new tax legislation

Writing about the new tax legislation in your client letters

If you’re an investment or wealth manager, you and your clients will be affected by the tax legislation signed by President Trump on December 22, 2017.  You probably need to mention the legislation in your quarterly client letter or commentary. I think the language that you use to refer to the legislation will be important. […]

When I was a lousy writer

This is what I remember about my writing before I became a reasonably skilled writer. As a high school student, I had a hard time understanding the use of footnotes. Luckily, earning a Ph.D. in Japanese history forced me to learn. In one seminar, my professor recalled students’ books to check the quality of our […]

Shivering Turn approach to organizing your thoughts for writing

Sometimes you get locked into writing about a topic in a certain way. It’s not easy to develop a fresh perspective. If this describes you, try what I call the Shivering Turn Method. In The Shivering: A Jennie Redhead Mystery, a private investigator tries to unscramble the anagram, “shivering turn.” She says, …because you cannot always […]

financial blog post ideas

4 financial blog post ideas from a writing teacher

Writing teacher Roger Rosenblatt’s essay assignments inspired me with ideas for your blog posts. He has had students write essays in each of the formats listed below, as he wrote in Unless It Moves the Human Heart: The Craft and Art of Writing. 1. Menu How could you adopt a menu to a blog post? For […]

My 2017 reading, with book recommendations for you

Here are some of the books I read (or referred to) in 2017, divided by categories. The starred books are books that I refer to in 2017 blog posts, some of which haven’t been published yet. Biography/autobiography * Bossypants by Tina Fey * Turner: the extraordinary life and momentous times of J.M.W. Turner by Franny Moyle […]