Week 1 – How cities overspend to attract the rich
2 min read

Week 1 – How cities overspend to attract the rich

Hi There,

Thank you for reading the first edition of my (new) newsletter. The goal will be to ultimately introduce and substantiate a set of principles for making long-term decisions in all areas of life.

πŸ™ Cities

Daniel Herriges explained the perils of the strategy that certain cities use when attracting wealthy inhabitants in But Rich People Live Here so We Can't be Going Broke.

High-income individuals who have a choice of where to live may flock to a community with good schools, nice new modern houses, roads with no potholes, attractive landscaping: the trappings of the illusion of wealth. They can just as easily flock elsewhere a generation down the line.

Debt is really the antithesis of long-term thinking. Debt is a vehicle through which resources in the present are acquired (and valued) at a higher interest-adjusted cost than resources in the future. This article argues that cities cannot justify taking on debt as an "investment" in infrastructure.

One context where debt can make sense is taking on leverage over a long time horizon where the vehicle of bankruptcy is available and the individual is protected. This approach could be profitable, but is arguably immoral. (Please reply if you'd like a real world case study).

πŸ“ˆ Investing

Inspired by Gordon Brander's Patterns (check it out) and lots of questions about good investing principles, I've started writing down simple guidelines I've come across that we should all aspire to follow.

First up is the Hierarchy of Investor Needs. Do you agree about it's importance?

πŸ₯• Longevity

Kevin Rose's fasting app Zero raises $1.2 M with new CEO Mike Maser.

The startup wants to be able to teach people about the benefits of temporarily ditching food, intelligently recommend whether 13-hour, 16-hour or another fasting regimen is best for users depending on their health goals and provide guidance to keep people motivated when their craving a bite.

Readers should be careful though.

The research data is still a bit thin, and TechCrunch isn’t endorsing the science here. Those interested in fasting should always consult a doctor first. Propelling more explicit human trials about how fasting impacts well-being could further fuel Zero.

We will be taking a deeper look at fasting, ketosis, the latest clinical trials in a future issue.

🏒 Business

ICOs have reminded us that treasury management matters for long-term survival.

Recently chat with a few teams that raised in early Q1, planned for 2 years run-way originally, 0 treasury management, now are all doomed.

Survivability is always the most important quality for any founder. The first mover may die quickly but the last one who survives will winβ€” Dovey Wan (@DoveyWan) September 3, 2018

To be fair, this is much more challenging with a highly volatile asset. Liquidate, and you get blamed for "selling at the top", keep it and worry about timing, OTC, cashflow planning...

πŸ›‘ Privacy

This article explains the intended use of zcash shielded addresses for receiving payments. In essence, it's an approach you can use today to securely receive private payments.