Disqus - Latest Comments for codyaray

Re: You Really Should Listen to the Robert Glasper Trio (and some Wisdom from Charlie Munger)

Cody A. Ray — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:58:51 -0000

I love this perspective and try to share it with those around me. It’s rarely well received unfortunately.

A couple years ago I remember pointing out to my sister that the entire western hemisphere was at peace and how rare that was. But the news is so doom and gloom no one sees it! And even the lower middle class have smart phones, multiple (color!) televisions and WiFi at home, and quite often 1-2 vehicles. We can only see what our neighbors appear to have though

Re: We Continue to Put Down Roots, Both Deep and Wide, in New Albany

Cody A. Ray — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 14:38:55 -0000

I didn’t realize that country clubs had kids’ activities. That changes the calculus a lot! What are some of your kids favorite activities at the club?

Re: After a 4,484 Day Wait, I Finally Bought the Theodore Alexander Althorp Grand Staircase Secretary Desk

Cody A. Ray — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 10:54:21 -0000

Thanks for such a thorough response, as always!

I really like that approach to education, particularly where the parents intentionally have a hand in teaching them everything you want them to know yourselves. Do you also have a nanny or something, or do you and Aaron setup "shift" where you swap for work, or something else?

"Two lanes become one lane!"

I love this little story. So cool that they can come back with facts that they picked up elsewhere ... and reiterates the importance of choosing who they spend time with too.

The other day, one of the people built a rocket ship and worked his way past the planets of the solar system

My daughter is just under a year old, so we haven't started movies or cartoons or anything. ... and I'm pretty anti-screen myself. That being said, I'm not sure if you're familiar with the cartoon Phineas and Ferb, but it centers on two kids during "summer break" who have this sort of "let's build a rocket" creativity that mixes in science, music, art, etc in a way that you might appreciate.

I've been reading the original Lord of the Rings and so I've talked to them about

When did you start reading larger stories to them? We're still on short picture/board books and have started mixing it up via weekly library trips. I'm super looking forward to books with more substance though. :)

Re: After a 4,484 Day Wait, I Finally Bought the Theodore Alexander Althorp Grand Staircase Secretary Desk

Cody A. Ray — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 00:49:09 -0000

transforming the property into a jewel-box,

That's a lovely way to put it.

backdrop of our children's memories. Designing the space to be not just beautiful, but whimsical in a sense, is important and fun

How do you balance out the incredibly-nice-but-expensive with the children-like-to-color-and-spill-on-everything? I know some people who take the opposite approach where they get stuff they don't mind being destroyed when the kids are young and then upgrade as they get older.

A big part of the project has been designing a playroom for them

I love everything about this playroom description

two amazing 5' or 6' tall Hollywood Regency style chairs that look like something from Disneyland

Is that something like these? https://palmbeachregency.com/products/pair-of-hollywood-regency-high-back-chairs ... Like Disney-esque thrones for the kids? This particular shape reminds me of Alice in Wonderland :)

There is a kid-sized kitchen

I know this is very popular in families that take a Montessori approach to education. I'd love to hear how your family is thinking about educating your two little ones.

Re: After a 4,484 Day Wait, I Finally Bought the Theodore Alexander Althorp Grand Staircase Secretary Desk

Cody A. Ray — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 00:35:16 -0000

Congrats! I'd love to see photos of the insides of all the hidden compartments (assuming you have it by now)!

And I see the bookcases that you picked up years ago are still with you!

Re: Buying Quality Furniture Can Save You Money In the Long Run

Cody A. Ray — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 20:43:03 -0000

Today, I'm still using the crappy MDF desk that my dad bought when he first immigrated here to the U.S.

Sounds like this desk was good enough for your dad to leave for you! :)

Re: I Will Be Re-Opening Selected Posts from the Private Archives

Cody A. Ray — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 22:16:11 -0000

This synthetic equity article was one of my favorites. I'm super happy to have it back

Re: I Will Be Re-Opening Selected Posts from the Private Archives

Cody A. Ray — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 22:12:31 -0000

I know! You've been writing a long time, my friend. :)

Thank you!

Re: I Will Be Re-Opening Selected Posts from the Private Archives

Cody A. Ray — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 20:25:43 -0000

Can we get this one back open? :)

https://www.joshuakennon.co...

Re: Thinking About What the Next 40 or 50 Years Look Like

Cody A. Ray — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 00:39:29 -0000

Thank you for sharing this insight into how you're thinking about the next 40 to 50 years! I think about this all the time as well (with our first child due in November and being financially independent now), but I'm still searching to find "the thing" that I want to do for the rest of my life. After our emails the other day, I was thinking about the option to come out to California and just volunteer for you and KG for a few months to kickstart my own "second founding". But if you come back to the Midwest, even better!

The question around the kids' "baseline" has always been important to me too. I grew up in rural Arkansas in a trailer, and I remember when I was 10 or 11 years old asserting that I would bring my kids back here regularly to expose them to this environment, to balance out what they would perceive as "normal life" and remind them of the work that went to build it. Not sure how to do that yet exactly - but I guess moving back temporarily to deliver the baby here in Arkansas is a good start.

Thanks again for sharing, and glad that you, Aaron, and the boys are recovering well!

PS - my bet is on Tennessee ;) Federal tax-free, midwestern values, and have strong pockets that are both socially liberal and financially conservative (with enough wealth for people to divide their time between multiple residences), e.g., Nashville area.

Re: Using Cash to Increase as a Strategic Asset in a Value Investing Strategy Portfolio

Cody A. Ray — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 23:16:24 -0000

> 50 years ago, it was easy to generate 20%+ annual returns using this technique. Discussing how to do it is far beyond the scope of this article.

I hope there's a future article discussing this... both in the past and current incarnations. 🙏

Re: I Will Be Re-Opening Selected Posts from the Private Archives

Cody A. Ray — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 15:43:42 -0000

Next request: I was trying to remember how you had a negative cost of milk :D

Can you re-open this one? https://www.joshuakennon.co...

Re: What Price Should We Pay to Fight COVID-19?

Cody A. Ray — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 12:00:52 -0000

From the data I can find, the US mortality rate didn't increase during the period of the Great Depression or through the end of the decade. Suicide did increase but didn't account for more than 2% of the total deaths during this period. Here's one study, for example: https://www.pnas.org/conten...

Granted, these numbers are clearly first-order effects... but I'm not sure how to quantify the second and third-order effects here. Logically, I completely agree with the analysis. But even the first-order effects from the Great Depression are somewhat counter-intuitive, because mortality didn't increase (and actually decreased) during this time. (That being said, it was a time of huge huge, industrial, medical, and so on... so that likely contributed to the increasing life spans)

So how much of this analysis is based on "number of deaths" and how much is based on other forms of human suffering? At what depth is suffering worse than death? And is it worth the human race to suffer (to what degree) to save as many lives as possible?

Re: I Will Be Re-Opening Selected Posts from the Private Archives

Cody A. Ray — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 16:42:25 -0000

I've run into a couple more links to articles that aren't restored yet. Could you?

https://www.joshuakennon.co...
https://www.joshuakennon.co...

Re: Sheltering-in-Place Newport Coast Style

Cody A. Ray — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 00:21:47 -0000

Someone is (about to be) on an Edna Ferber kick!

I wish I could be a fly on your wall right now. Especially given all the research and reading you've done around the great depression...

Re: I Will Be Re-Opening Selected Posts from the Private Archives

Cody A. Ray — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 23:05:45 -0000

What about this one? :) https://www.joshuakennon.co...

Re: Three Questions That Can Dramatically Improve Your Life – Thoughts and Reflections on my 37th Birthday

Cody A. Ray — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 13:19:38 -0000

The Dune series was one of my favorites, though I haven't read it in more than 10 years.

I loved this recitation. I believe it went something like this:

> I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer
> Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration
> I will face my fear, I will let it wash over me and through me
> And when it has gone, I will turn my inner eye to watch its path
> Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

My wife and I once did a bungee fall in Wisconsin Dells; for whatever reason, this is what came to mind to say to her to calm her down just before the release. I'm still trying to convince her to read the books though. :)

Re: Five Advantages of Log-Based Change Data Capture

Cody A. Ray — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 13:24:36 -0000

Have you written this up? I came here looking exactly for a solution to this problem, incidentally. :)

Re: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Cards for Each Bonus Category

Cody A. Ray — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 09:37:45 -0000

The Barclaycard Arrival Plus beats out the Citi Double Cash card for non-bonus spending for a cash-back card. It still earns 2% cash back on everything, plus you get a 5% redemption bonus.. bringing you to a fixed-rate of 2.1% back.

Re: The Power of the Subjunctive Mood Verb to Reveal Socioeconomic Status

Cody A. Ray — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 00:18:53 -0000

I went through this same intentional transition when I moved from rural Arkansas to Philadelphia for school. A few of my professors literally had a hard time understanding my accent (and I didn't even think it was that thick). The week I started school, I was being given a tour of the faculty lounge and one of the professors heard my accent, found out I was from Arkansas, and remarked (to my face) "oh I'm surprised you're even wearing shoes". The great irony is that I was being toured around because I was admitted to a joint BS/PhD program, where I was accepted to pursue a PhD straight out of high school. I suppose, in a way, it was a great first lesson.

During my later years at university, I had the honor of being mentored by the university president's personal "handler" on social etiquette, networking, advancement, and, for lack of a better term, politicking. One of the things that I quickly noticed about him was that he intentionally kept his southern accent, despite having moved away many, many years ago. He grew up in a very well-established family in North Carolina (e.g., they have the original trust to their land from colonial times), so his accent was more "blue blood" southern than "uneducated" southern. In any case, he was able to leverage his accent and cultural upbringing (warmth, loudness, overly-friendly relative to more subdued urban cultures) as a way to charm and disarm people. It's so interesting to observe the different ways people interact and use social cues.

Re: I Resigned as the Investing for Beginners Guide at About.com

Cody A. Ray — Sat, 28 Jul 2018 10:25:28 -0000

I'm sad to see all your work that has helped so many pass to the ether, piece by piece. Likewise for the multiple "reorgs" on your own site when so much super valuable content was taken down. Fortunately, I've saved several of my favorite pieces. And I feel privileged and grateful that you were able to share so much with us for so long.

Re: Jesus Christ vs. Captain Kirk: A Study of Mental Models (or “A Modern Example of Binary Beliefs and Cognitive Dissonance In Everyday Western Culture”)

Cody A. Ray — Wed, 31 May 2017 14:53:14 -0000

Wait, so what was the name of the "surprise" mental model at the end?

Re: $9 Marketing Stack: A Step-by-Step Guide

Cody A. Ray — Tue, 02 May 2017 15:11:45 -0000

Do you record both your app and website as a single "source"? The free tier is only for one source.

Re: Christmas with Joshua & Aaron

Cody A. Ray — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 17:42:51 -0000

Looks beautiful, guys. Here's to a wonderful 2017! Lots of exciting new things already on the on-ramp for you two

PS- I've got my fingers crossed for a Chicago move! :)

Re: Coming to terms: retirement vs. financial independence

Cody A. Ray — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 13:14:03 -0000

This is a great exercise. :)

You probably already know this, but I think the challenge here is thinking about multiple income streams. If you had a passive income stream that was capable of funding your lifestyle, then you're financially independent regardless of whether you choose to have another income stream funded by full-time work or not. I think that's all it really is.

But yay, semantics! :D