Author Archive
It’s A Conspiracy I Tell You!
Posted by Paul in Mathemagical Thinking On November 12, 2019
I don’t believe in conspiracy theories but — whenever you hear the “but” you know exactly what is coming! — there is one story that is rather worrisome, and also something to which one can trivially add
Simplify!
Posted by Paul in Mathemagical Thinking On October 2, 2019
The following may or may not be factually accurate. It all happened a long time ago. But it is absolutely 100% correct in spirit. Twenty or so years ago I was browsing through the library of Imperial
Perspective
Posted by Paul in Mathemagical Thinking On October 2, 2019
I love watching Dragons’ Den, the programme in which entrepreneurs try to get established business people to invest in their ideas. I love trying to predict which Dragon will say what, how they will negotiate a deal,
Rule #1 Of Investing: Don’t Obey Rule #1
Posted by Paul in Mathemagical Thinking On October 1, 2019
One of the first lessons in any course on investing will be about portfolio construction and the benefits of diversification, how to maximize expected return for a given level of risk. If assets are not correlated then
Cheers!
Posted by Paul in Think Like A Mathematician On September 30, 2019
Now we are going to talk about drink. About time. Specifically the martini. The original classic martini cocktail is two thirds gin, one third dry vermouth shaken with ice (if you are James Bond) or stirred (for
There’s Nothing Better Than The Right Bad News!
Posted by Paul in Think Like A Mathematician On September 27, 2019
There are many quotes by famous people about problems being opportunities. “The block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak, became a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong.” Thomas Carlyle. “Every
The Wealth Manager
Posted by Paul in Mathemagical Thinking On September 27, 2019
Following on from Credit Ratings, here’s a true story about how reassuring mathematical analysis can be. Until it turns out to be baloney. This story is also a warning about experts. Unfortunately, although there’s a lesson here
Credit Ratings
Posted by Paul in Mathemagical Thinking On September 27, 2019
Didn’t you feel proud when your teacher gave you an A+ at school? Or were you a C student, must try harder? Don’t tell us you were an F! My, you’ve done well…considering. Just as teachers grade
Numbers Versus Symbols
Posted by Paul in Think Like A Mathematician On September 27, 2019
Are you a numbers person or a symbols person? Look, if you don’t know what I mean then it’s simple, you are a numbers person. It’s a question I often ask of my audience. It helps me
Experts? Phooey!
Posted by Paul in Mathemagical Thinking On September 26, 2019
Experts, who needs ’em? Until recently we’d all have said everyone. But that pendulum has swung all the other way. Experts? They don’t know what they are talking about. We understand this sentiment. We’ve criticized experts in