MOTIVATION: “Rose Colored” Reasoning

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Motivated Reasoning is the tendency to process information in a way that aligns with your desires and preconceptions. It’s like having rose-colored glasses for your beliefs.

Motivated reasoning (motivational reasoning bias) is a cognitive and social response in which we, consciously or sub-consciously, allow emotion-loaded motivational biases to affect how new information is perceived. Individuals tend to favor evidence that coincides with their current beliefs and reject new information that contradicts them, despite contrary evidence.

According to Wikipedia, motivated reasoning can be classified into two categories: 1) Accuracy-oriented (non-directional), in which the motive is to arrive at an accurate conclusion, irrespective of the individual’s beliefs, and 2) Goal-oriented (directional), in which the motive is to arrive at a particular conclusion.

Furthermore, colleague Dan Ariely PhD suggests that when we encounter any new information, we twist and turn it to fit our existing views. This mental gymnastics helps us avoid cognitive dissonance but can also lead us astray.

So, next time you’re defending your viewpoint, ask yourself: am I seeing this clearly, or is it motivated reasoning at play?

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PRESIDENTS DAY 2025: US Stock Markets, BoA, Citigroup and Twitter [X]

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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U.S. Stock Markets will be closed for Presidents Day. But crypto trading takes no days off.

The Presidents Day holiday was originally intended to celebrate the birthday of the first President George Washington on February 22nd, according to the Library of Congress. The holiday is still formally designated as Washington’s Birthday by the Office of Personnel Management. Washington’s birthday was an informal holiday during the country’s early existence and President Rutherford B. Hayes formalized the holiday in 1879, according to History.com. The holiday’s proximity to the birthday of President Abraham Lincoln on February 12th caused the general public to link the two and later expand the celebration to all presidents.

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Berkshire Hathaway, the investment conglomerate led by Warren Buffett, reduced its holdings in two US banks. Bank of America (BoA) and Citigroup shares were sold in the final quarter of 2024. The move, disclosed in a regulatory filing last Friday, comes as Buffett continues to trim Berkshire’s stock portfolio, favoring safer investments such as US Treasury bills.

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Wall Street just dumped nearly every dollar of the $12.5 billion in loans that helped Elon Musk buy Twitter—now called X—in 2022. A group of seven major banks, led by Morgan Stanley, offloaded $4.74 billion of the debt last Friday, selling more than their planned $3 billion as investors flooded in with $12 billion in orders, according to a report from the Financial Times.

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INFINITE BANKING: Life Insurance Defined

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Infinite banking is not a product or service offered by a specific institution. It’s a concept promoted as a way you can “be your own bank” to have more control over your money. 

Infinite banking is a strategy in which you buy a life insurance policy that accumulates interest-earning cash value and take out loans against it, “borrowing from yourself” as a source of capital. Then eventually pay back the loan and start the cycle all over again. To whit:

  1. Buy a cash value life insurance policy, which you own and control.
  2. Pay policy premiums, a portion of which builds cash value.
  3. Cash value earns compounding interest.
  4. Take a loan out against the policy’s cash value, tax-free.
  5. Repay loans with interest.
  6. Cash value accumulates again, and the cycle repeats.

If you use this concept as intended, you’re taking money out of your life insurance policy to purchase everything you’d need for the rest of your life. Cars. Houses. Airplane tickets. Netflix.

So, when you pay back the policy loan, just as you’d have to pay back any mortgage, auto loan, or credit card, you’re paying yourself back.

Nelson Nash popularized this concept in his book Becoming Your Own Banker.

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BIGOREXIA NERVOSA: Defined

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Bigorexia is a psychological condition and type of body dysmorphic disorder which involves a distorted self-image that focuses specifically on muscle size and physical appearance,” Kara Becker, a certified eating disorder therapist and national director of eating disorder programs at Newport Healthcare, told HuffPost. 

With bigorexia, the afflicted person is obsessed with becoming more muscular and preoccupied with the idea that their body isn’t brawny enough ― even if they actually have the physique of a bodybuilder. And, although muscle dysmorphia can affect anyone, it’s more common in males, and research indicates the disorder is on the rise.

In fact, a 2019 study indicated that 22% of adolescent boys engaged in “muscularity-oriented disordered eating behaviors” in an attempt to bulk up or gain weight and found that supplements, dietary changes and even steroid use were common among young adult males.

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SCAMS: Pig Butchering

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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What Is a Pig Butchering Scam?

Pig butchering scams get their colorful (and gory) name from the process of fattening hogs before slaughtering them. Except in this case, it’s a scammer making friends with you before taking your money. These cons have four distinct phases:

  1. Initial contact is made by a scammer. The scammers are often enslaved by organized crime rings who force them to contact potential victims through social media platforms, dating apps, online networking sites, and job boards.
  2. Fattening, a phase where the scammer gets to know and builds trust with a victim. They may pretend to be romantically interested in the victim, befriend the victim, or offer the victim a job.
  3. Slaughter refers to the phase where the con pays off. Scammers may persuade victims to send them money, invest in a fake company or cryptocurrency, or reveal sensitive personal information that can be used for identity theft. Over time, scammers ask for large sums of money threatening to end contact if victims refuse to pay.
  4. Shaming and disappearance. Scammers will continue their relationship with the victim until the victim is unable to pay or catches onto the scam. Scammers may taunt their victims to shame them into silence, or they may simply vanish along with any accounts, websites, or apps they’ve been using.

How to Avoid Pig Butchering Scams:

To avoid becoming a victim of a pig butchering type scam, watch for these red flags and know how to protect yourself:

  • Unexpected contact: Never respond to unsolicited messages from unknown contacts, even about seemingly benign topics, especially via text message and on encrypted messaging applications.
  • Refusal to participate in video chats: If someone you’ve been messaging with consistently declines to interact face-to-face, they likely aren’t the person from the profile photo.
  • Request for financial information: Don’t share any personal financial information with individuals you’ve never met in person. If a new virtual friend or romantic connection starts making financial inquiries, put the brakes on the relationship.
  • Invitation to invest in specific financial products: Be wary of any unsolicited investment advice or tips, particularly from someone you’ve only spoken to online and even if they suggest you trade through your own account. Always question what a source has to gain from sharing tips with you and whether the transaction fits with your financial goals and investment strategy.
  • Unknown or confusing investment opportunity: Carefully evaluate the product, as well as the person and/or company requesting your investment. Along with a basic search, try adding words like “scam” or “fraud” to see what results come up. Consider running recommendations by a third party or an investment professional who has no stake in the investment, and use FINRA BrokerCheck to see if the promoter is a registered investment professional.
  • Unfamiliar trading platforms: Do extensive research before moving any money, particularly in an emerging market like cryptocurrency, which has hundreds of exchanges and new avenues for trading continuing to evolve. Who controls the platform? What security measures are in place? How can you withdraw funds if needed? If you don’t know the answers to those questions, don’t put your assets there.
  • Exaggerated claims and elevated emotions: Take a closer look at any investment that offers much higher than average returns or is touted as “guaranteed.” Fraudsters will also often use their knowledge about you to appeal to your emotions—something like, “Don’t you want to have money to send your kids to college?”
  • Sense of urgency about an upcoming news announcement or share price increase: Remember that insider trading is illegal, and you should never trade in shares of a company on the basis of material, nonpublic information.

MORE:

Learn more about how to protect your money from fraud and get more insight from the FBI and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on pig butchering schemes involving cryptocurrency.

If you think you’ve been a victim of a pig butchering stock scam, submit a regulatory tip to FINRA. If you think you’ve been the victim of internet fraud, file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

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PARADOX of Exercise

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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According to colleague Eugene Schmuckler PhD MBA MED, the Exercise Paradox is the finding that individuals with an active lifestyle have a relatively similar caloric expenditure to individuals in a sedentary lifestyle.

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PARADOX of “Second Wind”

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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The “Second Wind” paradox is a sudden period of increased wakefulness in individuals deprived of sleep that tends to coincide with the individual’s circadian rhythm.

Although the individual is more wakeful and aware of their surroundings, they are continuing to accrue sleep debt and thus are actually exacerbating their sleep deprivation.

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DAILY UPDATE: Inflation Leaps as Wall Street Worries

Posted on February 13, 2025 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

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Consumer prices overall increased 3% from a year earlier, up from 2.9% the previous month, according to the Labor Department’s consumer price index, a measure of goods and service costs across the U.S. That’s the most since June and above the 2.9% expected by economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

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Most U.S. stocks fell Wednesday after a report showed inflation is unexpectedly worsening for Americans.

The S&P 500 dropped 0.3%, though it had been on track for a much worse loss of 1.1% at the start of trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 225 points, or 0.5%, while the NASDAQ composite edged higher by less than 0.1%

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

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PARADOX of Progress

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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The Paradox of Progress explores the tension between societal progress and individual well-being.

According to colleague Eugene Schmuckler PhD MBA MEd, it questions whether advancements in technology, economy, and society truly lead to greater happiness and fulfillment for individuals, or if they create new forms of dissatisfaction or inequality.

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BERTRANDS: Paradox in Probability Theory with Video

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

WHAT IS RANDOM?

By Staff Reporters

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Bertrand’s Paradox is a problem within probability theory first suggested by the French Mathematician Joseph Bertrand (1822–1900) in his 1889 work ‘Calcul des Probabilites’. It sets a physical problem that seems very simple but leads to differing probabilities unless its procedure is more clearly defined.

Based on constructing a random chord in a circle, Bertrand’s paradox involves a single mathematical problem with three reasonable but different solutions. It’s less a paradox and more a cautionary tale. It’s really asking the question: What exactly do you mean by random?

IOW: According to Dan Ariely PhD, two players reaching a state of Nash equilibrium both find themselves with no profits gained via exploitation.

Consequently, over the years the Bertrand paradox has inspired debate, with papers arguing what the true solution is: www.bertrands-paradox.com.

Update: The people from Numberphile and 3Blue1Brown produced a video on YouTube describing and explaining the Bertrand paradox.

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PARADOX: Obsessing About Security Breeds Insecurity?

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Human life is Inherently Insecure

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The desire for security and feelings of insecurity are the same thing.

The idea of security, financial or otherwise, is an illusion; human life is inherently insecure.  But, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prudent with risk and diligent financial planning with strategies like saving and investing.

However, according to colleague Eugene Schmuckler PhD, MBA, MEd seeking security is like many things; the more you try to grasp and obsess about financial security, the more quickly you will reach a point of diminishing returns. You will feel increasingly less secure at a certain point.

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PYGMALION: Rosenthal Effect

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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The Pygmalion Effect, also known as the Rosenthal Effect, is a fascinating psychological phenomenon where higher expectations lead to an increase in performance. This concept originated from a study conducted by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson in the 1960s. They discovered that when teachers were led to believe that certain students were expected to perform better academically, those students indeed showed significant improvement.

Here’s a brief overview of how the Pygmalion Effect works:

  1. Expectation Setting: When someone in a position of authority (like a teacher or manager) has high expectations for an individual, they often communicate these expectations through subtle cues.
  2. Behavioral Changes: The individual receiving these cues tends to internalize the expectations and changes their behavior accordingly. They might become more motivated, put in more effort, and show greater persistence.
  3. Performance Improvement: As a result of these behavioral changes, the individual’s performance improves, thereby fulfilling the initial high expectations.

This effect highlights the power of positive reinforcement and belief in someone’s potential. It underscores the importance of fostering a supportive and encouraging environment, whether in educational settings, workplaces, or personal relationships.

If you’re interested in applying the Pygmalion Effect in your life, consider these tips:

  • Set High, Yet Realistic Expectations: Believe in the potential of those around you and communicate your confidence in their abilities.
  • Provide Support and Resources: Ensure that individuals have the tools and support they need to meet these expectations.
  • Offer Positive Feedback: Regularly acknowledge and celebrate progress and achievements to reinforce positive behavior.

Remember, the Pygmalion Effect is a powerful reminder that our beliefs and expectations can significantly influence the outcomes we see in others.

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INVITE: Dr. David Marcinko to Your Seminar or Speaking Engagements

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

SPONSOR: http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

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Book Dr. David E. Marcinko MBA MEd CMP for your Next Medical, Pharma or Financial Services Seminar or Personal and Corporate Coaching Sessions 

Dr. Marcinko enjoys personal coaching and public speaking and gives as many talks each year as possible, at a variety of medical society and financial services conferences around the country and world. These have included lectures and visiting professorships at major academic centers, keynote lectures for hospitals, economic seminars and health systems, keynote lectures at city and statewide financial coalitions, and annual keynote lectures for a variety of internal yearly meetings.

His talks tend to be engaging, iconoclastic, and humorous. His most popular presentations include a diverse variety of topics and typically include those in all iMBA, Inc’s textbooks, handbooks, white-papers and most topics covered on this blog.

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DISCOMFORT: Cognitive Dissonance

Posted on January 26, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Cognitive Dissonance is the discomfort experienced when holding conflicting cognitions, like believing in healthy eating while munching on a doghnut. It’s a mental tug-of-war that makes us squirm.

To reduce this discomfort according to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, we often change our beliefs or behaviors to align them. This is why smokers might downplay the health risks of smoking. Understanding cognitive dissonance helps us recognize these mental gymnastics and strive for consistency in our beliefs and actions.

So, next time you feel that mental itch, it’s cognitive dissonance asking for some resolution.

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EGO: Protection & Defense

Posted on January 25, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Ego-Protection refers to psychological strategies individuals use to defend their self-esteem and sense of self-worth against threats or failures. This can include attributing failures to external factors, minimizing the importance of negative feedback, or comparing oneself to others in ways that maintain a positive self-image.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, ego-protective mechanisms help people cope with setbacks and maintain mental well-being, although they can sometimes prevent individuals from learning from mistakes or accepting constructive criticism.

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NASH Equilibrium in Game Theory

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Nash equilibrium, in game theory, is an outcome in a noncooperative game for two or more players in which no player’s expected outcome can be improved by changing one’s own strategy.

The Nash equilibrium is a key concept in game theory, in which it defines the solution of N-player non-cooperative games. It is named for American mathematician John Nash, who was awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize for Economics for his contributions to game theory.

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FEXTING: Defined

Posted on January 23, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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  • Fighting or arguing over text is also known as “fexting.”
  • While for some it might be more practical, it can harm relationships. 
  • Misunderstandings and misinterpretations are more likely to happen over text. 

Frequent arguments and disagreements between partners over text, also known as “fexting,” have become commonplace because of the convenience and ease of expressing your thoughts with text messages. We are all so used to communicating digitally in our daily lives that it can become an unconscious habit to express our feelings and frustrations via text message [SMS].

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PERSONAL PHYSICIAN COACHING: Thrive Again!

Posted on January 23, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Ann Miller RN MHA CMP™

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http://www.DAVIDEDWARDMARCINKO.com

Dr. David Edward Marcinko works with doctors, nurses, technicians and healthcare professionals who struggle with professional disillusionment, burnout, financial distress and an unbalanced life–all of which can happen at any stage of a medical career. Through our coaching sessions, medical and healthcare professionals can achieve a more meaningful, purposeful, and flourishing life.

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MarcinkoAdvisors@outlook.com

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MLK Jr. & INAUGURATION DAY: Markets Closed Monday

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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U.S. Markets will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day this Monday

The U.S. Markets will be closed on Monday, January 20th, 2025. Please be aware that, when making transactions after 4 p.m. EST on Friday, January 17th, 2025, you will receive the closing price as of Tuesday, January 21st 2025.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed in the United States on the third Monday of January. This year coincides with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Banks and government offices

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday, which means banks will be closed and government services as well, such as city offices, animal services, administrative offices of the police department, and administrative offices of fire department.

The U.S. Postal Service will not operate on Monday, along with other shipping services.

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BLACKED OUT: Tik-Tok Down

Posted on January 19, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

BREAKING NEWS!

By Staff Reporters

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Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now

A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.

We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!

In the meantime, you can still log in to download your data.

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PREMATURE CLOSURE: Cognitive Bias

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Premature Closure is the tendency to make quick, decisive judgments without considering all the evidence. It’s like jumping to conclusions on a trampoline – fast and often wrong. Our brains crave certainty and dislike ambiguity, leading us to close the case prematurely. This can save time but often results in mistakes and oversights. To avoid premature closure, take a step back, gather more information, and keep an open mind about this cognitive bias.

And so, colleague Dan Ariely PhD suggests that we remember: haste makes waste, especially in decision-making.

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COGNITIVE Dissonance

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Cognitive Dissonance is the discomfort experienced when holding conflicting cognitions, like believing in healthy eating while munching on a donut. It’s a mental tug-of-war that makes us squirm.

To reduce this discomfort, we often change our beliefs or behaviors to align them. This is why smokers might downplay the health risks of smoking. Understanding cognitive dissonance helps us recognize these mental gymnastics and strive for consistency in our beliefs and actions.

So, according to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, the next time you feel that mental itch, it’s cognitive dissonance asking for some resolution.

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MUTISM Selective

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Selective Mutism: Some people experience selective mutism, a condition where intense trauma or anxiety leaves them temporarily unable to speak. It’s a defense mechanism that shields them from emotional overwhelm. It is characterized by:

  • A person’s inability to speak in certain social settings, even though they are otherwise capable of speech.
  • Triggers for selective mutism can include specific situations, places, or people.
  • People with SM can speak comfortably and communicate well in other settings, such as at home with family.

For many, according to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, this silence is involuntary, reflecting how deeply emotions affect speech.

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BIAS: In-Group Favoritism

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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In-group bias refers to the unfair favoring of someone from one’s own group. You might think that you’re unbiased, impartial, and fair, but we all succumb to this bias, having evolved to be this way.

That is, according to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, from an evolutionary perspective, this bias can be considered an advantage—favoring and protecting those similar to you, particularly with respect to kinship and the promotion of one’s own line.

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SUPERSTITIONS: In Medicine?

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd

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  • Saying a patient’s name in the emergency room will almost ensure that person comes in that day.
  • A code cart next to an unstable patient is said to ward off evil spirits.
  • Traditional healers usually use superstition in their practices to manage human health problems and diseases.
  • Such practices create a conflict with the medical profession and its evidence-based practices.

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So, what exactly is a Superstition? Does superstition change a measurable patient outcome, such as decreased anastomotic leak rate, surgical site infection, or mortality? Hard to say. But does it improve the surgeon’s confidence, thereby improving their performance? Likely so.

Science is not the opposite of superstition; it is the result of superstition, the result of humans trying to make sense of the world and prove each other wrong. We keep doing the things we do to maintain some semblance of control. In further defense of superstition, ritualistic behaviors ensure that the necessary boxes are checked and that we pay attention to the details. In surgery, details matter.

“Superstition is the irrational belief that an object or behavior has the power to influence an outcome, when there’s no logical connection between them. Most of us aren’t superstitious – but most of us are a ‘littlestitious.’”
– Gretchen Rubin

So, until there is evidence to the contrary, I will keep tearing off the little patient labels and keeping their names with me in hopes that they do well after surgery.

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ADAPTATION Release

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Activation due to release from adaptation = Extra activation caused by stimulus change = (Response to the two different stimuli paired together) – (Response to same stimuli presented without the change) E.g. (1/4 + 4/1) – (1/1 + 4/4) To look for adaptation paralleling same/diff perception. Make a contrast weighting each adaptation release value by the subject’s behavioural responses on that part of the same/different curve. Rajeev Raizada – UW MRI talk, Oct

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Release from Adaptation is the joy you feel when something changes after becoming accustomed to it. It’s like the relief of a cool breeze after a hot day. Our brains get used to stimuli, making them less noticeable over time. When there’s a change, it’s like hitting the refresh button on our senses.

This is why, according to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, novelty feels so exciting and routine can become dull. So, inject some variety into your life to keep things fresh and enjoy the small releases from adaptation.

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CREDIT: Much About Agreements!

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Credit report with score on a desk

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Credit analysis is a form of financial analysis used primarily to determine the financial strength of the issuer of a security, and the ability of that issuer to provide timely payment of interest and principal to investors in the issuer’s debt securities. Credit analysis is typically an important component of security analysis and selection in credit-sensitive bond sectors such as the corporate bond market and the municipal bond market.

Credit default swap index (CDX) is a credit derivative, based on a basket of CDS, which can be used to hedge credit risk or speculate on changes in credit quality.

Credit default swaps (CDS) are credit derivative contracts between two counterparties that can be used to hedge credit risk or speculate on changes in the credit quality of a corporation or government entity.

Credit quality reflects the financial strength of the issuer of a security, and the ability of that issuer to provide timely payment of interest and principal to investors in the issuer’s securities. Common measurements of credit quality include the credit ratings provided by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s. Credit quality and credit quality perceptions are a key component of the daily market pricing of fixed-income securities, along with maturity, inflation expectations and interest rate levels.

Credit Rating Agency (CRA) is a company that assigns credit ratings for issuers of certain types of debt obligations as well as the debt instruments themselves. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permits investment banks and broker-dealers to use credit ratings from “Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations” (NRSRO) for similar purposes. As of January 2012, nine organizations were designated as NRSROs, including the “Big Three” which are Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s Investor Services and Fitch Ratings.

Credit rating downgrade, by a credit rating agency (Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s or Fitch) means reducing its credit rating for a debt issuer and/or security. This is based on the agency’s evaluation, indicating, to the agency, a decline in the issuer’s financial stability, increasing the possibility of default. A downgrade should not to be confused with a default; a debt security can be downgraded without defaulting. And, conversely, a debt issuer can suddenly default without being downgraded first–credit ratings and credit rating agencies are not infallible.

Credit ratings are measurements of credit quality provided by credit rating agencies. Those provided by Standard & Poor’s typically are the most widely quoted and distributed, and range from AAA (highest quality; perceived as least likely to default) down to D (in default). Securities and issuers rated AAA to BBB are considered/perceived to be “investment-grade”; those below BBB are considered/perceived to be non-investment-grade or more speculative.

Credit risk is the inability or perceived inability of the issuers of debt securities to make interest and principal payments will cause the value of those securities to decrease. Changes in the credit ratings of debt securities could have a similar effect.

Credit Risk Transfer Securities (CRTS) are unsecured obligations of the GSEs (Government Sponsored Enterprises). Although cash flows are linked to prepays and defaults of the reference mortgage loans, the securities are unsecured loans, backed by general credit rather than by specified assets.

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COMPETITION Paradox

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Definition of the Paradox of Competition

The Paradox of Competition refers to the complex and often counterintuitive effects competitive behaviors can have within markets and industries. Generally, competition is seen as a positive force that drives innovation, lowers prices, and improves quality and choice for consumers. However, the paradox lies in the fact that intense competition can sometimes lead to negative outcomes, such as diminished profitability for companies, reduced incentives to innovate, and the potential for a race to the bottom in terms of quality and sustainability.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, understanding the nuances of the Paradox of Competition reveals the complexity of market dynamics and the importance of strategic, informed approaches to competition, both from businesses and regulators.

This paradox challenges the conventional wisdom that competition is universally beneficial, highlighting the need for a more nuanced view of how competitive forces shape markets and societies.

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SMISHING: Beware Scams!

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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Smishing is a form of phishing that uses Short Message Service (SMS), commonly known as text messages, instead of email. Typically, the scammer poses as a legitimate institution, such as a bank, a service provider or a reputed company. The text message they send creates a sense of urgency or threatens consequences if the victim doesn’t respond immediately. It downloads malware on the phone or includes a link to a fraudulent website designed to look like the legitimate organization’s site. When victims reach that site they are tricked into entering their personal information.

Seven Types of Smishing Scams

1. Impersonation Scams: The attacker pretends to be a known organization or individual. The attack could be via a message pretending to be from a bank, government agency or a reputable company.
2. Tech Support Scams: Attackers pose as representatives from tech companies, claiming that the victim’s device or account has been compromised and that they need sensitive data to fix the problem.
3. Account Suspension Scams: These messages claim that an account (bank account, social media or any other service) has been suspended and prompt the victim to verify their identity by providing sensitive information.
4. Missed Delivery Scams: Attackers send messages claiming that the victim has missed a package delivery, and they need to provide personal details or a fee to reschedule the delivery.
5. Prize or Lottery Scams: Messages claiming that the victim has won a prize or a lottery, and they need to provide personal details or make a payment to claim the winnings.
6. Charity Scams: In these attacks, scammers impersonate a charitable organization, asking for donations, usually following a large-scale disaster or during holiday seasons.
7. Malware Link Scams: Messages containing a link, which when clicked, installs malware on the victim’s device, allowing the attacker to steal information or gain control over the device.

Attackers are constantly innovating and finding new ways to exploit human trust, so it’s crucial to be skeptical of any unsolicited or unexpected message that asks for sensitive information or prompts to click a link.

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WILLIAM JEVONS Efficiency Paradox

Posted on January 7, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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William S. Jevons Paradox suggests that increases in efficiency lead to even larger increases in demand; according to colleague Dan Ariely PhD.

The Jevons Paradox is when making something work better actually leads to using more of it, not less.

Imagine you have a really fast bike that makes you use less energy to speed up. Because it’s so good, you want to bike everywhere, even more than before. Now, even though your bike is better at saving energy, you end up using it so much that you may use even more energy overall

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CONFABULATION Bias

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Confabulation Bias is the creation of false memories without the intent to deceive. Our brain fills in gaps, sometimes creating memories that feel real but are entirely fabricated.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, this can happen especially when memory gaps are subconsciously filled to maintain coherence.

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CANADA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Resigns

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

BREAKING NEWS!

By Staff Reporters

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TORONTO—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just announced that he will resign after almost a decade in power, bowing to members of his party who have been calling on him to step aside ahead of an election later this year.

“It has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” said Trudeau in an announcement from the country’s capital, Ottawa.

Cite: 45 minutes ago

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MORALITY Priming

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Morality Priming refers to subtle reminders of ethical principles that can make us behave more responsibly. It’s like an internal nudge that brings our conscience to the surface.

And, according to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, by focusing on moral standards, people are often encouraged to act more honestly, even in small, everyday decisions.

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MAURICE ALLAIS: Behavioral Finance Paradox

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Reporters

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For Question 1, people preferred Prospect A to prospect A , which means: (0.11) u( 1,000,000) > (0.10) u( 5,000,000) For Question 2, people preferred Prospect B to prospect B, which means: (0.10) u( 5,000,000) > (0.11) u( 1,000,000) Allais Paradox. shows that, individuals’ decisions can be inconsistent with Expected Utility Theory.

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Allais Paradox is a change in a possible outcome that is shared by different alternatives affects people’s choices among those alternatives, in contradiction with expected utility theory.

The Allais paradox is a choice problem designed by Maurice Allais 1953 to show an inconsistency of actual observed choices with the predictions of expected utility theory theory.

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, the Allais paradox demonstrates that individuals rarely make rational decisions consistently when required to do so immediately. The independence axiom of expected utility theory, which requires that the preferences of an individual should not change when altering two lotteries by equal proportions, was proven to be violated by the paradox.

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OUTCOME: Bias

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Outcome bias is judging a decision based on its result rather than the quality of the decision at the time it was made.

It’s like saying a bad poker play was smart because you won the hand. Or, a bad stock picker or financial advisor was good because the price went up!

According to psychologist and colleague Dan Ariely PhD, this bias ignores the process and focuses solely on the outcome. It’s why we celebrate lucky breaks and criticize thoughtful risks that didn’t pan out.

So, the next time you’re evaluating a decision, focus on the reasoning behind it, not just the end result.

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CULTURE: Donation Dependency

Posted on January 2, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Anonymous

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When you keep donating without thinking it through, people can start relying on those donations more than building their own sustainable solutions. It can feel nice to help, but constant aid might discourage local initiatives. You want people to grow and thrive on their own, not just depend on outside help.

This is known as donation dependency.

Sometimes, consistent aid can become a crutch instead of a stepping stone. Communities may stop exploring ways to solve their own problems if help is always coming in from elsewhere. Encouraging self-reliance is crucial in ensuring your help leads to long-term benefits.

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TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL: Vehicle Catches Fire and Explodes Outside Las Vegas Lobby

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

BREAKING NEWS

SPONSOR: http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — A vehicle caught fire and exploded Wednesday outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas, authorities said.

Las Vegas police said they are investigating the fire and explosion, but neither they nor the Clark County Fire Department immediately provided more details. A county spokeswoman said in a statement that the fire was in the hotel’s valet area and was reported at 8:40 a.m.

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NEW ORLEANS: 10 Dead with 35 Injured in Truck Incident – Suspect Dead [Motivation Unknown]

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

BREAKING NEWS WITH SPECIAL REPORT [3:15 a.m. EST]

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At least 10 people are dead and 35 injured after a man drove a pickup truck into a large crowd on New Orleans’ Bourbon and Canal streets early New Year’s Day, officials said. The suspect is dead. President Biden has been notified.

In an early Wednesday press conference, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) chief Anne Kirkpatrick said a man drove a pickup truck down Bourbon Street with “clear intent.”

  • “He was hell bent on creating the carnage and the damage he did,” Kirkpatrick said, adding that two NOPD officers are among those injured.

The man drove down Bourbon Street “at a very fast pace,” indicating “very intentional behavior [and] trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” Kirkpatrick said.

  • At least one improvised explosive device was found on the scene, said FBI New Orleans special agent-in-charge Alethea Duncan, and officials are “working on confirming if this was a viable device or not.”
  • The FBI is taking over the investigation, officials said.
  • More updates are expected from NOPD headquarters at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. local time.

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PARADOXICAL: Persuasion

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

By Staff Reporters

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QUESTION: Ever tried convincing someone by arguing against your own point?

If so, that’s paradoxical persuasion. It’s like reverse psychology’s sophisticated cousin. By presenting the opposite argument, you make people defend your original point. It’s a mental judo move, using their own momentum against them. Next time you want someone to agree with you, try saying, “You’re right, maybe we shouldn’t get pizza.”

So, according to Dan Ariely PhD, watch as they passionately argue why pizza is, in fact, the best choice for dinner.

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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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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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PCE: Personal Consumption Expenditures

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

By Staff Reporters

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PCE or the Personal Consumption Expenditures (“PCE”) price deflator—comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ quarterly report on U.S. gross domestic product—and is based on a survey of businesses and is intended to capture the price changes in all final goods, no matter the purchaser.

Because of its broader scope and certain differences in the methodology used to calculate the PCE price index, the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) holds the PCE deflator as its preferred, consistent measure of inflation over time.

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DAILY UPDATE: Medicare Tele-Health Out as DJIA Finishes Up a Tad

Posted on December 27, 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.
How May We Serve You?
© Copyright Institute of Medical Business Advisors, Inc. All rights reserved. 2024

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Absent Congressional action, beginning January 1sy, 2025, the statutory limitations that were in place for Medicare telehealth services prior to the COVID-19 PHE will retake effect for most telehealth services.

This means most telehealth visits will not be covered by Medicare in 2025, unless Congress acts by the end of December 2024.

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(Reuters) -The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed fractionally higher on Thursday, stretching its winning streak to five sessions despite light trading volumes and rising U.S. Treasury yields weighing on some of the dominant technology megacaps.

While the NASDAQ Composite and the S&P 500 were broadly unchanged, the indexes both finished slightly in negative territory. This snapped the NASDAQ’s four-session run of higher closes, and ended the S&P 500’s own run at three sessions.

On a day of few catalysts, investors responded to yields on U.S. government bonds inching higher, including the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note hitting its highest since early May at 4.64% earlier in the session. And, a strong auction of seven-year notes early in the afternoon though helped yields come off slightly, with the 10-year note at 4.58% in late-afternoon trade.

Higher yields are traditionally seen as negative for growth stocks, as it raises the cost of their borrowing to fund expansion. With markets increasingly dominated by the megacap technology stocks known as the Magnificent Seven, crimping their performance – especially in lieu of other market catalysts – will put downward pressure on benchmark indexes.

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

The S&P 500 slipped 2.45 points, or 0.04%, to 6,037.59 points, while the NASDAQ Composite lost 10.77 points, or 0.05%, to 20,020.36. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 28.77 points, or 0.07%, to 43,325.80.

Six of the megacaps fell, with Tesla leading decliners with a 1.8% fall. The outlier was Apple, rising 0.3% and continuing to edge closer to becoming the first company in the world to hit a market value of $4 trillion.

CITE: https://tinyurl.com/tj8smmes

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

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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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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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Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements.

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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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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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Santa

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Channel Surfing the ME-P

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MORE: Shopping Trends and Physicians

A New Christmas Tradition: Take a Walk?

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

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