Over the years I have put together a set of rules covering a variety of topics about finance, research, life, marriage, etc. These are listed below. I have put my name in the title because I gathered these thoughts here. I did not write them all. I try to give credit where the source is known. Some are listed as Heneghan’s Rules of… I wrote those. I also authored several (but not all) of the other rules. Some are generally common knowledge If I have failed to credit one of these rules or credited incorrectly – please let me know.
Heneghan’s Overriding Rule of Success
Dare To Succeed – Aim Low – but be prepared to be lucky.
Rules of Life
- Don’t die with vacation on the books.
- The woods is no place to go on a fucking diet. Pardon the vulgarity, but I don’t write all the rules. (Pete Hodes)
- Never let what you don’t know stop you from doing it.
- Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately accounted for by incompetence. (Hanlon’s Razor)
- Rule 4 doesn’t apply to financial matters.
- If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
- Never go skiing ’til after you wake up. (Sid Carlson)
- Never say no to a cute young blond.
- Never confuse having a career with having a life. (Marlin Vangsness)
- Never use the ends to justify the means
Things to Remember
- Life is too short to drink cheap wine (cheap champagne is another matter). (T-shirt wisdom)
- There is very little in the world that 12 hours in the sack won’t cure.
- Proper preparation prevents poor performance (PPPPP)
- Mother doesn’t always know best
- They lie.
Heneghan’s Rules of Inquiry
- Ask the right person
- Ask the right question
- Ask politely
Heneghan’s Rules of Assumption/Approximation
- If you make an assumption, be sure to check its veracity before putting any faith in the answer.
- If your assumption is really an approximation, the best you can hope for is an approximate answer.
- If you make an assumption or an approximation, make sure it simplifies the problem.
- If you’re gonna be wrong, there is no need for precision
Heneghan’s Simplified Rules of Accountability
- Corporate Responsibility: The corporation responsible for the product is accountable.
- Research responsibility: The lead author is responsible for the contents of an article.
- Political responsibility: Credit should be given to the same person that would be blamed had things turned out differently.
Rule of Threes for Presentation
(or the T-B-P rules)
- T – Tell them what your going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them. (The tell, tell, tell technique)
- B –Bullets, Three to a slide
- P – Practice, Practice, Practice
Three Rules on Growing Old (for Men) (Manny Hellman)
- Never pass a bathroom
- Never ignore a hard-on
- Never trust a fart
Heneghan’s Yin Yang Rules for Good Health
- Spend Less, Save More (good for financial health)
- Eat Less, Exercise More (good for physical health)
- Work Less, Recreate More (good for mental health)
Heneghan’s (Yin – Yang) Rules for Wealth Creation
- Get married; stay married
- Buy a home; keep it
- Buy a car; keep it
Double Entendre’ Rule for Financial Success
AKA the Golden Rule of Savings
Learn to live well within your means
Heneghan’s Rule for a Successful Marriage
Make sure honeymoons outnumber anniversaries by one.