I’m writing this a little ahead of time, but as I write this, my wife, Rachel, is about to graduate from medical school with an M.D. I’m proud of her. She’s worked and studied harder than a person should. She’s been a top student. So much so, that when she interviewed for residency programs, one interviewer asked her what her GPA was and when she said it, he scoffed, and said, “No, I mean your medical school GPA.” She gracefully repeated the GPA and made it clear that that was in fact her medical school GPA. Of course, her transcript was right in front of her as he was interviewing her. She ranked that program low because she felt like that particular person was somewhat rude to her. It all worked out, she got her first choice for residency, and she’s ready to start her career as a doctor. I’m confident she’ll be a great one. Here are some of the stories I stumbled across over the course of what’s been a very busy week for us:
Conflict of interest doesn’t apply to blogs @ Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist – The people that read this blog regularly, you know that I love Penelope Trunk. I think she produces some of the best content across the blogosphere when she’s on. I disagree with this post. I don’t think her analogy of disclosing other benefits is equivalent to disclosing when you’re getting paid to write a post. She says that as long as she writes well, it shouldn’t matter how much she’s making to post about a particular company, and that we should trust her to choose good companies to write about. I can’t agree. I think bloggers have an obligation to disclose when they are getting paid to write a particular post. Money hurts objectivity. I don’t think anyone would disagree with that. If you’re going to pay me write about your company, you have an expectation that this will bring your company business in the future. A favorable review will bring you more business, and thus is worth more money to you. I have an incentive to make as much money as possible. A negative review might also hurt my reputation with companies and give them a lesser incentive to hire me in the future. I think a byline, stating that this is my true opinion of the company but disclosing that I was compensated for giving it, would do the trick. That would be the a true and honest way to handle it. One of Penelope’s strengths is that she’s honest. I think bloggers should be consistent with that value on this particular issue.
The Great Piggy Back Adventure @ Get Rich Slowly - Just for the sake of example, JD over at Get Rich Slowly, another big and successful blogger, reviews something and discloses the company’s involvement/compensation. He’s an honest and ethical guy. He always points it out if he’s getting paid for something. I pledge to do the same on this blog.
Money Mistake: Assuming a college degree guarantees a good job @ Christian Personal Finance – A college degree doesn’t guarantee you anything. Lots of people have degrees that are waiting tables and working at blockbuster. Your ability to network is paramount when it comes to getting a job. I hate that word, networking, but it’s true. I graduated from law school in May of 2008. I have lots of out of work classmates. I have been fortunate enough to have gotten a good job, but having a college degree, or law degree, doesn’t guarantee you a job. It’s what you do in the aftermath of getting the degree that matters.
Dividend Investing vs Trading @ Dividend Growth Investor – “Reinvested dividends magnify total returns and deliver even faster compounding of dividend income. Reinvested dividends are believed to have accounted for 97% of S&P 500 total returns since 1871.” That sounds like a pretty good argument for dividend investing to me. Of course, it’s not the only way to invest. Philip Fisher liked to focus on companies that don’t pay dividends and was one of the most successful investors of all time. DGI closes with this, “By creating a diversified income portfolio through dollar cost averaging and by reinvesting dividends, investors are more likely than not to achieve long-term sustainable success in the market.” I agree.
Why I Wanna Spend @ Sense to Save – This post points out something important. Once you reach a certain point in your financial journey, it may become increasingly tempting to spend more. If you check your bank account, and think, I’ve never had so much money before, you might walk around thinking, I can spend more going forward. It’s tough to adopt the frugal lifestyle and stick to it. Every frugal person knows this, and is affected by it in one way or another.
Have a great weekend and thanks for reading.
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Thanks for the link! Also, congrats on your wife’s completion of med school!
I just stumbled on your blog and really like it!
Congratulations, Rachael! So, happy and proud for you both – even though I have not seen/met you. An M.D. and a Lawyer! Pretty cool. I am inspired by your humility even though you are both high achievers. Wish you lots of success and happiness.
Congratulations to your wife on gradutating medical school! It is quite an accomplishment, though the residency is not a cake walk either. My wife joined a Pediatricians practice a few years ago, so we have gone through a similar path. Best of luck through the residency.