isn't really a gambler, but a seasoned investor. Things are not always what they appear to be based upon their labels. 

Good Luck and Good Investing.