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Ditch the Duplicatives
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- November 27, 2024
No CommentsJust when I thought we were eradicating cliches like “space” and “low-hanging fruit” and “it is what it is” from business communication, a new scourge has surfaced – the duplicative. That’s when you add redundant words to a simple phrase to make it sound more important. Stop doing it! I don’t have stats to back
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Suffer from Completion Anxiety?
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- October 15, 2024
During the peak of my marathon running days, there were plenty of times I’d be facing a 20-mile training run on a humid Sunday morning. My legs were still heavy from my Friday speed workout, plus I often had a slight hangover and some annoying minor injuries. Sweating out the next 2-1/2 hours alone with
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Back Up Your Facts with Real Sources, not AI
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- June 27, 2024
If you’re finding it harder to get your content past the compliance department and trade media editors, it’s not your imagination. These eagle-eyed reviewers are increasingly under pressure to verify facts and matters of attribution before going live. They know content shapers are increasingly relying on AI to assist them. They know AI tools often
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In the Financial Advisory Space? Stop Using These 7 Words
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- June 1, 2024
Space may be the final frontier, but it has no place in your business vocabulary. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve come across references to the “private equity space” or “ultra-high net worth space” in our client’s presentations, guest columns or podcast interviews. PLEASE STOP! The word “space” is a prime example of
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Why It’s Hard to Edit Our Own Writing?
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- March 7, 2024
Simple steps for breaking through Whether you have three books to your credit or agonize over a monthly blog post, there are at least a dozen reasons why it can be challenging to edit our own writing effectively. How many of these traps below sound like you? If you answered, yes to three or more,
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Don’t Set Resolutions Yet
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- January 5, 2024
Ahh the Holidays. We ate, drank and spent too much. We let too much work slide. We let family relationships fray. It’s natural to want to get back on track and make amends. But our minds and bodies aren’t ready for significant behavioral modification yet. Instead, use this time to test-drive your resolutions so you
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You Don’t Have Writer’s Block
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- May 29, 2023
Over the past week, I’ve had several conversations with clients about why they haven’t been able to get the ball rolling on their next content piece. I get it. You’re busy closing out the month. You’re trying to get some R&R over the Holiday weekend. Just don’t tell me you have “writer’s block.” Most of
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What March Madness Teaches Us About Investing Bias
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- March 16, 2023
Hard to believe, but the annual NCAA men’s Division I basketball tournament is upon us. The national championship of college basketball (aka “March Madness”) is the ultimate three-week long reality show. Where else can little known universities (aka small cap growth stocks) such as St. Peters, Loyola of Chicago, Murray State, Weber State and Florida
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2023 Could Suck. Don’t Let It
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- December 29, 2022
Not to dampen the Holiday spirit, but 2023 is not shaping up to be a banner year. We’re heading into a recession. Inflation and wages are still too high. The Fed will continue raising rates near-term. That means continued headwinds for the stock market, the housing market and for borrowers. Meanwhile, we have a divided
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Test Drive Resolutions Now (or they won’t stick in ’23)
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- December 5, 2022
Oscar Wilde once said: “Good resolutions are simply checks that people draw on a bank where they have no account.” As humans, we’re not very good at keeping promises to ourselves. Take New Year’s resolutions. Year after year we promise ourselves: “After the Holidays I’ll get my fitness/finances/waistline/relationships back on track.” And what happens? They