The Age of Dis-Enlightenment
Brett S. ChappellAI,LearningsEmotions,Rational thought
The Enlightenment asked whether a claim could be supported. The Dis-Enlightenment increasingly asks how the claim makes us feel.
Category: Learnings
Putting the Band Together, Not the Algo
Brett S. ChappellAI,Learnings,Uncategorized#BBKing,#Hiring,#TeamCulture,AI,Leadership,Life Perspectives
In an age when AI can polish every CV, leadership is still about knowing who can actually play in the band.
Against the Lane – A letter to the next generation
Marc O. DinesAI,Investment,LearningsLife Perspectives,Stewardship
“Jack of all trades, master of none” was once a compliment. Why breadth beats specialisation, and why AI has just made the generalist more valuable than ever.
Podcast: Are Family Offices the Answer to Unmet Sustainability?
In March, 2026 Brett S. Chappell sat down with Aline Reichenberg Gustafsson, CFA, and Filipe Albuquerque from Stockholm-based Nordsip to talk about family offices and sustainability investments. If you have 35 minutes and want to learn more, then please tune in to this episode of ESGpresso. The spoken language is English. Links:Spotify / Apple Podcasts
The World Is Not Static
Brett S. ChappellLearnings#Adaptation,#FamilyOffice,#LongTermThinking,#PlanetarySystems
The Earth operates on longer cycles than we do. Deserts expand and recede. Seas disappear and return. Even Polaris is temporary. Stewardship demands we plan accordingly.
Teach Your Kids About Investing (Without Telling Them)
Marc O. DinesInvestment,LearningsFinancial Education,Life Perspectives,Long-Term Investing
I spent over 20 years learning how markets work. Then I tried to teach my kids. Charts glazed their eyes. Monopoly taught them the wrong lessons entirely. It took a Renaissance gem-trading board game to make compound growth, concentration risk, and strategic patience click. Sometimes the best financial education doesn’t look like education at all.
The Opportunity Cost of Not Answering the Question
Brett S. ChappellLearningsBusiness,Communication,Customer Experience,Leadership,Life Perspectives,Sales
“When a potential client asks a direct question, answer it directly. Even if the response is not known, answering I do not know is acceptable…. It is also acceptable to say no.”
The Scale Problem With Space
Brett S. ChappellLearningsAstronomy,Astrophysics,Perspective,Scale,Science,space
What looks close in the night sky almost never is. The Moon, the Sun, and even the nearest stars are separated by distances that defy everyday experience. Using a simple scale model, this piece explores how far “far away” really is, and why space stops being something you can walk through or draw long before you reach the stars.
When Banks Try to Be ETF Hosts, the Margins Usually Win
Brett S. ChappellAlternatives,Investment,LearningsAsset Management,Capital Markets,etfs,financial infrastructure,Market Structure
The most important development is not that banks are stepping back. It is who is stepping forward.
Why Most Family Offices Should Fail (And How to Build the Rare Exception)
Marc O. DinesFamily Offices,Investment,Learnings,SustainabilityLife Perspectives,Stewardship
Why Most Family Offices Should Fail (And How to Build the Rare Exception) “Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man, but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity“ Thomas Carlyle, Scottish historian and philosopher (1795-1881) Unfinished portrait of Thomas Carlyle by John Everett Millais (1877). Source: National […]