Atlas Shrugged

If you are reading this and you don’t know what is meant by market share or labor cost or EBITDA or net income you need to learn them. Soon.

Strong Dollar

What does that mean?

Anyone serious about a career should know what terms like this mean.  At least generally.

It is a macroeconomic term (everyone should know that word too).

  • A strong dollar makes U.S. goods more expensive overseas.  Hurts exports. People in other countries buy less American.
  • Stuff we import costs us less.
  • Oil and other commodities are priced in dollars, so these items all cost more overseas. Wheat, beef, tin.  But costs less here! Our gas prices drop.
  • If you borrow here but make money in other currencies, you need more profit to be able to pay it back.

Anyway to my point.  Everyone should know what a strong dollar means.

The language of finance IS the language of business.

Learn one at a time.  Ask your boss about them if they pertain to your circumstance, and some of them will.  It is not stupid to not know, but it is stupid to not learn or care.  Don’t be someone who does not develop.

If you are a coach, periodically train your team. Grab a couple important metrics in your business and update your team.  How much you spend for energy or the phone bill or employee health insurance.

If you are reading this, be literate in the language of finance. It is the language of business.

Now to the title of the article.  It is a bit more esoteric than what I’ve written above, but do you know what the term “Atlas Shrugged” means?  It refers to John Galt as he walked away from traditional economic society.

Captured in a book by the same name, written by Ayn Rand over 50 years ago. A fictional work with a great story. In truth, not a quick read but a very interesting plotline.  I’ve read stats indicating it is anywhere from 9 million copies sold to the 2nd most in the English language.  Still sells 500,000 copies a year.

If you read that book, you will know what people are talking about when they advocate for lower taxes or less regulation in driving macroeconomic growth.  A rising tide creating a society where even hotel dishwashers with few culturally useful communication skills live with a higher quality of life than the richest king 200 years ago.

  • smartphone in the pocket of
  • clothes with great seams,
  • incredibly clean water or
  • access to power or transportation, medicine yada yada yada

Not everyone agrees, surely, with Rand’s premise of Atlas Shrugged.  But read the book and better understand so many of the world’s headlines.

Atlas Shrugged

If one has not read Atlas Shrugged, one needs a library card and a lamp.

Back to a strong dollar and then I’m out.  I listed some bullets talking about impacts.  But words can fool.  Is a strong dollar good or bad?  That list I made doesn’t really inform.

When the fed raises rates and a talking head says the dollar will strengthen, you’ll kinda know what that means.

Another example.  Trade Deficit.  A trade deficit can also be called a capital surplus.

Which is better?

Trade Deficit?

Capital Surplus?

I know which SOUNDS better.  But you never hear it.  You hear trade deficit.

They are the same thing.

Be literate financially.  If you are a coach, help your team.   Be their best boss ever.

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