Incentive to Take Risk

January 5, 2026

Good morning! Merry Christmas Day #12 There being two votes in the affirmative and more abstentions than we could count, we will persevere with these Musings into this new year. Year #8 here we go!

• I was reflecting upon Bob Prevost, the well-known fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team — and I got to thinking…
  • What is the most exclusive club ever in the history of the world — and how does (did) one gain membership to it?
  • British monarchy?  Papacy?  Billionaire?  Progeny of George Washington?  Assassinated political leaders?  Habsburg’s?  Baseball hitters >.400?  First to fly?  Walked on the moon?  Biggest Jerks?  Best lovers?
• To borrow or not to borrow — to mortgage or not to mortgage — to have a national debt or not to have a national debt?
  • Alexander Hamilton, recent star of stage and screen, advocated for — and established — our national debt.
  • It has arguably fueled a form of capitalism otherwise most unlikely — and at a speed known only to Dutch tulip growers.
  • But, like an upside-down mortgage — or ANY car loan — how much is too much and how much is just the right amount?
  • Hamilton believed the U.S. Congress — with its high morals and in good conscience — would never let the debt get too large because it would become a burden upon the people.
  • (Hmmm?  Alex, have you met the next generations!)
• “The main difference between the U.S. brand of capitalism and elsewhere is a focus on the individual and an incentive to take risks.”  (Lowenstein)
• The malady du jour — at least for all of last year — is loneliness.
  • Like the weather, everyone talks about it, but no one does anything about it… until now, maybe.
  • According to Gallup (The Economist), fewer than 10% of people in the United States report feeling lonely, whereas…
  • … more than 40% report the malady in Central Africa and Madagascar… and more than 30% report feeling lonely in China, Afghanistan, Mauritania, and other locales.
• Six years ago, Japan (4.8 million), Germany, and Mexico far out-paced other countries exporting electric vehicles — especially China at 700,000.
  • Now, in 2025, China surged into the lead with 5.5 million electric vehicles exported replacing Japan and all other countries.
  • (BTW, these Musings reported on this developing trend several years ago.)
  • The U.S. was a distant 5th in 2019 with 1.5 million vehicles — and now a distant 6th with just 800,000 by comparison.  (U.S. Census Bureau, Etc., et al.)
  • Important?  Who knows?!
• In the coming decades, the global population of humans aged 65 and older is projected to increase significantly… absent some sort of plague or catastrophe…
  • fueling a demand for a wide range of senior living solutions.
  • About 80% of seniors worldwide say they want to remain in their own homes…
  • … which metaphorically opens those doors to house modifications and retrofitting services, to technology-enabled, age-in-place solutions…
  • that blend independence with access to care.  (Oxford Economics)
    • And, might we add:  Companionship, Conversations, Relationships… so needed and wanted…
• Here at Without A Vision Consultancy we are NOT marketing experts, but we do form opinions and make informed observations about it.
  • Almost always, marketing is unnecessarily complicated and fails to communicate what most importantly and urgently needs to be communicated — to the right person (people).
  • At the end of the day, Will you please purchase what I’m selling?
  • From an expert, Murray:
    • “Social media (are) the front door, front porch of your brand.
    • Ten years ago people thought we could put an intern in charge of it.
    • But now, it’s too important and you really need a professional who is going to handle that responsibility.
    • … Social media roles are the most important and most undervalued positions in marketing.”  (Murray)
      1. Your brand’s voice
      2. Your community manager
      3. Your video editor
      4. Your content strategist
      5. Your crisis public relations team
      6. Your trend forecaster
      7. All in one person…
    • And most organizations pay her/ him like s/he is posting memes for fun.
    • The internet is nearly infinite…
    • There are micro-communities everywhere (you might be in one of them right now!)
    • Stop assigning this increasingly important social media function to an intern…
      • … which is nothing negative or disrespectful about interns, who might be enormously talented.  (Ibid.)
• Kate Winslet’s directorial debut is worth a watch if you desire a break from sex and violence — and who would?  But… — it’s Goodbye June.
• “Who you associate with is just enormously important…”  (Buffet)  [Should that be whom?]