I'll admit that I geek out on credit card rewards. I'll also admit that over the past four years or so I have received at least $1,500 in free cash back, gift cards, free flights, or other swag.  I thought I'd share the best rewards cards around.  Although the best reward structure depends on your spending habits, chances are it will be one of these cards, or a combination. 

I joined Boston Sports Club in the beginning of August, taking advantage of their special student rate ($19/month for one gym, $29/month for all gym access; with restrictions). Fortunately the membership required only a small initial fee, and created no long term contract. And I get to keep the student rate until I discontinue membership! I opted for the $29/month option which gave me access to all BSCs, with two suburban exceptions. Recently, at HubSpot, we secured a few group discounts with two gyms, BSC being one of them. I thought this review would be a good chance to share my thoughts.  

I've had a great time working in the Support Team at HubSpot these past few months.  The job has been a lesson in how to run a software business (from all ends of the organization) and the benefits and differentiation a business can attain by having world-class support.  Here are a few of my takeaways; I hope to share more soon. 

Short sales in real estate borrow their name from the practice of short selling stock.  On the stock market a trader can borrow securities with the intention of buying the security back at a later date.  The trader who short sells or “shorts” a stock profits from a decline in the price of the stock by buying the stock back in the future at a lower price, in turn making a spread between the prices. Similarly, homeowners borrow against the equity of their home with the intention of buying back the house over a period of time, typically a 30-year mortgage.  The comparison ends there – a homeowner can only profit by selling their interest in their house when the value of the house has appreciated.

I recently accepted a position at HubSpot, a venture-backed Internet marketing software company based in Cambridge. In my nine months interning at HubSpot, I have been mesmerized by the amount of brainpower and prowess that all employees possess – from other interns to higher management. Startups, or companies that function like them, are uniquely situated to recruit and employ college students, and I don’t think they do enough of it.

One of my first tasks at HubSpot was to go back in time and use our data warehouses to determine when and how communication with customers occurred. Working in the Operations Department, the project was a great introduction to our various terminologies and systems. I drew out a physical timeline to scale for two “typical” customers since we have two main personas that we sell to – a business owner, and a marketing professional. The experience shaped the way that I think about both the company and our customers.

Fundamentally, quantitative easing increases the money supply by purchasing large amounts of securities, in this case government treasury bonds. With the excess capital that floods into the marketplace, financial institutions will then have more capital available to lend, thus increasing borrowing and spending in the greater economy. Quantitative easing is usually employed only after all other policy tools have been employed: open market operations, the discount rate, and reserve requirements. While quantitative easing may sound like the perfect answer, it does come at the very steep cost of inflation.

Why I Sold my MacBook Pro & iPad

I loved my 12” PowerBook G4. It was an awesome form factor, and weighed only 4.6 pounds. I bought it only six years ago, and now I have a machine that’s exactly half the weight, is exponentially faster, is more durable, has more pixels (better resolution), and allows me to do everythingI need it to.

On March 8^th, 2010 Lindsay Lohan filed suit against E*Trade Securities LLC claiming that “…the ditzy, ‘milk-a-holic’ baby girl named Lindsay is modeled after [Lohan] and improperly invoked her likeness, name, characterization, and personality without permission, violating her right to privacy.”[2] Lohan claimed $50 million in compensatory damages, as well as $50 million in exemplary damages.[3] The suit was brought in Nassau County Supreme Court in the State of New York. In the complaint issued by Lohan’s lawyers, Stephanie Ovadia and Anand Ahuja, the main argument is that: “24.  The defendants took the plaintiff’s name and characterization and used in “ADVERTISEMENTS” without plaintiff’s consent and authorization,”  “28. Defendants have acted knowingly, willfully and in bad faith,” and “29. Defendants, and their agents, have committed tortuous acts within the State of New York, which and are causing injury to the plaintiff.”[4]

Ancient Greek mythology divided the Age of Man into five different eras, the first being the ‘Golden Age.’ Noted for its peace and tranquility, the Golden Age represented a time where one could do no wrong, and neighbors lived harmoniously with each other.[1] Since roughly 2001, speculators in the gold market have experienced the capitalist version of a Golden Age.[2] Even through turbulent economic times, gold prices have gone through the roof, hitting all-time nominal highs of over $1,350 per ounce. If Greek mythology continues to lend itself as a metaphor, it’s all downhill from here. By the time the fifth and final stage of man was reached, “mankind was hopelessly violent and cruel.” So, will gold prices continue to climb, extending the Golden Age even in the midst of a possible ‘double-dip’ recession, or will it be the next big bubble?