Welcome to SmartsMatter

“What I lack in smarts, I make up for in work…and given how hard I have to work, I must not be that smart!”–Greg hague

The 20% Rule

I’ve written often about my father, Chubby. His blend of hard work and street savvy enabled him to build one of Cincinnati’s most successful and respected

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Living Big, Giving Bigger

Over more than 20 years of friendship, our shared adventures were peppered with his trademark gestures of kindness. Wherever we went together, he made friends. On

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A “LADLE” LATE

A few months after Jim and his roommate moved into their new apartment, he invited his mother over for dinner. When Mom arrived she was

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REAL ESTATE DOWN UNDER

“Every homeowner in America should rejoice. Aussie- style real estate is on the way.” – Greg Hague Back when Uber displaced the taxi model many

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It Won’t Take Eight Years

COMMUNICATION CONTROL   Close your eyes and come back in time with me. It’s 1974. Bell bottom jeans are your statement in fashion. Float-like-a-butterfly, sting-like-a-bee Muhammad

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The 72 Hour Napkin

It was a beautiful Memorial Day in 2018. Teresa and I decided to meet for lunch at Rancho Mañana golf club. I was excited to

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The Price of Profit

While having lunch with a friend last week, I asked how his short-term rental business was going. The story he told was of a double-edged

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I Had A Baby

I am excited to announce that Teresa and I have a new baby. His name is Wyatt, and he’s now ten weeks old. Okay, I admit

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My Snake Saver

The snake was in serious peril, frantically (but futilely) struggling to squiggle out of a boiling hot sand trap at Seven Canyons in Sedona. Greg stopped,

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The Scarcity Box

“Value is more expensive than price.” – Toba Beta  Ferrari’s stock valuation is roughly the same as GM’s – each around $30 billion. Yet Ferrari sells

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Hang On Sloopy

Some things just keep… hanging on.   The girl (or guy) you asked out to the movie, and end up spending the rest of your life with. 

Read More »

The 20% Rule

I’ve written often about my father, Chubby. His blend of hard work and street savvy enabled him to build one of Cincinnati’s most successful and respected

Read More »

Living Big, Giving Bigger

Over more than 20 years of friendship, our shared adventures were peppered with his trademark gestures of kindness. Wherever we went together, he made friends. On

Read More »

A “LADLE” LATE

A few months after Jim and his roommate moved into their new apartment, he invited his mother over for dinner. When Mom arrived she was

Read More »

REAL ESTATE DOWN UNDER

“Every homeowner in America should rejoice. Aussie- style real estate is on the way.” – Greg Hague Back when Uber displaced the taxi model many

Read More »

It Won’t Take Eight Years

COMMUNICATION CONTROL   Close your eyes and come back in time with me. It’s 1974. Bell bottom jeans are your statement in fashion. Float-like-a-butterfly, sting-like-a-bee Muhammad

Read More »

The 72 Hour Napkin

It was a beautiful Memorial Day in 2018. Teresa and I decided to meet for lunch at Rancho Mañana golf club. I was excited to

Read More »

The Price of Profit

While having lunch with a friend last week, I asked how his short-term rental business was going. The story he told was of a double-edged

Read More »

I Had A Baby

I am excited to announce that Teresa and I have a new baby. His name is Wyatt, and he’s now ten weeks old. Okay, I admit

Read More »

My Snake Saver

The snake was in serious peril, frantically (but futilely) struggling to squiggle out of a boiling hot sand trap at Seven Canyons in Sedona. Greg stopped,

Read More »

The Scarcity Box

“Value is more expensive than price.” – Toba Beta  Ferrari’s stock valuation is roughly the same as GM’s – each around $30 billion. Yet Ferrari sells

Read More »

Hang On Sloopy

Some things just keep… hanging on.   The girl (or guy) you asked out to the movie, and end up spending the rest of your life with. 

Read More »