It never gets easier, Should CalPERS Fire Everyone And Just Buy Some ETFs, Mastercard: ‘Chicken and Egg Problem Solved’
It never gets easier
The never ending cycle of competition can be tiring and overwhelming.
In school, we’re always looking to pass exams to get to the next grade. With college degree comes masters, then PHD.
Once you’re done with school, enter the next phase of life: climbing the corporate ladder.
This happens all the way till retirement for most.
If we’re always in competition with others for most of our life, it’s hard to know when and how to stop.
Competition becomes so deeply ingrained in us that it’s hard to change. Just like how hard it is to get habitual savers to spend down their savings in retirement.
But we don’t have to be the best.
In the poker world, sometimes the optimal strategy isn’t to improve your skill, but find weaker opponents.
Instead of focusing at getting better at poker, start focusing on finding easy games.
Playing where you’re the most skillful player at the table is the best way to ultimately make money.
In the poker world, this is known as table selection.
Find your own unique niche, where you are the best.
Read more: https://ofdollarsanddata.com/it-never-gets-easier/
Should CalPERS Fire Everyone And Just Buy Some ETFs?
Consider: California pension fund, Calipers underperforms the 60/40 portfolio.
If they still underperform with all their resources, what chance do we have?
It’s not that the results are bad.
It’s just not good enough for all the time, effort and resources invested.
Read more: https://mebfaber.com/2023/11/08/should-calpers-fire-everyone-and-just-buy-some-etfs/
Mastercard: ‘Chicken and Egg Problem Solved’
Mastercard is a classic example of a chicken and egg problem.
Before everyone accepted these cards, it was difficult to convince consumers to carry one. And before everyone carried one, it was difficult to get merchants to accept them.
Now, both Mastercard and Visa have a competitive moat around their businesses, making it very difficult for any new company to compete with them.
To be successful, a new payment network must offer superior benefits to both merchants and customers.
Even if a new payment network offers superior value, adoption will still be challenging.
Read more: https://intrinsicinvesting.com/2023/10/31/mastercard-chicken-and-egg-problem-solved/