...a complex chocolate cake...

...What is in more desperate need of appreciation and perspective are the things you never asked for, the things you worked hard to prevent from happening in the first place. Because that’s where gratitude will make the biggest difference and where we need the most healing...

...If a commitment is bite-size, it appears less daunting to us, and we’re more likely to stick to our word. Making smaller, more frequent commitments is more effective than making larger, less frequent ones, even when they amount to the same commitment...

...The takeaway is that even people who expect to rely on government resources if they develop a long-term-care need should think through the financial and other implications of long-term care for their retirement plans. And people who expect to rely on their own resources or purchase some type of insurance to cover long-term-care expenses should be methodical about it, thinking through their prospective coverage needs and weighing their options...

...No matter what it is you’re cooking, if you put too much in the pot, it’s not going to come out as well...Very few things scale forever...

...Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems...

...For Smaller Givers: Take Advantage of the Deduction Available for Nonitemizers...For Midsize Givers: Use Qualified Charitable Distributions...For Larger Givers: Donate Highly Appreciated Assets From Taxable Accounts...

...Earthy and sweet with molasses, rich with cream, and bittersweet with dark chocolate...

...is suddenly changing your mind really a mark of insight? Major revelations make for memorable stories, but our research shows they rarely represent how the best analytic minds revise their beliefs. Rather than doing a 180, those who excel at making accurate predictions tend to change their beliefs gradually. They revise their predictions to reflect new information, but they do so slowly, comparing it with the information they had before...

...The arc of our evolutionary history is long. But it bends toward goodness...

...When jotting down the questions for your interview panel, focus on your deal breakers: What would make you walk away?...

...Because talent is the most valuable part of a startup and also the greatest cost (recruiting and salaries), investing in the infrastructure to attract and retain talent is good business...

...A luxury good is one where the price paid is much higher than the apparent utility it offers. We pay extra precisely because it’s not a good value. The utility lies in how we and our peers think about it. The scarcity and bling of a luxury good are used to increase our status (in our own eyes and those in our cohort)...

...The mandatory withdrawals that must commence from tax-deferred accounts at age 72 are called required minimum distributions, not required minimum spending...

...The bourbon-honey syrup and orange zest in the filling add rich, savory flavor, and keep things less sweet than the traditional Middle Eastern treat...

...It's hard to accept that stuff we treasure is not valuable to others. Not everyone sees the same potential, or the same uselessness, in an item...

...“Chase two rabbits and you will catch neither.” As you make discoveries, where should you focus your attention? On your strengths. By focusing only on your weaknesses, you can really only move up to average...

...When we buy something, it gives us a temporary boost — a bit of excitement, anticipation, some hope that it will give us something in our lives that feels missing. Maybe we hope the new purchase will help us to feel cool, sexy, lovable, adventurous, fit, peaceful, connected, or find a sense of belonging...

...The math here is compelling indeed: 1,000 would-be authors pitch books but only 30 get published. Each book takes a year to write but just six hours to read. And you didn’t read all thirty of them, just the one that had the best reviews… 10,000 hours of work by authors and editors to deliver six hours to you...

...On the other hand, employer stock can introduce risk and complexity into an individual's financial plan. After all, employees have a lot riding on their companies' wherewithal even before employer stock enters the picture, because that's where they earn their paychecks. By owning company stock, employees effectively double down on their bet on the financial health of their firms. Moreover, company stock can introduce tax headaches, especially for people who aren't well versed in the tax treatment of these assets...