Writing
Op-Eds
Essays on how pressure shapes financial judgment, from trading apps and risk committees to household budgets. Each piece links the research it draws on and says what that research can't show.
10 essays · September 2025 to July 2026
The archive
Earlier essays
2026
- 09
Stop calling every market selloff a panic
Before calling a market selloff irrational, ask whether the sellers had a choice.
- Liquidity
- Forced selling
· 3 min
- 08
Patience is easier when you can afford to wait
Advice about patience sounds different when a bill is due before payday.
- Scarcity
- Attention
· 3 min
- 07
Your boss can make it expensive to tell the truth
A manager who asks for honest feedback after announcing the desired answer has made the job harder.
- Social evaluation
- Accountability
· 3 min
- 06
Stop grading decisions after you know the answer
A profitable trade can conceal poor judgment, just as a loss can make sound judgment look foolish.
- Outcome bias
- Decision review
· 3 min
- 05
The deadline belongs in the risk report
A risk report can list every position, exposure, and limit while omitting the deadline under which a major decision was approved.
- Time pressure
- Stress & risk
· 3 min
- 04
When everyone agrees, find out who spoke first
Five people agreeing on an investment can sound like five pieces of evidence.
- Herding
- Information cascades
· 3 min
2025
- 03
The market's most expensive word might be "obvious"
"Obviously" is an expensive word to leave unchallenged in an investment meeting.
- Overconfidence
- Calibration
· 3 min
- 02
A red portfolio is a bad place to invent a new strategy
An investor buys a stock, watches it fall, and decides to wait until it returns to the purchase price.
- Loss aversion
- Reference points
· 3 min
- 01
Your trading app should know when to stop
A useful financial app should sometimes leave you alone.
- Choice architecture
- Trading frequency
· 3 min
About these essays