25 Comments
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Laura Dalrymple's avatar

Great post. Particularly given the choices we all made here in Oz last Saturday.

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Ryan Butta's avatar

Shit! I forgot to vote!

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Kana's avatar

I always learn something from your article and your writing and thoughts make me think and rethink. So thank you again for this incredible initiative!

I think in a way, Prospect Theory applies to Sicilians. Sicilians know what they don't want to lose. I was once told if we focus on what we want, then we often get lost in it because there are always dozens of things we want to do/have. But when you are asked what you don't want to lose, there aren't many that you can list. So I think it is important we prioritise what we don't want to lose in our lives. Good quality napkins - certainly Sicilians don't mind losing but I feel sorry for them that they don't have Barossa shiraz there! XD

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Ryan Butta's avatar

Hi Kana, in this case I was trying to equate loss with missing out I.e. humans feel like we've lost something when we we're missing out on something. So rather than miss out on anything we try to do it all. I believe that's when we get ourselves into trouble. I was trying to say that's it OK to miss out on things, in fact it's normal and healthy despite society telling us otherwise. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. Kahneman says that just stopping and thinking about things can help us make better decisions so hopefully these articles help a tiny bit with that. Hope you are enjoying the autumn leaves of South Australia!

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Eugenio De La Torre's avatar

The prospect theory explains a lot to me now. I am certainly not on the play safe and fear loosing side, which I guess is why I like the venture capital model (you make 10 bets, knowing you will probably loose on 8 or 9 of them, but that 1 or 2 that win will return 100 times and more than make up).

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Ryan Butta's avatar

I can highly recommend Kahneman's book, Eugenio. It's called Thinking, Fast and Slow. A huge amount of insight on human decision making that is relevant to investing. Thanks for reading!

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Eugenio De La Torre's avatar

I will get the book, thanks!

And let me know if you plan to come by Miami!

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Sarah's avatar

New perspectives, interesting parallels, and hitting the sweet spots of including Italy and food. Was searching my inbox last week for this week's post. Thankyou Ryan, and have you been following the Giro?

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Ryan Butta's avatar

Thanks for leaving a comment and reading Sarah. Much appreciated. I haven't been following the Giro as part of this break is a break from TV. It hasn't been missed either, the food has kept me busy. There will always be food :)

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Nikhil Rajagopalan's avatar

Your writing style is inspiring, Ryan. I’m taking notes as I read. Also, the idea of going local makes a lot of sense from a pricing perspective and it fosters relationships with local suppliers.

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Becky H's avatar

Have you invested in a handkerchief yet?

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Ryan Butta's avatar

Can't afford superfluous items Becky!

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Rohan's avatar

Every time I eat Gelato (many that be many, many times) I will think of the questions you have posed. Viva I’italia!

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Stephaney's avatar

So so true-climate change!!!

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Ryan Butta's avatar

Yes! Choosing short term economic gains over the long term benefit of existing.

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Stephaney's avatar

Yes!! Hard to comprehend !?!?

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The Market Cat's avatar

I’m with the Sicilians…bring on more LOCALISM

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Ryan Butta's avatar

It's definitely a choice!

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Anonymous
May 26, 2022

Mmm that gelato!

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Ryan Butta's avatar

Cannot how explain how good it was in the brioche. Haven't seen it done anywhere else in Italy though, just Sicily it seems.

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Paul Doran's avatar

Che bell’articolo

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Ryan Butta's avatar

Grazie mille, ragazzo.

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Brigid's avatar

Loving your insights and funny delivery- so happy I signed up to get them!

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Ryan Butta's avatar

And I love your comment! Thank you 🙏

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Sarah Styf's avatar

Ha! This actually explains why Americans are so bad at making choices that will benefit us more in the long run. It's so frustrating, but it makes sense.

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