Our Foreign Corespondent David and I were recently discussing the minimalist lifestyle trend that has been gathering steam in recent years. The concept is to live with as few material possessions as possible. A Netflix documentary on the subject can be found HERE. As I mentioned to David, my wife and I came face to … More The Bare Minimum and Old Money
Greetings from Paris. I feel like one of the swans who glide up and down our section of the Seine here. They look so nonchalant and at ease. Beneath the surface of the water, however, they are paddling like mad. Such is the case for me right now, as we have several projects in the … More Responding To Your Comments
There are rare moments in life in which we’re privileged to learn about an artisan craftsman who is also a successful businessman…who is also, it seems, a really decent human being. David, our newly-christened Foreign Correspondent and long-time contributor, found this inspiring and heart-warming video about tailor Martin Greenfield. Enjoy it HERE. The video brought … More Martin Greenfield, A Tailor and a Gentleman
Each year about this time, I hobble together a list of classic, reliable back to school clothes and accessories that can benefit the high school senior or college freshman. This year, not so much. Parents, teachers, students, and administrators find themselves at a crossroads right now. The pandemic presents plenty of problems and no clear … More The Back To School List That Wasn’t
Maurice, one of our community’s longtime members, asked a question recently about the role of trust funds. Of course, the term is probably one of the first things most people think about when they hear the term ‘Old Money’, with a list running something like: preppy, trust fund, Volvo, Nantucket, gin and tonic, cardigan and … More Trust Me, We’ll Have Funds
Once upon a time, there was a man named O’Malley who sold pots and pans to villagers in the Irish countryside. One cloudy, rain-promising afternoon, he topped a hill and came face to face with a huge man who stood in the middle of the road, a large sack thrown over his shoulder. O’Malley stopped … More O’Malley and The Big Guy
Scarlet O’Hara famously said that, ‘After tall, tomorrow is another day,’ her closing remark in Gone With The Wind engraving a defiant optimism in the minds of a generation of readers, and probably even more film fans. So, with the ravages of Covid-19 still plaguing the globe, it’s important for us to remember this as … More The Slow But Certain Dawn
In this digital age when over-sharing is de rigueur, I think it’s important to revisit from time to time the concept of keeping a secret. Privacy, which is a Core Value of Old Money, is a general concept. Keeping a secret is a specific, tangible choice. The difference between the two makes the latter worth … More The Importance of Keeping a Secret
Some people hoard money like their going to live forever. Some people spend it like they’re going to die tomorrow. Seek the balance. BGT
David, a long-time contributor to the blog, recently raised an issue in a private email that I thought warranted discussion. When is it ‘patriotic’ (or at least in the public interest) to intentionally spend money in order to help revive the economy? President Bush encouraged Americans to ‘go out and spend’ in order to get … More Is Spending Patriotic?