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You are here: Home / business / Consignment Shops: Best business model ever?

Consignment Shops: Best business model ever?

by jlcollinsnh 21 Comments

consignment gallery

Our local upscale consignment shop, er, I mean Gallery

Imagine you could have a business selling stuff you didn’t own.

Imagine you had no manufacturing costs.

Imagine you had no cost of goods sold.

Imagine you could stock your store with inventory that didn’t cost you a dime unless and until it sold.

Imagine you could be guaranteed a hefty profit margin.

Imagine you had no shipping costs.

Imagine you could have this stuff delivered free to your door.

Imagine you could have this delivery made with no obligation and with the complete freedom to say, “Ah, no thanks.”

Imagine you never had to run a sale to move unwanted merchandise.

Imagine you could have it removed for free if it didn’t sell, and on your time-table.

Imagine you could just give it away if the owners declined to retrieve it when you told them to.

You’ve just imagined a consignment shop. Near as I can tell, the best business model ever.

As regular readers already know, point #8 in My Plan for 2013 is selling the house. With any luck at all, by May we’ll be settling into our new and more cosy deluxe apartment in the sky. In addition to allowing us to move on to the next phase of our lives, it give me the delicious opportunity to indulge on a large-scale in one of my very favorite things: Getting rid of stuff.

I love getting rid of stuff. Each item going out the door feels like a burden lifted. Moving provides an unloading opportunity like no other. But this unloading can be surprisingly difficult and time-consuming.

But because we already run a pretty lean ship, even the things we won’t be taking with us play a currently useful role in showing the house to its best advantage. That means I don’t want to unload anything until the house is sold. Not only sold, but past inspections and any financing or other contingencies that might cause a buyer to pull out. And, of course, that means when the time comes the selling window will be small.

It’s never too soon to explore options (and I’ll have another post shortly on some of the others) and that got me over to our local consignment store this past Sunday to check it out.  I’ve been to lots of these places before and this one is the cleanest, nicest and best organized I’ve come across. It’s not a “Shop,” it’s a “Gallery.” Heh!

They tend to carry quality stuff and it is displayed as well as any retail store you might visit. If you are a buyer, let’s say looking for a dining room set (something I’ll happen to have for sale shortly — Just saying), you’ve got a couple of options.

You could buy new. It’s easy. And it’s very expensive.

You could buy used. It’s far cheaper, but can require a lot of running around.

Buying used you might search Craig’s List. Look at the pictures. Make a list of those that appeal to you. Set up appointments. Drive around town looking at them. Hopefully find one you like and then drive back to negotiate for it. You might get a killer bargain. More likely, at least in my experience, you’ll be dealing with folks who have a highly inflated idea of what it’s worth.

Or you could mosey on over to the consignment shop and see 8 to 12 sets all in one place. They’ll all be priced realistically by professionals without any pesky emotional (…remember, sob, Grandma used to sit right there each Thanksgiving before she died back in ’78…) attachments to the things. If you didn’t see what you wanted, you could stop by in another week or so and check out the new inventory.

If I were a buyer, I’d certainly take a look at Craig’s. I’d review the ads in case the perfect set was sitting there. But I’d also visit the consignment place. It’s every bit as easy as any retail store, just cheaper.

As a seller, it’s a tougher call. But, not surprisingly, the consignment store folks have come up with some strong reasons to use them. Saves me the trouble. Here’s the case our local place makes, in their own words, directly from their website:

Why use a consignment gallery?

  1. Avoid the hassle of placing newspaper ads and having strangers walk through your home.
  2. Garage sales bring low prices and a limited number of shoppers for a short time.
  3. Auctions cannot guarantee reasonable prices.
  4. Consignment Gallery in Bedford and Amherst offer excellent visibility in high traffic locations, 7 days a week.
  5. With over 20,000 square feet we are the largest consignment business in the area for pre-owned furniture and decorative accessories.
  6. We provide you with a simple agreement form which lists your items and prices.
  7. We have the experience to price and attractively display your consignments.
  8. Consignment Gallery has established a reputation for integrity and customer service.

Compelling stuff. But it comes with a price:

1. I have to get the stuff there. For small things, no problem. But for my Wing Chairs and Dining Room set arrangements need to be made.

2. They gave me the cards of two reliable guys that will cart the furniture over there, but that’s an added cost of sale to me.

3. I’ll still need to take pictures to send them, just to confirm that they’d be interested in accepting my consignment.

4. Even if they like the pictures, they reserve the right to reject the items upon arrival and inspection. More risk to me.

5. Their commission is 35% on items priced over $30. It’s 50% on items under $30.

6. They decide what the price will be and it might be lower than I want (especially after commissions and what with Grandma having sat at that table each Thanksgiving ’till she died in ’78 and all).

7. They want the inventory to turn over. That’s far more profitable for them than squeezing out the best price on my stuff for me. One cost they do have is rent for the floor space and nothing wastes that money like stagnate inventory.

8. After 30 days the price automatically comes down 10%.

9. After 60 days you can agree to another 10% reduction or collect your things.

10. If the items don’t sell, I’ll have to pay to retrieve them or agree just to donate them; which the store will arrange.

Like I said, it is a great business model. For them. And maybe for me.

Let’s look at some numbers. Let’s say my dining room set is worth, as I think it is, about $500. If it sells at the full price in the shop, I’ll net 65% of that or $325. Less whatever it costs me to get it there. So anything I can get above $325 is found money.

But I’ll need to sell quickly when the time comes.

Here’s my plan. When I’m ready, I’ll put it on Craig’s List at around $375 for a few days. If somebody recognizes it as the screaming bargain it is, they’ll get a deal and I’ll pocket a bit of extra dosh. If not, the consignment shop will get the biz. Sometimes a hammer won’t do and you need a nail-gun.

Related

Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker is a resource that I learned about through my work with Jonathan and Brad at ChooseFI, and first heard about Salesforce as a career option in an episode where we featured Bradley Rice on the Podcast. In that episode, Bradley shared how he reached FI quickly thanks to his huge paychecks and discipline in keeping his expenses low. Jonathan teamed up with Bradley to build Talent Stacker, and they have helped more than 1,000 students from all walks of life complete the program and land jobs like clockwork, earning double or even triple their old salaries using a Salesforce certification to break into a no-code tech career.
  • Credit Cards are like chain saws. Incredibly useful. Incredibly dangerous. Resolve to pay in full each month and never carry a balance. Do that and they can be great tools. Here are some of the very best for travel hacking, cash back and small business rewards.
  • Personal Capital is a free tool to manage and evaluate your investments. With great visuals you can track your net worth, asset allocation, and portfolio performance, including costs. At a glance you'll see what's working and what you might want to change. Here's my full review.
  • Betterment is my recommendation for hands-off investors who prefer a DIFM (Do It For Me) approach. It is also a great tool for reaching short-term savings goals. Here is my Betterment Review
  • NewRetirement offers cool tools to help guide you in answering the question: Do I have enough money to retire? And getting started is free. Sign up and you will be offered two paths into their retirement planner. I was also on their podcast and you can check that out here:Video version, Podcast version.
  • Tuft & Needle (T&N) helps me sleep at night. They are a very cool company with a great product. Here’s my review of what we are currently sleeping on: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress.
  • Vanguard.com

Filed Under: business Tagged With: business, shopping

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Comments

  1. Mr. Risky Startup says

    February 19, 2013 at 5:41 pm

    “Deluxe apartment in the sky” makes it sound like you are dying and going to heaven. I sure hope that is not the case. I will miss your writing 🙂

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 19, 2013 at 5:48 pm

      Wow Mr. RS….

      You just very likely set an all time speed record for posting a comment after the post went up!

      Click on the link. It’s from an old sit-com theme song. Of course the fact I remember that sit-com is reason enough to believe I’m getting close to that heavenly lodging option. At least I hope that’s the one I’m getting close to.

      Reply
  2. Bonnie says

    February 19, 2013 at 6:26 pm

    A consignment shop also has the cost of insurance and labor and if the owner it means your probably there a lot, like any small business owner. Another option is to have a “moving estate sale”. The estate sale folks come to your home and conduct an estate sale of the things you leave behind. You don’t have to move things and someone else does the sale. They’ll even negotiate with you to take care of the leftovers.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 19, 2013 at 6:34 pm

      Hi Bonnie…

      Didn’t mean to suggest there are no costs or effort, just that many typical costs are avoided.

      Not sure we have enough stuff of enough quality to be of interest to estate sales folks. Maybe next time, if we leave the country and sell every thing. Something to keep in mind. Do you know what commission levels they charge? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Prob8 says

        February 19, 2013 at 9:29 pm

        You might want to contact a local auctioneer or two. In my area (Southern Illinois), they will typically bundle your stuff with some other estate sale. Commissions run around 10% on personal property. Of course, there are typically no reserves so you’ll likely get low-ball prices.

        I wish you luck this time around selling the house. It’s never a fun thing to do with the constant cleaning, staging, inconvenient appointments, etc. There’s also the realtor commission and other annoyances like helping buyers with their closing costs.

        Reply
        • jlcollinsnh says

          February 19, 2013 at 10:30 pm

          Thanks, Prob8….

          ..and you’re right. Selling a house is a real PITA. Expensive, too. I’ll have more on this as things progress.

          Reply
      • Bonnie says

        February 20, 2013 at 12:30 pm

        I’d have to ask, I had a friend who died and her attorney arranged the estate sale and that was my first exposure to the industry. With the crash of the housing market here in AZ, they have been doing moving estate sales too.

        Reply
  3. pachipres says

    February 19, 2013 at 7:03 pm

    Where are you moving to? Why are you moving? Won’t you miss your yard/garden? Just curious about all this.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 19, 2013 at 9:11 pm

      To the city of Manchester, NH. It is the closest to my wifes job. We like city living, walking to cafes and such. Where we live now is very car dependent.

      There are some things I’ll miss about the house. Mostly the screened porch on summer days, the view of our pond and occasional wildlife visitors. Since the remodel, the walk in master bath shower is pretty nice, too.

      But we’ve been in the house for 13 years, our daughter is off to college and we like change. I won’t miss the cost and the upkeep.

      Plus if we get the apartment I have my eye on, we’ll have a wonderful view west over the Merrimack river.

      Stay tuned. I’ll be writing more about this and already have written some:

      https://jlcollinsnh.com/2012/02/23/rent-v-owning-your-home-opportunity-cost-and-running-some-numbers/

      https://jlcollinsnh.com/2012/01/17/selling-the-house-and-adventures-in-staging/

      Reply
  4. Shilpan says

    February 19, 2013 at 10:35 pm

    I love getting rid of stuff. Each item going out the door feels like a burden lifted. — I am with you on this thought train. I can imagine your excitement to begin another phase in your life.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 19, 2013 at 10:40 pm

      another way in which we are kindred spirits!

      Yep. It’s been fun, but looking forward to the next phase.

      Reply
  5. Betty says

    February 21, 2013 at 9:21 pm

    I remember the Jeffersons. 🙂

    Not sure where to ask unrelated questions so I am posting it here.

    Can you tell me the best method of getting a passport? What should I expect
    to pay for a passport? How long does this process take?

    Does one need immunizations to travel to Ecuador? If so, who do I see for this?
    The local health dept?

    Hope you don’t mind, I could really use the information.

    Reply
    • Prob8 says

      February 21, 2013 at 9:41 pm

      Betty – Passports will cost around $135 plus the cost of photos and mailing. You can get one at many locations including the local post office or courthouse – call ahead to see what they need and to set an appointment. The after you submit the paperwork, processing times depend on how behind they are at that time. Expect 6 to 12 weeks. You can pay an extra fee for expedited service if you need it faster.

      If you are concerned about immunizations, I would make an appointment with my doctor to discuss what they recomment. You can also visit the CDC’s website for a general discussion about health information for traveling to Ecuador.

      Go ahead and run a Google search for both of those topics and you will find everything you need.

      Good luck!

      Reply
      • Betty says

        February 24, 2013 at 1:49 pm

        Prob8,

        Thank you very much. 🙂

        Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 21, 2013 at 11:46 pm

      What great readers hang out here! Thanks Prob8!

      Congratulations on your planned trip to Ecuador, Betty! Where in the country are you going and when?

      Reply
      • Betty says

        February 24, 2013 at 1:51 pm

        Well, I haven’t a direct plan as yet. We are still in the talking about it phase.
        However, I am going to get the passports and, see about immunizations now.

        Reply
  6. Dennis Laughlin says

    February 22, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    Mr.JIm this blog just screamed for my reply. I believe in terms of this topic, I am the definitive, Anti-JlCollins. As you know I collect on a real basis and sell on the theoretical plane most of the time.. So far no hoarders episodes but I have a tolerant family. On the side of selling I do now have 2 re-sale operations going and I would encourage your readers to look for a sale to a re-seller rather than go the consignment route. I see dozens of people like me every week buying at auctions, estate sales and most of us look for a double on our investment, but we offer the advantage of cash on the spot. I have seen too many consignment shops that just don’t move product. The effects of that are a real push for discount. It may be ugly to be faced with liquidation value, but it is like a shot of NyQuil ( leaves a nasty taste in your mouth),you really will sleep better with the cash and not just a hope of tomorrow’s sale. Once you decide to part with something, turning your thoughts to the employment of whatever the proceeds are should be the fulfillment of your plan. I have sold many items that I would like to have kept, but the excitement of the next find is the motivation.

    Your readers who are looking for an auctioneer should go to AuctionZip.com this site will list auctioneers in their area and also give them an idea of the kinds of items they are most successful selling. All auctions don’t attract the same crowds and the same motivated buyers. Consignment auctions are a risk if your items do not fit the theme of the other lots being offered. Different horses for different courses.

    Anyway, hope the un-bundled of JLCollins continues to progress toward portability.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 22, 2013 at 4:00 pm

      Hi Dennis….

      Always great to see you check in!

      With your business savvy, I would have expected comment from you on my assessment of the consignment store business model. Not sure I’d want to run one, but they sure look like interesting investments.

      (For the benefit of my other readers, in addition to being a collector Dennis is a former banker and current venture capitalist. He holds ownership stakes in several businesses.)

      BTW, I have a very good friend who is considering selling her business. If you are willing to provide a little informal guidance, I’d like to pass along your contact info.

      How would sellers like me best find buyers like you?

      Reply
      • Dennis Laughlin says

        February 22, 2013 at 4:54 pm

        Most antique malls are made up of independent dealers who scour the world for deals, most have extraordinary connections regarding who buys what and where to sell things. So don’t be afraid to just ask someone at these establishments about a buy out or where they think you could sell your items. Chances are good you will come away with a couple avenues to pursue..

        Happy to help your friend,email me the info or give me a call. Either way I will be happy to help her evaluate the potential of a sale.
        PS thank you for the kind words, usually when people mention my name there are more adjectives than nouns used.

        Reply
  7. Johnny Moneyseed says

    March 11, 2013 at 12:23 pm

    I was in the local thrift store with Mrs. Moneyseed this past week buying some new-used baby clothes and I said to her “Can you imagine that EVERYTHING in this place was donated??” They have less operating costs than consignment shops, because they don’t owe anything to the person who brought the item in.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      March 12, 2013 at 12:23 am

      Good point!

      But also consider that the one cost both have is rent. So the more valuable the items you can offer in a given space, the more money there is to be made. For instance, if I have space to display a chair for sale and it was donated and if I can sell it for $20, I’ve made $20 for that space.

      But if I can take a $100 chair on consignment and make 35%, I’ve made $35. And it still costs me nothing unless and until it sells.

      Mmmm. I need to go into the consignment business!

      Reply

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      • Gone for Summer, an important note on comments and random cool stuff that caught my eye
      • Around the world with an Aussie Biker
      • Case Study #13: The Power of Flexibility
      • Stocks — Part VIII: The 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
    • ► March (2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXVIII: Debt - The Unacceptable Burden
      • Chautauqua October 2015: Times Two!
    • ► February (2)
      • YNAB: Best Place to Work Ever?
      • Case Study #12: Escaping a soul-crushing job before you're 70
    • ► January (3)
      • Case Study #11: John, a small business owner in transition
      • Trish and Stan take an Intrepid Sailing Voyage
      • 2014 Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest results, and my forecast for 2015
  • ► 2014 (29)
    • ► December (2)
      • Diamonds and Happy Holidays!
      • Micro-Lending with Kiva
    • ► November (3)
      • Chautauqua February 7-14, 2015: Escape from Winter
      • Stocks -- Part XXVII: Why I Don’t Like Dollar Cost Averaging
      • Jack Bogle and the Presidential Medal of Freedom
    • ► October (3)
      • Tuft & Needle: A better path to sleep
      • Nightmare on Wall Street: Will the Blood Bath Continue?
      • Help Wanted
    • ► September (1)
      • Chautauqua 2014: Lightning strikes again!
    • ► August (2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXVI: Pulling the 4%
      • Stocks -- Part XXV: HSAs, more than just a way to pay your medical bills.
    • ► July (3)
      • Stocks -- Part XXIV: RMDs, the ugly surprise at the end of the tax-deferred rainbow
      • Summer travels, writing, reading and other amusements
      • Moto X, my new Republic Wireless Phone
    • ► June (1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXIII: Selecting your asset allocation
    • ► May (1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXII: Stepping away from REITs
    • ► April (3)
      • Q&A III: Vamos
      • Q&A II: Salamat
      • Q&A I: Gaijin Shogun
    • ► March (2)
      • Top 10 posts
      • Cafe No Se
    • ► February (4)
      • Chautauqua 2014 preview, closing up for travel and other random cool things that caught my eye of late.
      • Case Study #10: Should Josiah buy his parents a house?
      • Case Study #9: Lars -- maximizing some good fortune and considering "dollar cost averaging"
      • Case Study #8: Ron's mother - she's doin' all right!
    • ► January (4)
      • roundup: Some random cool things
      • Stocks — Part XXI: Investing with Vanguard for Europeans
      • Case Study #7: What it looks like when everything financial goes wrong
      • 1st Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest 2013 results, and my forecast for 2014
  • ► 2013 (41)
    • ► December (4)
      • Closing up for the Holidays, see you in 2014
      • Betterment: a simpler path to wealth
      • Case Study 6: Helping an ill and elderly parent
      • Stocks -- Part XX: Early Retirement Withdrawal Strategies and Roth Conversion Ladders from a Mad Fientist
    • ► November (3)
      • Death, Taxes, Estate Plans, Probate and Prob8
      • Case Study #5: Zero to 2.6 million in 25 years
      • Case Study #4: Using the 4% rule and asset allocations.
    • ► October (3)
      • Republic Wireless and my $19 per month phone plan
      • Case Study #3: Let's get Tom to Latin America!
      • The Stock Series gets its own page
    • ► September (2)
      • Case Study #2: Joe -- off to a fast start!
      • Chautauqua 2013: A Week of Dreams
    • ► August (1)
      • Closing up shop plus an opening at Chautauqua, my new podcast, phone, book and other random cool stuff
    • ► July (1)
      • They Will Kill You For Your Shoes!
    • ► June (4)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII-b: Should you avoid your company's 401k?
      • Shilpan's Seven Habits to Live More with Less
      • Stocks -- Part XIX: How to think about money
      • My path for my kid -- the first 10 years
    • ► May (5)
      • Why your house is a terrible investment
      • Stocks — Part XVIII: Investing in a raging bull
      • Dining with the Ghosts of Sarah Bernhardt and Alfons Mucha
      • How we finally got the house sold
      • Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can't buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard?
    • ► April (4)
      • Greetings from Prague & a computer question
      • Swimming with Tigers, a 2nd chance on the Chautauqua, a financial article gets it wrong and I'm off to Prague
      • Storage, Moving and Movers
      • Homeless, and a bit on the strategy of dollar cost averaging
    • ► March (4)
      • Wild Turkeys, Motorcycles, Dining Room Sets & Greed
      • Roots v. Wings: considering home ownership
      • How about that stock market?!
      • The Blog has New Clothes
    • ► February (5)
      • Meet Mr. Money Mustache, JD Roth, Cheryl Reed & me for a Chautauqua in Ecuador
      • High School Poetry, Carnival, cool ads and random pictures that caught my eye
      • Consignment Shops: Best business model ever?
      • Cafes
      • Stocks -- Part XVI: Index Funds are really just for lazy people, right?
    • ► January (5)
      • Social Security: How secure and when to take it
      • Fighting giraffes, surreal landscapes, dancing with unicorns and restoring a Vanagon
      • My plan for 2013
      • VITA, income taxes and the IRS
      • How to be a stock market guru and get on MSNBC
  • ► 2012 (53)
    • ► December (6)
      • See you next year....until then: The Origin of Life, Life on Other Worlds, Mechanical Graveyards, Great Art, Alternative Lifestyles and Finding Freedom
      • Stocks -- Part XV: Target Retirement Funds, the simplest path to wealth of all
      • Stocks -- Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks -- Part XIII: The 4% rule, withdrawal rates and how much can I spend anyway?
      • How I learned to stop worrying about the Fiscal Cliff and you can too.
    • ► November (2)
      • Rent v. owning: A couple of case studies in Ecuador
      • So, what does a month in Ecuador cost anyway?
    • ► October (4)
      • See you in December....
      • Meet me in Ecuador?
      • The Podcast: You can hear me now.
      • Stocks -- Part XII: Bonds
    • ► September (6)
      • Stocks -- Part XI: International Funds
      • The Smoother Path to Wealth
      • Case Study #I: Putting the Simple Path to Wealth into Action
      • Tales of Bolivia: Calle de las Brujas
      • Stocks -- Part X: What if Vanguard gets Nuked?
      • Travels in South America: It was the best of times....
    • ► August (1)
      • Home again
    • ► June (4)
      • Yellow Fever, closing up shop for the summer and heading to Peru y Bolivia
      • I could not have said it better myself...
      • Stocks -- Part IX: Why I don't like investment advisors
      • Happy Birthday, jlcollinsnh; and thanks for the gift Mr. MM!
    • ► May (6)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII: The 401K, 403b, TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
      • Mr. Money Mustache
      • The College Conundrum
      • Stocks -- Part VII: Can everyone really retire a millionaire?
      • Stocks -- Part VI: Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth
      • Stocks -- Part V: Keeping it simple, considerations and tools
    • ► April (6)
      • Stocks -- Part IV: The Big Ugly Event, Deflation and a bit on Inflation
      • Stocks -- Part III: Most people lose money in the market.
      • Stocks -- Part II: The Market Always Goes Up
      • Stocks -- Part 1: There's a major market crash coming!!!! and Dr. Lo can't save you.
      • You can eat my Vindaloo, mega lottery, Blondie, Noa, Israel Kamakawiwo 'Ole, art, film and a ride on the Space Shuttle
      • Where in the world are you?
    • ► March (7)
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part V: Sold! and the taxman cometh.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part IV: I become a Landlord.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part III: The Battle is Joined.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part II: The Limits of the Law.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part I: Impossibly Naive.
      • You, too, can be conned
      • Armageddon and the value of practical skills
    • ► February (6)
      • Rent v. Owning Your Home, opportunity cost and running some numbers
      • The Casanova Kid, a Shit Knife, a Good Book, Having No Regrets, Dark Matter and a bit of Magic
      • What Poker, Basketball and Mike Whitaker taught me about Luck
      • How to Give like a Billionaire
      • Go ahead, make my day
      • Muk Finds Success in Tahiti
    • ► January (5)
      • Travels with "Esperando un Camino"
      • Beanie Babies, Naked Barbie, American Pickers and Old Coots
      • Selling the House and Adventures in Staging
      • The bashing of Index Funds, Jack Bogle and a Jedi dog trick
      • Magic Beans
  • ► 2011 (22)
    • ► December (1)
      • Dividend Growth Investing
    • ► November (2)
      • The Mummy's head, Particle Physics and "Knocking on Heaven's Door"
      • "It's Better in the Wind" or why I ride a motorcycle
    • ► October (1)
      • Lazy Days and School Days
    • ► July (2)
      • The road to Zanzibar sometimes goes thru Ecuador...
      • Johnny wins the lotto and heads to Paris
    • ► June (16)
      • Chainsaws, Elm Trees and paying for College
      • Stuff I’ve failed at: the early years
      • Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat
      • The. Worst. Used. Car. Ever.
      • Top Ten reasons your future is so bright it hurts my eyes to look at it
      • The Most Dangerous Words Your Customer Can Say
      • How not to drown in The Sea of Assholes
      • What we own and why we own it
      • The Ten Sales Commandments
      • My ever so formal and oh so dry CV
      • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
      • The Myth of Motivation
      • Why you need F-you money
      • My short attention span
      • Why I can’t pick winning stocks, and you can’t either
      • The Monk and the Minister

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