It is good to read autobiographies of people and a good one to read is Everything All at Once by Bill Nye – How to unleash your inner nerd tap into radical curiosity and solve any problem – published by Rodale distributed by Macmillian, NY, 2017. In the Bill who on TV is known as the Science Guy believes everyone was an inner nerd that can lead to being curious about a subject and then learn to find a solution. In theory due to the internet we can be as curious about subjects more than we ever could in the past. We only need to pick a subject and spend time learning and then move towards a solution, it sounds easy but it reality people seem not to know what is true and what is used to make money and what is false.

While researching your homework you will be both skeptical and deny. Skepticism is a discipline. It is a component of critical thinking that helps you to keep you from fooling yourself or allowing yourself to be fooled. Denial is like a lock on your tool kit that keeps you from thinking about ideas you do not like. What do you do with all the information you can find? Mr. Nye has 3 steps: First is the information specific? Second is it based on the simplest interpretation of the phenomenon? and Third Has it been independently verified? ask the question Prove it?

Specificity – a meaningful claim shuld be precise enough that we can agree on what we are talking about? If it passes can we test it?

Simple interpretation of the phenomenon is based on Occam’s razor which states a simple explanation for a phenomenon is more likely to be correct than a complicated one.

Matter of testability – is trying out the idea on relying on others for their expertise or everybody knows something you do not. In the testing phase you need to ask more questions:

Is it part of an ad or sponsored content?

Does it clearly benefit a specific person or company?

Does it have no obvious source at all?

Does it contradict thing you have heard before? You have raised the suspicious level?

Is it something you really want to be be true? If so you need to be extra careful?

Linking to dividend paying stocks, Mr. Nye offers you a method to evaluate the research and information you receive or research to make a decision. Normal life brings in opinions and ideas, some you like, some you reject and some you can money off. One of the easiest methods to make money is try not to lose it and start by investing in profitable companies. If the company pays a dividend and can consistent raise it, more money comes to you and over the long term you will be wealthier. If you use compound interest then do not change your strategies because the compounding is what will drive up those returns.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.