Randy Jones | May 5, 2009

In television news, it seems that the old journalistic truism “If it bleeds, it leads” has been supplanted by “Give the people what they want,” which, if what often runs as news is any indication, is underage starlets and their wardrobe malfunctions. Don’t get me wrong—I love movies, I happily flip through magazines like People and Us Weekly on occasion, and I’m addicted to Dancing with the Stars. But I’m beginning to think this obsessive coverage of celebrities and their misadventures is crowding out the real news that Hollywood was meant to provide an occasional entertaining escape from. We have totally lost sight of who and what really make this country the best place on earth to live and to pursue the American dream.

Category: Business and Entrepreneurship, In the news | No Comments »
Tags: Brangelina, broadcast media, celebrity culture, Dancing with the Stars, Hollywood, journalism, media, news, small- and medium-size businesses, Wall Street

Randy Jones | March 30, 2009

Yes, we should hate the Ponzi-scheming, bonus-binging, financial-engineering, value-destroying, tax-evading rich. The Madoffs, Stanfords, Kosloskis, Ebberses and Skillings of the world, who created their wealth and all-too-lavish lifestyles by perpetrating fraud and stealing from others rightfully should be detested. We should hate the Wall Street bonus-grabbers, and we should question the shadowy world of huge hedge funds and private equity wealth. But we should not tar all the rich with the same brush.

Category: In the news, Money and Meaning | No Comments »
Tags: Alan Stanford, Bernard Madoff, Bernie Ebbers, Bernie Madoff, bonuses, Dennis Kosloski, Jeff Skilling, The Richest Man in Town, Wall Street

Randy Jones | March 25, 2009

Don’t get me wrong—I know that people are hurting financially. It’s devastating that our 401(k)s have lost half their value. It hurts to see the unemployment numbers growing. I get it—uncertainty is unpleasant. But the only certainty in life is, well, uncertainty. Let’s drop the doom-mongering and do something productive. The three most important words in America are Go To Work. This may be the perfect time to build your own company—your own American dream. It may be the perfect time to reassess your life and your profession. At the very minimum, use this time to assess your talents, skills, and passions. Take Maya Angelou’s wise advice: “Pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” I think you’ll see the American Dream in all its vivid colors.

Category: In the news, Money and Meaning, Welcome to the Richest Man in Town | No Comments »
Tags: 9/11, Black Monday, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Maya Angelou, Silicon Valley, unemployment

Randy Jones | March 2, 2009

FDR’s famous words were echoed this weekend as Warren Buffett released his latest shareholder’s letter, indicating that Berkshire Hathaway had lost $11.5 billion in net worth in 2008, the worst performance in the 44 years he has been managing the company. As usual, Buffett makes a very good point when he says, “The U.S.—and much of the world—became trapped in a vicious negative-feedback cycle. Fear led to business contraction, and that in turn led to even greater fear.”

Category: In the news, Investing and Wealth Management | 1 Comment »
Tags: Berkshire Hathaway, FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Warren Buffett