Category: Business
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Fun with Numbers
Introduction: Intention is to be transparent about spending for the past calendar year. Living expenses, excluding income tax, totaled $37,000. Assuming an 11% marginal income tax rate, this level of spending requires income of $42,000, below the US GDP per capita of $70,000. Expenses: Living expense $19,000:– Rent: $11,000 (record hostels and AirBnB as rent…
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CFO Stories
Introduction: Served as CFO in private equity, biotech industry for fifteen years. Purpose here is to reflect and share a few stories, experiences, or anecdotes that stand out. 1. Payroll: Worked at Epocal, in Ottawa Canada. The company nearly went bankrupt, twice. Often times, I would wake up at 2am, wondering how I would fund…
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FIRE
Part I: growing up My family wasn’t poor, but we weren’t well off. My parents didn’t have credit cards; if my Mom didn’t have cash in her wallet, we weren’t going to be buying anything. My brothers and I wore hand-me-down clothes from friends and neighbors. Sometimes we received free lunch at school. Growing up,…
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Quitting
Part I: background Always wanted to teach university. Didn’t want to invest five years to earn PhD; didn’t want to be career academic; after fifteen years as CFO in private equity, biotech industry, believed that I had something to share in the classroom – grey hair and wisdom. But I was wrong. During 2019 sabbatical,…
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Hedgehogs, Jet Fuel, and the Meaning of Life
Graduated with an MBA from University of Virginia, Darden School of Business in May 2005. Before joining JetBlue in June, the School asked me to write a one-page essay about my career decision, shared below. It was a high time to join the company. David Neeleman (CEO) and Dave Barger (COO) hosted every new-hire orientation;…
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