WALL STREET HONORING: Jimmy Carter!

Posted on December 30, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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The stock market may close next month to honor Former President Jimmy Carter, who died yesterday at his home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 100.

Carter, the 39th and longest-living U.S. president, was honored with a moment of silence earlier today at the New York Stock Exchange (ICE) and the NASDAQ (NDAQ).

When he is laid to rest in January, Wall Street will likely take a break.

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PROPORTIONALITY: Cognitive Bias

Posted on December 30, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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The proportionality bias, also known as major event/major cause heuristic, is the tendency to assume that big events have big causes. It is a type of cognitive bias and plays an important role in people’s tendency to accept conspiracy theories. Academic psychologist Rob Brotherton summarized it as “When something big happens, we tend to assume that something big must have caused it”.

IOW: Proportionality Bias is the inclination to believe that the magnitude of an event’s cause must be proportional to the event’s outcome. It’s like thinking a huge disaster must have a huge cause. This bias simplifies our understanding of complex situations but often leads to misconceptions. In reality, small causes can have large effects, and vice versa.

Related: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2022/09/09/accuracy-versus-precision/

And so, to overcome proportionality bias according to colleague Dan Ariely Phd, consider all possible explanations, regardless of their size. Remember: sometimes big things happen for small reasons.

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HABITUATION: Repetitive Stimuli

Posted on December 29, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Habituation is your brain’s way of tuning out repetitive stimuli. It’s like background noise – after a while, you stop noticing it. This mental autopilot helps us focus on new and important information, but it can also make us overlook the familiar. It’s why you might not notice a smell in your house that’s obvious to a visitor.

To combat habituation, according to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, try changing up your routine and environment. Fresh experiences keep your brain engaged and alert.


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PARADOX: Anti-Trust Definition with Book

Posted on December 29, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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The anti-trust paradox suggests that antitrust enforcement artificially raised prices by protecting inefficient competitors from competition.

The Antitrust Paradox Book is an influential 1978 book by Robert Bork that criticized the state of US anti-trust law in the 1970s. A second edition, updated to reflect substantial changes in the law, was published in 1993. Bork has credited Aaron Director as well as other economists from the University of Chicago as influences.

Bork argued that the original intent of antitrust laws as well as economic efficiency makes consumer welfare and the protection of competition, rather than competitors, were the only goals of antitrust law.

Thus, while it was appropriate to prohibit cartels that fix prices and divide markets and mergers that create monopolies, practices that are allegedly exclusionary, such as vertical agreements and price discrimination, did not harm consumers and so should not be prohibited.

The paradox of antitrust enforcement was that legal intervention artificially raised prices by protecting inefficient enterprises from competition.

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COGNITIVE BIAS: Envy and Jealousy

Posted on December 28, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Envy / Jealousy: This bias also relates to the contrast and social proof biases.  Prudent financial and business planning and related decision-making are based on real needs followed by desires.  People’s happiness and satisfaction is often based more on one’s position relative to perceived peers rather than an ability to meet absolute needs. 

The strong desire to “keep up with the Jones” can lead people to risk what they have and need for what they want.  These actions can have a disastrous impact on important long-term financial goals. 

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, clear communication and vivid examples of risks is often needed to keep people focused on important financial goals rather than spurious ones, or simply money alone, for its own sake.

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DAILY UPDATE: Veterans Scammed as 3 Major Markets Drop

Posted on December 28, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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Read: Health insurers reportedly took billions of dollars from Medicare to cover veterans who didn’t use services. (the Wall Street Journal)

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US stocks closed the holiday week on a downbeat note as Wall Street slogged to the finish of a largely triumphant year.

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) lost 1.1%, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) shed 1.5% Friday at the close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gave up 0.8%. Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX) hovered near seven-month highs around 4.6%.

After stacking impressive gains this year, some of the biggest names in tech lost ground as investors took profits, rebalance portfolios, or reassessed their lofty valuations. Tesla (TSLA) lost 5%. Nvidia (NVDA) gave up c2%, while Amazon (AMZN) decreased by 1%.

Wall Street has just three trading days remaining in a 2024 full of big gains, but markets have been unable to mount a “Santa Claus” rally into the end of the year.

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Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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BACKFIRE: Mind Effect

Posted on December 27, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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The Backfire Effect refers to the strengthening of a belief even after it has been challenged.

Cook and Lewandowsky (2011) explain it very well in the context of changing people’s minds in their Debunking Handbook. The backfire effect may work based on the same foundation as Declinism, in that we do not like change. It is also similar to negativity bias, in that we wish to avoid losing and other negative outcomes—in this case, one’s idea is being challenged or rejected (i.e. perceived as being made out to be “wrong”) and thus, they may hold on tighter to the idea than they had before.

However, according to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, there are caveats to the backfire effect—for example, we also tend to abandon a belief if there’s enough evidence against it with regard to specific facts.

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STOCK MARKET TRAPS: Overbought Bulls and Oversold Bears

Posted on December 27, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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What Is a Bull Trap?

A bull trap, according to James Chen, is a false signal, referring to a declining trend in a stock, index, or other security that reverses after a convincing rally and breaks a prior support level. The move “traps” traders or investors that acted on the buy signal and generates losses on resulting long positions. A bull trap may also refer to a whipsaw pattern. Read: “Bull Trap.”

What is a Bear Trap

The opposite of a bull trap is a bear trap, which occurs when sellers fail to press a decline below a breakdown level.

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ICARUS: Business Paradox

Posted on December 26, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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The Icarus Paradox suggests that some businesses bring about their own downfall through their own successes.

The Icarus paradox was coined by Dan Miller in his 1990 book by the same name. The term refers to the phenomenon of businesses failing abruptly after a period of apparent success, where this failure is brought about by the very elements that led to their initial success.

It alludes to Icarus of Greek mythology, who drowned after flying too close to the Sun. The failure of the very wings that allowed him to escape imprisonment and soar through the skies was what ultimately led to his demise, hence the paradox.

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MANDEVILLE’S Economic Paradox

Posted on December 26, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

DEFINITION

By Staff Reporters

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Bernard Mandeville’s Paradox represent actions that may be vicious to individuals may also benefit society as a whole.

Mandeville’s Paradox challenges traditional moral and economic assumptions about selfishness and virtue. It suggests that economic systems can thrive on individual self-interest, a concept that has influenced modern economic thought, particularly in the development of free-market ideologies.

Understanding this paradox is crucial for economists, policymakers, and philosophers as it complicates the evaluation of behaviors and policies based solely on their perceived moral qualities. It invites a complex analysis of how individual actions, regardless of their intentions, contribute to the broader welfare of society.

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BRUSHING: Beware Holiday Scams!

Posted on December 25, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

DEFINED

By Staff Reporters

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In brushing scams, according to Norton, criminals trick e-commerce platforms into believing you purchased a product, allowing them to post fake verified reviews under your name. These verified reviews increase the product’s visibility on sites like Amazon or eBay. They especially happen during the holiday season.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Information gathering: An unethical business gathers information about you through online sources such as people-search sites, data leaked through reaches, or info bought from an illegal marketplace.
  2. Bogus account creation: The business creates an online shopping account with your information.
  3. Shipment: They send a package to your address with no return address on the label.
  4. Fraudulent review: They write a glowing review in your name for the product they sent you.

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MAYFIELD’S Paradox

Posted on December 24, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Mayfield’s Paradox suggests that keeping everyone out of an information system is impossible, but so is getting everybody in.

The paradox is depicted as a U-curve, where the cost of a system is on the vertical axis, and the percentage of humanity that can access the system is on the horizontal axis. Acceptance of this paradox by the information security community was immediate, because it was consistent with the professional experiences of this group.

Mayfield’s Paradox points out that, at some point of the curve, additional security becomes unrealistically expensive. Conversely, at some point of the curve, it becomes unrealistically expensive to add additional users.

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CHRISTMAS EVE GIFTS: Keeping Up with the Jones

Posted on December 24, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Feeling the Pressure to “Give”

By Rick Kahler MS CFP®

Are you feeling any pressure this Christmas season to give, give, give? Keeping up with the Joneses all year is hard enough. It gets even worse during the holidays, when we feel pressured to keep up, not just with the Joneses, but also with the expectations others, and ourselves, put on Santa Claus.

Some Christmas shoppers overspend on gifts and end up paying off credit card bills for months. Others drive themselves crazy trying to find exactly the right gifts for the right people. Others hate the whole idea of shopping so much that they find it hard to enjoy the season.

If you fit into any of these categories, the cause may be your money scripts. The unconscious beliefs about money that we all hold are especially likely to kick in this time of year. We are surrounded by expectations and pressures about “ideal” holiday celebrations with the perfect gifts, the perfect decorations, and the perfect foods. As a result, we are especially vulnerable to making money decisions blindly in response to beliefs we don’t even realize we hold.

You may be one of those who regularly end up spending significantly more on gifts than you intended to. You may impulsively buy additional, unbudgeted gifts for people you’ve already bought presents for. You may not even try to set holiday spending limits. You may overspend on things for yourself while you’re Christmas shopping.

  • If any of these are true for you, you may have some unconscious beliefs about money that drive you to overspend. See whether any of the following money scripts might fit for you:
  • “The more you spend, the more love you show.”
  • “It takes the joy out of giving if you pinch pennies.”
  • “It’s the season for giving lavishly, not for being a Scrooge.”
  • “If I don’t buy just the right gifts, people won’t like or respect me.”
  • “I need to give my kids more than I got when I was a child.”
  • “More gifts and more spending will make the holidays okay (and make my guilt go away).”
  • “It’s tradition. Everyone expects (whatever) from me.”
  • “I do so much for everyone else; I deserve something for myself, too.”

It’s also possible you may go to the opposite extreme and be a Grinch when it comes to the holidays. If you hate Christmas shopping, grumble about the holiday being so commercialized, and look forward to January, it’s possible you may hold some money scripts that drive you to underspend. Your beliefs may be similar to the following:

  • “It’s wrong to spend money except on necessities.”
  • “You aren’t a spiritual or religious person if you spend too much money.”
  • “Christmas shouldn’t be about money.”
  • “It’s wrong to spend money on luxuries when poor people are suffering.”
  • “It isn’t good for kids to get too much.”
  • “My kids shouldn’t have more than I had when I was a child.”

Christmas Wreath

If you’d like to change some aspects of what you do and how you feel about holiday spending, you may find it useful to take a closer look at your own beliefs about the season. One way to begin this is to quickly write answers (short statements are best) to the following questions: What do I believe about money and each of the following? Christmas? Family celebrations? Presents? Giving? Spending? Receiving?

Assessment

You may uncover some money scripts similar to the ones listed above. Learning why you tend to overspend or under spend this time of year won’t instantly change what you do. Yet understanding what is behind your pattern of holiday spending is an important way to start becoming a more conscious Christmas shopper.

Conclusion

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Risk Management, Liability Insurance, and Asset Protection Strategies for Doctors and Advisors: Best Practices from Leading Consultants and Certified Medical Planners™8Comprehensive Financial Planning Strategies for Doctors and Advisors: Best Practices from Leading Consultants and Certified Medical Planners™

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INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO: More on Year End Mutual Fund “Window Dressing”

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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By Steve Selengut

December values may not be what they seem

NOTE: Mr. Selengut is a private investor and a contributing editor to LIFE & Health Advisor. He is the author of the book ‘The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The book that Wall Street does not want you to read.’

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As [physician] investors, and we all are investors these days, it is important that we understand the idiosyncrasies of year-end Stock Market activity. On Wall Street, investing can be a minefield for those who don’t appreciate the non-economic, non-business-model, factors contributing to the market value numbers in fourth quarter brokerage account summaries.

Year end market values may not be what they seem ….

“Portfolio Window Dressing” (PWD) produces security pricing that is more a function of next year’s institutional marketing programs than a reflection of the economic forces that we would like to think are their primary determining factors. Not even close…

Toward the end of every calendar quarter, we hear the financial media report that “institutional PWD activities” are in full swing. But that is as deep as the stories ever go. What are they talking about, and just what does it mean to you as an investor?

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READ MORE: https://www.lifehealth.com/year-end-portfolio-window-dressing/

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VIDEO: Christmas 2024 Holiday City Lights Tour

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

  By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

[CEO – iMBA Inc]

Dr. DEMTo Our ME-P Subscribers, iMBA Inc., Clients and Friends 

As we look forward to sharing the holidays with family and friends, we also remember those less fortunate.

And, as has been our practice in recent years, rather than sending holiday greeting cards, the iMBA Inc will provide support to several charities dedicated to helping those in need.

We hope this gesture provides happier holidays for others and serves to express our gratitude to you, in the spirit of the season, for your continued support and loyalty to this ME-P.

Happy New Year 2024

We also extend our hope that the New Year 2022 brings you and your loved ones good health, happiness and a world that comes to know peace and understanding.

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A New Christmas Tradition: Take a Walk?

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CHOICE: Overload Paradox

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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Choice Overload is the difficulty in making a decision when faced with too many options. It’s like standing in front of an ice cream counter with 31 flavors and feeling paralyzed.

Among personal decision-makers, a prevention focus is activated and people are more satisfied with their choices after choosing among few options compared to many options, i.e. choice overload. However, individuals can also experience a reverse choice overload effect when acting as proxy decision-maker, too.

It is widely accepted that having more choices is inherently positive. When there are more available options from which to choose, an individual is more likely to be able to select the particular option that is the best fit and most likely to satisfy them. Choice is typically thought to be related to personal freedom and enhanced well-being.

Therefore, according to colleague Neal Baum MD, for most individuals the ultimate goal is to constantly maximize their choices in life to increase their overall satisfaction and well-being. The decision-making process, however, is a complex cognitive task that does not always lead to positive outcomes.

Thus, while having options is generally good, too many choices can lead to anxiety and decision fatigue. This is why curated selections and recommendations are so popular – they simplify the decision-making process’ according to another colleague Dan Ariely PhD.

So, when you’re overwhelmed by choices, narrow them down to a manageable number and make your decision easier.

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ULYSSES PACT: Will Power and Self Control

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

DEFINED

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Taking away a future choice from oneself to avoid anticipated willpower failures.
The present self trying to help the future self resist temptation.

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Ulysses Pact is a commitment made with oneself to accomplish a tough goal by limiting the choice to back out, boosting the chances of success by removing tempting alternatives.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, it’s a self-control strategy that’s especially useful for resisting short-term temptations.

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Survivor’s Guilt

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Survivor’s Guilt is the feeling of guilt experienced by those who have survived a tragedy when others did not. It’s like winning a lottery you didn’t want to enter. This emotional response can be overwhelming, as survivors question why they lived while others didn’t. It’s a mix of empathy, remorse, and a search for meaning in the randomness of survival.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, If you or someone you know is dealing with survivor’s guilt, remember: it’s a natural reaction, and seeking support can help navigate these complex feelings.

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PARADOX: Demographic-Economics

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Demographic-Economics Paradox Definition: A nations or sub-populations with higher GDP per capita are observed to have fewer children, even though a richer population can support more children. Dr. Herwig Birg has called this inverse relationship between income and fertility a “demo-economic paradox”.

Cite: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Herwig-Birg

Why? Evolutionary biology predicts that more successful individuals (and by analogy countries) should seek to develop optimum conditions for their life and reproduction.

However, in the last half of the 20th century it has become clear that the economic success of developed countries is being counterbalanced by a demographic failure, a sub-replacement fertility that may prove destructive for their future economies and societies.

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LINGUISTICAL SCIENCE: History and Modern Theory

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Theory of Linguistic Sciences

Avram Noam Chomsky is an American professor known for his work in linguistics and political activism. Sometimes called “the father of modern linguistics”, Chomsky is also one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He is a laureate professor of linguistics at the University of Arizona and an professor emeritus at MIT.

And so, modern linguists today approach their work with scientific rigor and perspective [STEM], although they use methods that were once thought to be solely an academic discipline of the humanities.

Contrary to this belief, linguistics is multidisciplinary. It overlaps each of the human sciences including psychology, neurology, anthropology, and sociology. Linguists conduct formal studies of sound structure, grammar and meaning, but also investigates the history of language families, and research language acquisition.

And, as with other scientists according to linguistical engineer and Professor Mackenzie Hope Marcinko PhD from the University of Delaware [UD], they formulate hypotheses, catalog observations, and work to support explanatory theories, etc.

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Health Information Technology Dictionary

https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Health-Information-Technology-Security/dp/0826149952/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254413315&sr=1-5

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DAILY UPDATE: PBMs and Healthcare A.I. as All Major Market Indexes Drop

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST – TODAY’S NEWSLETTER BRIEFING

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Stat: 97%. That’s how many healthcare leaders think A.I. will become important in healthcare over the next five years.

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Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are once again under pressure from federal leaders. A group of Democratic and Republican congresspeople proposed legislation that would attempt to prevent pharmacies from also owning PBMs. The three largest PBMs—CVS Health’s Caremark, Cigna’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group’s Optum Rx—currently operate pharmacies and administer more than 80% of the prescriptions in the US, and officials have linked this practice to drug price increases.

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US stocks fell across the board on Tuesday, with the Dow logging its biggest losing streak in 46 years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) finished the session down roughly 0.6%, registering its ninth straight day of losses. The last 9-day losing streak for the Dow was Feb. 1978. Prior to that, the index suffered an 11-day losing streak in 1974 and another in 1971.

The other major indexes dropped in tandem on Tuesday, with the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) falling around 0.4% and the NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) losing about 0.3% after the tech-heavy index closed at a record high on Monday.

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MINING: Sympathy on Social Media

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

DEFINITION

By Staff Reporters

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Sympathy Mining is the act of exaggerating personal problems to gain sympathy or attention. While it may fulfill a need for validation, it can strain genuine connections.

Someone who deliberately entices others into showing sympathy by utilizing social media with non-descriptive &/or ambiguous statements designed to invite further questioning and therefore garnering sympathy with their reported issue.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, over time, onground or online sympathy mining can erode trust, especially if it’s clear that issues are exaggerated.

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LIMERENCE Romantic Attachment Intensity

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

VERSUS MERETRICIOUS RELATIONSHIPS

DEFINED

By Staff Reporters

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Limerence is an intense romantic obsession that can feel all-consuming, marked by daydreaming and emotional highs. It’s often mistaken for love, though it may not lead to a lasting relationship.

Limerence is a state of mind resulting from romantic feelings for another person. It typically involves intrustive and melancholic thoughts, or tragic concerns for the object of one’s affection, along with a desire for the reciprocation of one’s feelings and to form a relationship with the object of love.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, the focus in limerence is more on idealization than on genuine connection, making it feel overwhelming but often one-sided.

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Meretricious, on the other hand, describes a situation where two people live together in a relationship that resembles marriage but lacks the official legal status of marriage. This means they may share a home, finances, and a life together, but they haven’t gone through the legal process to be recognized as married. This concept is often discussed in family law and property law, especially when these “live-in-lover” relationships come to an end.

When a meretricious relationship ends, it can lead to disputes about how to divide shared property and whether one partner should provide financial support to the other. Courts look at several factors to help decide these issues. For instance, they consider how long the couple has been together, how they managed their finances, and whether they intended to be committed to each other like a married couple. These factors help the court understand the nature of the relationship and the expectations of both parties.

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ATTENTION: Direct and Misdirected

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Humans use cognitive information to Direct Attention to relevant objects (targets) in a visual scene. Information such as the target’s color or location is represented as a ‘perceptual set’. Similarly, advance information about the required response to a target is represented as a ‘motor set’.

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MisDirected Attention however is like polishing the brass on the Titanic while ignoring the iceberg. Our brains love details, sometimes too much. We focus on the minutiae and miss what’s really important. This is why you might spend more time choosing a font than writing the actual content.

For example, have you ever spent hours perfecting the details of a project only to miss the big picture? That’s misdirected attention, according to Dan Ariely PhD.

Always remember, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Keep an eyes on the horizon.

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LEGAL: Pro Hac Vice Defined

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Pro hac vice is Law Latin that means “for this time [only]” (literally, “for this turn”). When a lawyer is admitted to a case pro hac vice, a court has granted them a limited license to practice in a jurisdiction where they otherwise would not be licensed to do so.

For example, a lawyer licensed only to practice in California may nonetheless practice in a New York case once a court has granted them admission pro hac vice, so long as the lawyer practices only within the limited scope of their pro hac vice admission. In almost all U.S. jurisdictions, lawyers who practice pro hac vice must do so in conjunction with a local lawyer acting as local counsel. Local counsel typically acts as an anchor to the bar of a foreign jurisdiction, exposing local counsel to liability for the acts or omissions of the lawyer admitted pro hac vice. Local counsel therefore usually assumes, at a minimum, a role of monitoring the lawyer admitted pro hac vice.

READ: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/pro_hac_vice

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PODCAST: Nurse Practitioners VS. Physician Associates

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

NPs versus PAs

By Eric Bricker MD

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CURIOSITY? Mental Buzz!

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Curiosity is the itch you can’t scratch, the mental mosquito buzzing in your brain. It’s what makes you click on “One weird trick” articles and peek into your neighbor’s shopping cart. This insatiable desire to know drives innovation, learning, and sometimes, regrettable internet searches. Like a cat with nine lives, curiosity keeps us exploring and questioning, even if it occasionally leads us to the wrong conclusions.

So, according to Dan Ariely PhD, go right ahead, embrace your inner Sherlock Holmes, and keep asking “Why?”

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DAILY UPDATE: Anthem BCBS Controversy as Stock Markets End Flat

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST – TODAY’S NEWSLETTER BRIEFING

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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants

“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“

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Stocks ended the session little changed on Friday despite Broadcom’s (AVGO) jump to all-time highs driven by the chipmaker’s bullish AI-fueled sales forecast.

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) closed flat while the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) gained 0.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) slipped 0.1%

CITE: https://tinyurl.com/2h47urt5

The fight between payers and anesthesiologists isn’t over, despite Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) reversing plans for a policy that would put time limits on commercial claims for anesthesia coverage. The policy would have set a time limit for claims by procedure, with the exception of maternity and pediatric care, in New York, Connecticut, and Missouri starting next year. It called for providers “requiring more time than set or recommended by these standards” to undergo the insurance company’s claim dispute process in order to get paid, according to a statement Anthem provided to FOX61 in November.

The plan received backlash from everyone, from anesthesiologists to New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

CITE: https://tinyurl.com/tj8smmes

Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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MERCHANT: Cash Advance Loans

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

DEFINITION

By Staff Reporters

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A Merchant Cash Advance is a specific type of convoluted financial agreement that lets the issuer bypass laws that limit interest rates on business loans. They are almost always targeted toward companies in dire financial straits that have nowhere else to turn to in order to get loans.

These loans have most often been compared to the business equivalent of a payday lender. 

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INCENTIVE BIAS? In Medicine and with Physicians?

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

DEFINITION

By Staff Reporters

SPONSOR: http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

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Incentives: It is broadly accepted that incenting someone to do something is effective, whether it be paying office staff a commissions to sell more healthcare products, or giving bonuses to office employees if they work efficiently to see more HMO patients.  Some experts even suggest there are five specific components1 that should be built into an overall physician incentive program:

  • Appropriate financial incentives.
  • Managed-care efficiency incentives.
  • Group citizenship.
  • Patient satisfaction.
  • Group profitability.

What is not well understood is that the incentives cause a sub-conscious distortion of decision-making ability in the incented person.  This distortion causes the affected person – whether it is yourself or someone else – to truly believe in a certain decision, even if it is the wrong choice when viewed objectively.  Service professionals, including financial advisors and lawyers, are affected by this bias, and it causes them to honestly offer recommendations that may be inappropriate, and that they would recognize as being inappropriate if they did not have this bias. 

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, the existence of this bias makes it important for each one of us to examine our incentive biases and take extra care when advising physician clients, or to make sure we are appropriately considering non-incented alternatives.

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PHYSICIAN CREDIT: Ratings, Scoring, Errors and Repair Services

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

ALMOST ALL ABOUT CREDIT

By Staff Reporters

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Credit Rating and Scoring

The category in which a credit agency classifies you is based upon payment history.  Recently, credit reporting agencies have shifted away from ratings to a system known as credit scoring. Your score is determined by proprietary formulas that are based on your credit history, the higher the better. The practical benefits of this scoring system are numerous.

First, medical professionals do not need to be experts at deciphering credit reports since the same scoring system is used by many different companies.

Correcting Credit Report Errors

A credit bureau is not the place to get an item to be fixed on your credit report. Rather, you must take it up directly with the credit issuer. In any case, a late payment noted on a credit report by a durable medical equipment vendor, for example, has to be addressed directly with that merchant. The DME merchant then has 30 days to acknowledge your complaint and respond to you. In the meantime, you do not have to pay for the disputed items.  Most credit errors cannot be reported or kept on your credit report for more than seven years.

For legitimate late payments you should contact the credit grantor and negotiate to take one of the following steps. Be tenacious, and either remove the late payment or write a letter explaining that the problem has been resolved and you now are a good credit risk again. This letter is a powerful tool and should be saved with other permanent financial records. The industry term for it is a letter of correction.

Credit Repair Services

Credit repair services are oversold and their claims tend to be exaggerated. They do not have an inside track to the consumer reporting agencies.  Good credit repair services are experienced in communicating with creditors and can help with legitimate repairs.  They cannot restore your credit rating or your good name. 

However, realize that with some time and effort you can accomplish the same results yourself.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

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MARCINKO ASSOCIATES: Physician Wealth Advisors and Practice Management Consultants

Posted on December 11, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

FIDUCIARY MEDICAL COLLEAGUES – FEE ONLY – NO PRODUCT OR SALES COMMISSIONS

SPONSOR: http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

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DEAR MEDICAL COLLEAGUES

Achieving your financial, wealth and medical practice management goals is important, but handling everything on your own can be overwhelming. That’s where we come in. At D. E. Marcinko & Associates, our team of dual degree experienced physician advisors and medical consultants is here to guide you every step of the way. We believe in providing unbiased, high-quality financial and business advice.

For example, we offer a one-time written financial plan with oral evaluation for a flat fee with no ongoing sales or assets under management fees or commissions. Together, we can create a personalized financial plan tailored to your unique goals, empowering you to make confident, informed decisions as you navigate your financial future.

Other Services Include:

  • Estate Planning We have a network of qualified legal professionals that we can refer you to for state specific estate planning needs.
  • Tax Strategy We can work alongside your CPA for tax planning purposes. If needed, we can refer you to a qualified tax professional.
  • Investment Analysis If you have investments, we review your accounts to make sure they are aligned with your long-term goals.
  • 401-k Allocations We evaluate your 401(k) allocations and provide recommendations that align with your goals.
  • Education Savings We help you explore the various ways to plan and save for education expenses.
  • Insurance & Risk Management We assess your insurance coverage to ensure it adequately protects you against potential risks; as well as evaluate and provide expert litigation witnesses, as needed.
  • Medical Practice Management We evaluate your current or potential medical practice to determine value and/or private equity offers or physician practice management formats [PPMC] for new, mid-career or retiring physicians, nurses and dentists.   

D. E. Marcinko & Associates is unique and fully committed to all phases of a medical professionals personal and business life cycle. We are at your service 24/7: Email MarcinkoAdvisors@outlook.com

ANN MILLER RN MHA CMP™

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RICHARD EASTERLIN: Happiness Paradox

Posted on December 11, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Richard Easterlin PhD, Paradox: For countries with income sufficient to meet basic needs, the reported level of happiness does not correlate with national income per person.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, one explanation is that my happiness depends on a comparison between my income and my perceptions of the average standard of living. If everyone’s income increases, my increased income gives a short boost to my happiness, since I do not realize that the average standard of living has gone up. Some time later, I realize that the average standard of living has also gone up, so the happiness boost produced by my increased income disappears. It is the contradiction between the point-of-time and time series findings that is the root of the paradox: while there is a correlation at a fixed point, there is no trend over multiple points.

That is, in the short run, everyone perceives increases in income to be correlated with happiness and tries to increase their incomes. However, in the long run, this proves to be an illusion, since everyone’s efforts to raise standards of living lead to increasing averages, leaving everyone in the same place in terms of relative income.

Various theories have been advanced to explain the paradox, but the paradox itself is solely an empirical generalization. The existence of the paradox has been strongly disputed by other researchers.

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MEMORY: Fallible & Impressionable

Posted on December 10, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Memory is Fallible/Memory is Impressionable: This concept refers to the inherent unreliability of human memory and its susceptibility to distortion and manipulation. Memory is not a perfect recording of events; instead, it is reconstructive, meaning that when we recall information, our brains can inadvertently alter or fill in gaps based on existing beliefs, emotions, or narratives. This can lead to the incorporation of false details that align with what we already know or expect to be true, resulting in vivid but inaccurate recollections.

Consequently, according to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, our memories can be influenced by suggestion, context, and social pressures, making them susceptible to biases and inaccuracies, much like a “con man” leading us to believe things that may not reflect reality.

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ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS: Criteria and Integration

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

DEFINITIONS

By Staff Reporters

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Entitlement programs: From an economic overview or government budgeting perspective, entitlement programs are types of government programs that provide individuals with personal financial benefits (or sometimes special government-provided goods or services) to which an indefinite (but usually large) number of potential beneficiaries have a legal right when they meet specified eligibility requirements. The beneficiaries are normally individuals, but can also be organizations. The most important examples at the federal level in the U.S. include Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Criteria: The risk and/or opportunity to a company’s market valuation resulting from environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. Depending on the sector, environmental and social factors include, but are not limited to, 1) climate change, 2) water stress, 3) product safety and quality (supply chain and manufacturing), 4) cybersecurity and data privacy, and 5) human capital management. Regardless of the sector, governance factors include: 1) business (mis)conduct, 2) board composition, independence and entrenchment, 3) accounting practices, 4) ownership structure, and 5) executive pay-for-sustainability performance alignment.

Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Integration: The structural incorporation of financially-relevant information on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors into the investment decision-making process.

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DAILY UPDATE: Medicare Open Enrollment Ends as Stock Market Weekly Gains

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST – TODAY’S NEWSLETTER BRIEFING

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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants

“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“

A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.

http://www.MedicalBusinessAdvisors.com

SPONSORED BY: Marcinko & Associates, Inc.

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Daily Update Provided By Staff Reporters Since 2007.
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Medicare Open enrollment ended December 7th, 2024. New Plans commence January 1st, 2025.

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Potential Market-Moving Catalysts:

Economic:

  • Monday (12/9): Wholesale Inventories
  • Tuesday (12/10): Productivity-Revised, Unit Labor Costs-Revised
  • Wednesday (12/11): Consumer Price Index (CPI), EIA Crude Oil Inventories, MBA Mortgage Applications Index, Treasury Budget  
  • Thursday (12/12): Producer Price Index (PPI), EIA Natural Gas Inventories, Initial Claims, Continuing Claims
  • Friday (12/13): Export Prices ex-ag, Import Prices ex-oil

Earnings:

  • Monday (12/9): Oracle Group (ORCL), MongoDB Inc. (MDB), Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL), Casey’s General Stores Inc. (CASY), Vail Resorts Inc. (MTN)
  • Tuesday (12/10): AutoZone Inc. (AZN), Ferguson Enterprises Inc. (FERG), Academy Sports and Outdoors Inc. (ASO), GameStop Corp. (GME)   
  • Wednesday (12/11): Adobe Inc. (ADBE), Nordson Corp. (NDSN), REV Group Inc. (REVG)
  • Thursday (12/12): Ciena Corp. (CIEN), Broadcom Inc. (AVGO), Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST)   
  • Friday (12/13): -no reports-

CITE: https://tinyurl.com/2h47urt5

U.S. stocks closed mostly higher Friday, with the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite each notching fresh record peaks after the latest employment report showed jobs growth bounced back in November. The S&P 500 rose 15.16 points, or 0.2%, to end at 6,090.27. The NASDAQ climbed 159.05 points, or 0.8%, to close at 19,859.77. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 123.19 points, or 0.3%, to end at 44,642.52.

CITE: https://tinyurl.com/tj8smmes

Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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SYNTHETIC EQUITY: Deferred Compensation for Financial Advisors

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

DEFINED FOR FINANCIAL ADVISORS

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd

SPONSOR: http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

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Think of synthetic equity as a communal garden. You don’t own the plot, and you don’t necessarily have a say in what’s planted, but you’re guaranteed a share of the crops that are harvested. 

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

Synthetic equity is a form of deferred compensation that mirrors some of the benefits of real stock ownership without granting actual shares. It’s a contractual agreement between you and your employer that entitles you to a payout upon certain events—such as an IPO, acquisition, or surpassing earnings milestones.  

Companies use synthetic equity plans to motivate their personnel through growth-related incentives. In other words, it grants employees a sense of ownership without issuing shares or altering the business’s ownership structure. As the company succeeds and appreciates in value, so does your potential payout. Although you don’t own actual shares of company stock, you are compensated as if you did. 

READ: https://tinyurl.com/mr3upbn6

According to Carla McCabe, synthetic equity programs also have a significant tax advantage to both business owners and the key employees.

For example, when a key employee receives shares under the firm’s synthetic equity program, the IRS does not recognize that receipt as taxable income to the employee until he or she actually receives the money. This usually occurs when the firm is sold or when the employee retires and is cashed out (assuming the employee’s synthetic shares are vested). This is very attractive considering that regular shares are taxed as ordinary income and the employee basically has to pay the associated tax even though he or she didn’t receive any cash.

Of course, all this begs the question: Why would a company offer synthetic equity instead of actual equity?  

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DOOMSCROLLING & DOOMSURFING: Defined

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd

SPONSOR: http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

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Two years ago, prior to the 2022 election, mental health experts alerted the medical world to their version of an assessment scale for yet another new condition – “doomscrolling.”

As defined by the National Library of Medicine in the article, “Constant exposure to negative news on social media and news feeds could take the form of ‘doomscrolling’ which is commonly defined as a habit of scrolling through social media and news feeds where users obsessively seek for depressing and negative information.”

And so, formally Doomscrolling or doomsurfing is the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading large quantities of news, particularly negative news, on the web and social media. Doomscrolling can also be defined as the excessive consumption of short-form videos or social media content for an excessive period of time without stopping. The concept was coined around 2020, particularly in the context of the COVID pandemic.

Surveys and studies suggest doomscrolling is predominant among youth. It can be considered a form of internet addiction disorder. In 2019, a study by the National Academy of Sciences found that it can be linked to a decline in mental and physical health. Numerous reasons for doomscrolling have been cited, including negativity bias and FOMO [fear of missing out], and attempts at gaining control over uncertainty.

QUERY: What about the roaring stock market, post the 2024 presidential election. Fundamental analysis or FOMO?

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CURSE: Knowledge and Hindsight Bias

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Similar to the availability heuristic (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974) and to some extent, the false consensus effect, once you really understand a new piece of information, that piece of information is now available to you and often becomes seemingly obvious. It might be easy to forget that there was ever a time you didn’t know this information and so, you assume that others, like yourself, also know this information: ie., the curse of knowledge.

However, it is often an unfair assumption that others share the same knowledge.

And so, the hindsight bias is similar to the curse of knowledge in that once we have information about an event, it then seems obvious that it was going to happen all along.

IOW: I should have seen it coming!

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The “Shadow Self”

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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The Shadow Self is like the dark twin you never knew you had. It’s the part of your personality that lurks in the background, hiding your less-than-perfect traits. Think of it as the villain in your personal movie, full of suppressed desires and impulses.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, acknowledging your shadow self can be a bit like therapy – uncomfortable but ultimately enlightening.

So, embrace your inner Darth Vader, and you might just find a better balance between light and dark.

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PRIVATE Equity

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

DEFINITIONS

By Staff Reporters

SPONSOR: http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

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Private equity consists of investments made directly into private companies that are not quoted on a public exchange. The majority of private equity consists of institutional investors and accredited investors who can commit large sums of money for long periods of time.

Accredited Investors: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/accreditedinvestor.asp

Private equity investments often demand long holding periods to allow for a turnaround of a distressed company or a liquidity event such as an initial public offering or sale to a public company.

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Filed under: "Ask-an-Advisor", Alternative Investments, Ethics, Financial Planning, Funding Basics, Glossary Terms, Investing | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

2025 MEDICARE: Agent & Broker Pay Day Changes

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

How insurance agents will be compensated for helping seniors?

By Staff Reporters

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Health insurance agents offering support to seniors signing up for healthcare coverage will be compensated differently starting in 2025. For example:

The government will pay $100 more per enrollment to agents who sign seniors up for Medicare Advantage Plans or Medicare Part D for the first time — a significant increase from the proposed $31 pay increase for agents.

And, Medicare is ending sales incentives for agents who currently receive bonuses, including volume-based bonuses, for signing people up for Medicare Advantage Plans, Medigap Supplement Plans or Part D. Medicare is also putting a stop to agents and brokers collecting “administrative fees” above the fixed compensation cap the government has put in place.

The hope is that providing agents with fair initial compensation will no longer incentivize them to steer seniors towards plans that may not be a good fit.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

PS: Medicare open enrollment ended December 7th, 2024. New plans commence January 1st, 2025

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PSYCHOLOGY EFFECTS: Halo Opinion and Horn Judgement

Posted on December 6, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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The halo effect is when your general impression of someone influences your opinion of their actual traits and actions. Basically, if you view a person positively in one way, you tend to assume their other attributes are also positive. For example, if you find out someone graduated from an elite university, you may assume they are highly intelligent and accomplished.

The opposite of the halo effect is the horn effect. This is when you make a snap judgment about someone on the basis of one negative trait. A single negative trait can lead to an unfairly negative overall impression of a person.

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ANTHEM BX/BS WEBSITE: Corporate Leaders Page Gone?

Posted on December 6, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

BREAKING NEWS!

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The internet web page listing the corporate leadership team behind Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), one of America’s biggest health insurers, has disappeared from the company’s website.

The disappearance of the page listing the provider’s 25 highest-ranking employees was highlighted in a post shared to the r/antiwork subreddit on Reddit by the user u/wendysdriv

MORE: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/blue-cross-blue-shields-corporate-about-us-page-vanishes-from-website/ar-AA1voh7N

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Filed under: Breaking News, Drugs and Pharma, Ethics, Health Economics, Health Insurance, Health Law & Policy, Healthcare Finance, iMBA, Inc. | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a comment »

INSURANCE: Long Term Care Economics

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

LTC

By Anonymous Insurance Agent

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Some retired people live on a fixed income and many of them live right on the edge of their financial capability.  At some time in their life, they may have to make a choice regarding many purchases.  In this case, we will illustrate “choice” using a couple’s purchase of Long-Term-Care Insurance [LTCI].

Of course, economics is the study of choice; wants, needs and scarcity, etc. In our case, if they decide to make the purchase they commit to a lifetime of premium payments. The financial tradeoff is this; if they make the commitment to purchase LTCI, they must give up something else.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

Example: In order to maintain a monthly premium of $100 ($1,200per year), an elderly patient, retired layman or couple must essentially relegate about $30,000 of financial assets to generate the $100 necessary to make an average premium payment (assumes a 7% rate of return with 4% withdrawal rate) or [4% X $30,000 = $1,200 year]. Thus, if the monthly premium cost is $500 per month, the elder must give up the use of $150,000 of retirement asset just to generate enough cash flow to pay for the LTC insurance. 

The married elder couple has to make the decision among lifestyle (dinners, vacations, gifts to children, prescription drugs, medical care or food and shelter) versus paying an insurance premium to provide for nursing home coverage for a need, which may be very real, but will not occur until sometime in the ambiguous future. 

And so, when faced with such a tough economics, neither of which delivers peace of mind or a respectable solution; many will simply decide that, in either case, they may already end up impoverished. 

Thus, many will often opt for the better lifestyle now … while they can enjoy it … together. 

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HEALTH INSURANCE: https://tinyurl.com/4cf6rat9

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MENTALITY: Mob and Herd … and More!

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

MODERN DAY SOCIAL INFLUENCERS

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Mob Mentality can occur in unfamiliar groups, social cues disappear, and behavior becomes influenced by the crowd. Mob mentality shows how people sometimes act in ways they wouldn’t alone, following the group’s lead. According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, this effect can create a loss of personal accountability, leading to behavior that may not align with personal values.

Herd mentality is the tendency for people’s behavior or beliefs to conform to those of the group they belong to. The concept of herd mentality has been studied and analyzed from different perspectives, including biology, psychology and sociology. This psychological phenomenon can have profound impacts on human behavior.

QUESTION: What about social media sites and modern influencers today! So-called celebrity endorsements and political elections, too?

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RIP: Dr. Kelly Powers MS [Fox News Medical Contributor]

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

BREAKING NEWS!

“Rest-in-Peace”

Dr. Kelly Powers, a podiatric surgeon and Fox News medical contributor, died Sunday from a remission of brain cancer. She was 45. A a regular commentator on Fox News and Fox Business Network, Powers survived heart failure—symptoms of which she experienced on air while covering that very topic. “It’s crazy–I went into heart failure while doing a report on Fox Business–live–on heart health and talking about the subtle signs that women often miss.

You can’t make this up,” she told Preferred Health Magazine after she had also faced a bout with glioblastoma, which was detected in 2020. After several surgeries, Powers underwent chemotherapy and radiation, and eventually recovered. During that time, she became pregnant and had her now three-year-old son. That cancer returned this year, however. “She was a brave and beautiful soul who could make friends anywhere she went,” an obituary reads. “Kelly had a love for people and she was dedicated to helping others.”

Powers leaves behind her husband, Steven Doll, and son Bennett.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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“FREE STUFF”: Powerfully Irrational

Posted on December 2, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

BEWARE THE PSYCHOLOGY OF HOLIDAY SHOPPING!

[Online -OR- Onground]

By Staff Reporters

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Power of Free

Who doesn’t love free stuff? The word “free” is like a magic spell that makes our rational minds go on vacation.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, the power of free compels us to grab things we don’t need and make questionable choices. Why buy one and get one free when you can get two for the price of one? It’s the same deal, but free feels better.

IOW: Like other heuristics, the Power of Free is a mental shortcut that allows us to bypass rational thought and save effort to make quick decisions. Studies of the Power of Free have shown it to be closely linked to the Affect Heuristic. Specifically, it is linked to emotional and social thinking rather than transactional thinking. People become influenced by emotion and obligated to socially acceptable behaviors.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

For example, say, a yoga studio charges extra to use their mats. This leads more people to pay the fee and use their mats for convenience. Then, say, the same yoga studio removed the extra fee more people would bring their mats from home instead of feeling guilty about borrowing one for class.

Removing a dollar value increases its inherent value and makes it more desirable. The type of product matters too. People are more likely to opt for a free product that is fun rather than functional. This is because emotion is more powerful than rational thinking under the influence of the Power of Free.

In another example, people are more likely to say “yes” to a free piece of cake or sample size of perfume than furniture polish or a bag of white flour.

So, next time you find yourself going to a free financial planning or retirement seminar with free dinner, or a free medical screening test, or free stock market portfolio review, just blame it on the irresistible and irrational power of free.

SPONSOR [not free]: http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

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