Episodi

  • Who Pays for My Credit Card Points?
    Oct 23 2026
    I use credit cards for points, pay the balance every month, and save the rewards for travel and hotel stays. I benefit from the system. I also want to understand who pays for it. In Episode 15 of The Observation Room, I look at how credit cards became ...
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    35 min
  • Don’t Laugh at What You Don’t Understand
    Oct 16 2026
    I miss going to Blockbuster. When I hear the story about Netflix offering to sell to them, I don’t think those people were stupid. I want to understand what they were looking at, what was paying their bills, and why the new thing was so hard to take se...
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    35 min
  • When Private Equity Buys a Company, Who Benefits? | The Observation Room
    Oct 9 2026
    I look at private equity through three different pockets: the firm running the fund, the investors, and the company being bought. Using actual deals, I explain how borrowing, sale-leasebacks and dividends can change what the business has left to work w...
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    34 min
  • The Odds Aren't Stacked Against You | The Observation Room
    Oct 2 2026
    I saw a post the other morning asking, “Do you ever feel like the odds are stacked against you?” My immediate reaction was absolutely not.I know that probably sounds strange coming from someone who has experienced the kind of loss that I have. But I do...
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    28 min
  • The Economy Looks Strong—So Why Do People Feel Squeezed?
    Sep 25 2026
    National headlines can describe a stable economy while everyday life still feels tight. This episode follows the gap between inflation and price levels, wages and purchasing power, consumer spending and household margin—and asks what the numbers can ac...
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    38 min
  • Grief, Choice, and the Life We Still Have | The Observation Room Episode 10
    Sep 18 2026
    Content note: This episode discusses death, grief, alcohol use after loss, and the death of my son Dylan. Visible suffering is not a reliable measurement of love. A person can laugh, work, travel, build something new, love again, and still carry grief ...
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    33 min
  • A Season of Struggle Can Set You Up for Life | The Observation Room Episode 9
    Sep 11 2026
    A hard season is not automatically proof that you are failing. Sometimes it is showing you what you can carry, where an old strategy has reached its limit, or what has to change before the next version of your life can work. In this episode, I talk abo...
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    32 min
  • You Don't Know What You Don't Know | The Observation Room Episode 8
    Sep 4 2026
    Some of the most important information that will change your life is information you do not know to look for. If something is outside your awareness, you cannot search for it, ask an expert about it, or even decide whether you disagree with it yet. In ...
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    36 min