Everyday Money

Everyday I read advertisements which urge me to get rid of my wrinkles, change my body shape or alter my bust size - and the options don't stop there. The advertisers want my discretionary income, my everyday money, to create a new and miraculously better looking person.The amount of money we spend on skin care and cosmetic procedures (which seem to become weirder and weirder) is phenomenal. Global skin care companies boast science laboratories which...

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Why?

Why do you need to understand economics and game theory? OK - a qualification, this could be useful information if you are concerned with the man drought. You need to think of the search for your man as a kind of auction. In this auction some of you will be more confident of your prospects than others. In game theory terms the first group would be "strong bidders" and the latter group "weak bidders." You would think wouldn't you that the "strong...

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Who's Counting?

I have been counting the members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). This is an extremely elite and venerable American institution, membership in this academy is second only to winning the Nobel Prize.The pool of scientists from which the NAS members are drawn numbers about 625,000. Academy membership (by invitation only) currently numbers 2,041. Of the 2,041, 200 are women. Women PhD's number 33% of all graduates. Even in science the old...

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Musings and Amusings

As you know I am fascinated with the way our brains function. Human error is often written off as a momentary loss of concentration but it appears that a localised change in brain activity may be involved. The regions which seem to take over our brain function when we make mistakes are part of the so called "default mode network" which show increased use when people are resting or falling asleep. This set me musing of course - what would life be...

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Womenomics

I frequently talk about the gender gap but here in the West maybe it ain't so bad? Despite the Prophet Muhammad's first wife supporting her husband financially, women in Saudi Arabia were legally required to conduct business through a male agent until 2004. Although that law has gone its ramifications live on, which makes the male dominated world of banking particularly hard to penetrate. But on a positive note some forward thinking Saudi banks have...

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Finance and Investment

One of the issues I address when writing a financial plan is that of diversification. And by this I mean diversification across asset classes. Of late I have had numerous conversations with worried "property" investors. Without exception diversification has not been considered at all. The narrow investment schemes (not financial plans) all share the same features;1) All of their money is tied up in property.2) All their property is residential.3)...

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