To bet, or not to bet on yourself
Topics: Selling Shares in Yourself and Green Energy
#1 - To bet, or not to bet on yourself
Source: The New Yorker
How can we address income inequality in America? How about through “selling shares” in ourselves? I bet that catches your attention! However, this New Yorker headline brings up more questions than answers.
“Rather than buying shares of Spotify, a fund could buy into a portfolio of the futures of emerging hip-hop artists, all of whom would get that cash.”
First, if we sold shares in ourselves… it would be incredibly complex. Here are some considerations if this “market” existed tomorrow.
Release more data and personal information about ourselves
Purpose? Bridges the gap between private and public information to prevent insider trading.
Investors want as much data as possible when making decisions.
Will there be filing requirements (quarter and annual earnings) for ourselves?
Shorts/Puts
Could investors bet against us?
Example: I am a pop singer, but another trending pop singer is hitting the scene. This new singer is taking away my market share since all of my fans left me!
In a system like this, it incentivizes people to pursue greater and more creative projects. However, at the price of what? If investors heavily shorted our “person share”, it pushes us to work, work, and work. By focusing solely on the price of our “person share”, we push aside our physical and mental well-being. Is that really worth it?
Additionally, we would never pursue leisure time in a system like this. With investor pressures, an unfathomable amount of guilt forms if we watched a new Netflix show rather than worked.
Comparitive Analysis
I alluded to this just now, but this system likely involves comparative analysis. Not sure about you, but I do not want to be priced against anyone else. It simply creates a system of jealousy, spite, and constant competition.
Once again, these ideas bounced around in my head since reading the headline for this article. Do I want to sell shares in myself? No.
#2 - Green energy is back on the menu!
Source: WSJ
It feels like forever ago when I wrote Do Climate Leaders Outperform Traditional Energy Companies? and predicted that the US economy will soon focus more on renewable energy. At long last, a glimmer of hope finally showed up. The US Senate proposed a $369 billion bill aimed at addressing climate change. Upon the news, it sent clean energy companies soaring!
The bill proposes that renewable energy projects will receive tax incentives/credits. Thus, it will push US companies to pursue sustainable energy methods. This is truly a powerful first step in addressing climate change, especially since “Eight of the top 10 warmest years on record for the contiguous 48 states have occurred since 1998”.
What have I been up to?
Top Tier YouTube Videos
Yesterday, I spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos. You can find some of my favorite ones below! These creators inspire me to lean harder into my creative side, which is easy to forget sometimes.
The Streak That Beat Moneyball - Foolish Baseball
The Makita Coffee Machine: A Bizarre Battery-Powered Brewer - James Hoffman
For all my coffee lovers, you need to check out James Hoffman! This man knows so much about coffee and creates some of the highest quality videos out there.
How the 60-Year-Old IRS Computer System Failed on Tax Day - LGR
Really enjoyed this edition!