Cultish Creative Weekly (3/30/2024)

An important announcement AND some stuff you might have missed

FYI: The Cultish Creative website and newsletter is in the process of moving to beehiiv and I can’t promise you I won’t mess some of the transition up. But, if you got this email, it’s a good sign. Website redirects and stuff should take care of the rest starting Monday, but if you’re having any troubles, let me know.

ALSO - I’m going to add a weekly option for those of you who aren’t into daily emails. Click reply or get in touch if you’d prefer a longer message like this ONLY.

There’s been a lot of music referencing this week. Most importantly, this post on “Status and Selling Out.” It’s kind of the “It’s not you, it’s me (no really, IT IS)” take on selling out. I’ve fumbled with understanding it for years, and I think I’ve finally cracked why it messed me up so much in the 90s, and why it’s no longer a thing today. Do read it and let me know.

On Breaking News, we talked about “The Rise of the Raccoons” this week. Raccoons here refers to anyone who selfishly scams, misleads, and/or infiltrates otherwise good communities to take as much of whatever they can get out the backdoor with them for personal gain. We’ve got examples. We’ve got defense tactics.

On Two Quants and a Planner, we spent some time breaking down all things inflation, which feels extra important as we approach peak-election framing shenanigans, in “Understanding the Measurement of Inflation - The Behind-The-Scenes Details of CPI, PCE, OER, and More.” Somehow I end up relating it to Super Bowl National Anthem performances…

Harbor Capital Advisors had an extra sharp-dressed guest on their podcast, and if you want to listen to me tell stories about my career, all while making a playlist with my buddy Bryan Moore, dive in. The clip at the front is really fun too, the story about Bruce Springsteen working “Born in the USA” out from demo to demo to the anthem we know will forever be inspiring to me. Check out “From Music to Becoming a Wealth Advisor: Riffing with Matt Zeigler” on The Active Advisor Podcast.

And if you just want that playlist…

Last but not least - RIP Daniel Kahneman, and this tweet from Peter Atwater is breaking my brain I have so many thoughts: