Category: Pricing & Money

Give More to Get More

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4 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) For the last 20 or so years of their driving lives, my parents fell into a set routine: Every three years, they would turn in their old car and lease a new one. But not just any car … it was always, always, a Buick Park Avenue. Why that car? Good question. I have no idea. I do remember, however, that other than selecting from among the many available color options – Gold Fire Mist Metallic, Medium Red Pearl, Desert Sunrise, Unrefrigerated Deli Meat, etc. – the […] Click to read more…

Nonobvious Pricing

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9 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) I’m not a huge coffee drinker: two 12-ounce cups a day. One in the morning; one mid-afternoon. My wife, Linda, doesn’t drink coffee, so I rely on a Black + Decker Brew ‘n Go Personal Coffeemaker (with travel mug) I drink about half a mug with breakfast and the rest on the drive to my office. Recently, however, I’ve encountered a slight problem: the coffee seems reluctant to come out of the mug. I mean, it kind of still works. But lately it requires a bit of an […] Click to read more…

Choice Is Overrated

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22 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) We flew down to Atlanta a couple of weeks ago to visit our son Evan. For reasons we fail to understand, Evan prefers mild winters, friendly inhabitants, and modern airports over whatever the opposite of all that is that we offer here in Massachusetts. These days, when you board a plane, you’re never quite sure how new it will be. By which I mean, what level of technology will be available. Some planes have TV screens in the back of each seat, free Wi-Fi, power outlets, […] Click to read more…

Three Wrong Things

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14 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) My wife, Linda, has two brothers and a sister. One in Vermont, one in Pennsylvania, one (like us) in Massachusetts. We are near enough to one another to get together for a weekend, but too far away for unplanned visits, a chance arrangement that has served us well over the years. But we do have fun together. So, now that all children are grown and out of the house, the eight of us – each sibling and their respective partner – try to meet every year […] Click to read more…

Should You Speak For Free?

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15 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) My friend Steve is the lead singer in a terrific local cover band. They play at nearly every big event here and in surrounding towns, not to mention showing up regularly at nearby craft breweries, fundraisers, and the occasional high-end birthday party. I see him most Tuesday nights at our town’s dive bar, a regular occurrence for five or six of us that’s punctuated with beer and idiotic conversation. Sometimes, if he has an upcoming gig (it’s fun to say “gig”), Steve will share the set […] Click to read more…