1. Which genius from history would have been the best investor? Financial Times, Alphaville• A seasonal thought experiment with teeth: genius is not the scarce input in markets, temperament is.• Newton’s South Sea round trip is the archetypal failure mode: early profits, then re entry at the peak when narrative overwhelms judgment.• Churchill’s investing mirrors his finances: energetic, improvised, and structurally exposed to leverage and timing risk.• Darwin emerges as the quiet allocator: diversified, cautious, and willing to rotate away from overheated assets.• Keynes is the standout. His documented record shows learning, patience, and compounding rather than constant activity.• The implied hiring rubric is almost dull: humility, risk control, and the ability to sit still beat brilliance.• Link: Which genius from history would have been the best investor?

  2. - The Disconnect Between Economists and Popular Personal Finance Gurus • Economists dominate the models but not the shelves. Personal finance culture runs on heuristics, not optimisation problems.• The piece frames this as a genre clash: theory under clean assumptions versus rules that survive distraction, temptation, and fatigue.• Savings is the first fault line. Theory recommends consumption smoothing over a lifetime. Gurus push fixed savings rates to build discipline.• Portfolio advice is the second. Lifecycle models justify high equity early via human capital. Gurus often reach similar conclusions using weaker stories like long run stock safety.• The productive insight is that popular advice may encode what models omit: self control costs, psychological comfort, and real world constraints.• Link: The Disconnect Between Economists and Popular Personal Finance Gurus

  3. Exercise before stress: a cortisol refractory period Psychoneuroendocrinology, ScienceDirect

    • Experimental evidence shows that cortisol released during exercise suppresses the cortisol response to a later psychosocial stressor.

Fig. 2

  • Intensity matters. Vigorous exercise produces the strongest dampening effect, with lower peaks and faster recovery during subsequent stress.
  • The mechanism is physiological negative feedback rather than mood or mindset alone.
  • This reframes pre performance workouts as endocrine sequencing: controlled stress first, reduced biological overreaction later.
  • The practical takeaway is timing. Exercise earlier on days with difficult conversations, public speaking, or high stakes decisions.
  • Link: The effects of exercise intensity on the cortisol response to a subsequent acute psychosocial stressor