What Should I Do?

Before I get into it today, I wanted to shout out to my friend Mike Marquez a VC and banker who made me laugh today (as always). Mike was the corporate development lead at CBS and led the acquisition of my last Company Wallstrip in 2006. We became quick friends. Mike is such a pro. A few weeks ago we were having dinner in San Francisco and he slipped up and mentioned a deal he was working on thinking I knew about it because it was a portfolio company. I was pissed, but realized his job was to keep his mouth shut. So I did not press. Actually I pressed hard, but Mike threw me way off course.

Anyways, today I get a text asking me about ‘my meds’ …an old inside joke. I shot back that they were perfectly locked in and how was our ‘deal’ progressing?

He came back with ‘tracking along but going slow because everyone keeps punching me’.

I honestly did not get what he meant. I assumed it was banker cryptic talk.

Tonight I was walking with Ellen telling her about my exchanges with Mike and she said ‘punch a banker’ is what I always say on my blog and Mike reads my blog….that it was Mike being funny.

Sorry Mike. That was funny! You are a huggable banker.

Ok …onward…

Writing every day on this blog the last year has been fantastic for me. I feel connected to my work and the rhythms of the market.

I write to learn.

Josh has a good post up on the subject today.

The daily writing has also led to a flood of questions that I have let get way backed up.

The number one question I get continues to be ‘What Should I Do’? …with $10k, $250k, my career, should I buy Bitcoin…?

My standard response is I can’t/won’t tell you what to do, but I will share what I am doing. Generally in real time.

Beyond writing to learn, I try to stay true to being motivational and optimistic. I want people to participate.

I got interested in the markets during the 90’s when it was hip to be told what to buy. That peaked with TheStreet.com IPO and Yahoo Message Boards in 1999/2000.

This recent generation of investors is all about looking things up themselves and as Josh Brown says ‘right in front of you’.

If you found me, you can find thousands of people smarter than me by just following the people I follow.

You are on the right path.

I was with my nephew Jeremy as well tonight who is 19 and headed back to University of Arizona for his sophomore year. He is also my daughter Rachel’s roommate this year with two other friends. He’s wise beyond his years.

He has deleted his social apps and lives on gmail and texts. He reads my daily email. He also reads Fred Wilson’s blog. He follows Naval, reads Ben Thompson and the Stocktwits Daily Rip email. He just took a Udacity class on cryptography.

I felt like asking him ‘What Should I do?’

We are way too dismissive of the next generation.