“Last week I was invited to speak to a group of 200 students at Duke University. The organizers gave me pretty much free rein in picking my topic, so I decided to talk about this: How to Make a Million Dollars. How to make a million dollars is: a) something students are interested in, and b) something I am qualified to talk about. And the talk went really well. So well, in fact, that I have received requests for copies of the presentation.”

“As in physics, so in finance: shockwaves keep appearing long after an explosion. Five years after the crash in technology shares, its residual effects remain in the area of venture capital. One sign is the huge amount of new money being committed to American venturefunds by investors who feel they missed, or hope to resurrect, the terrific returns of the late 1990s. Another aspect is that some of the money raised during the boom is only now being invested. The result is that start-ups are seeing a fast influx of financing, which is pushing up valuations.”

“Y Combinator is a new kind of venture firm that specializes in funding very early stage startups. We help startups through what is for many the hardest step, from idea to company. We’re not a venture capital fund. VC investments are larger, come later in the life of a startup, are much harder to get, and come with more strings attached. We provide the seed funding that gets you to the stage where you’re ready to approach VCs.”

“The tech bubble saw an explosion of VC-funded start-ups–and a dearth of orignal ideas.”

“Many software companies these days are built using some form of venture capital. But the VC industry has been hurting lately. A lot of investments in dotcoms turned out to be spectacular flameouts. As a result, VCs are becoming ever more selective about where to put their money.”

“Over the next few of weeks, I’m going to post my version of ‘The Ten Commandments’ for Entrepreneurs — my ideas of the 10 most important ‘procedural’ things to keep in mind when you approach a VC. These insights, for whatever they’re worth, stem from nearly 20 years as a lawyer who represented entrepreneurs seeking VC funding, as well as 6+ years now on the other side of the table as a VC evaluating funding pitches.”

“I have said many times before that with respect to doing deals that saying No is as important as saying Yes.�� Let me elaborate… A portfolio company has recently been in trials with a potential strategic partner about a reseller relationship…”

“I first encountered venture capitalists (VCs) in 1987. Despite a bad start, I caught the start-up bug. In the years since, I have worked with more than 30 start-ups as founder, advisor, engineer, executive, and board member. It’s a lot more than that if you count all the times I’ve tried to help ‘nerd’ friends (engineers) connect with the ‘rich guys’ (VCs). Naturally, I’ve formed opinions along the way.”

“If you want to learn more about the confusing world of finance you’ve come to the right spot. What you learn here will set the foundation for everything in your financial future… [or] now that you’re learned the basic fundamentals of investing, it’s time to get into the nitty gritty — picking stocks.”

“Financier Eddie Lampert turned once-bankrupt Kmart into a $3 billion cash cow. Will he build it into a new Berkshire Hathaway?”

“TeachMeFinance.com teaches you basic finance concepts.”

“Retirees and future retirees have one big question: Which will last longer — me or my portfolio? The answer depends on many factors, including your asset allocation, your withdrawal rate, your other sources of income, and your health†– topics I regularly discuss in my Rule Your Retirement newsletter.”

“Google’s IPO didn’t accomplish what it set out to do: democratize the new issues market and smooth out manic first-day trading. Google’s IPO opened Aug. 19. It now seems like ancient history, but the deal provides a chance to see what’s ahead for the IPO market: The Dutch Auction, which is intended to ensure the distribution of shares to investors whose bids are at or above the price that clears all shares in the deal, won’t become the industry standard.”

“This weblog is my way to objectify my trading activities, to add some dimensionality to my thought processes, to maintain discipline and to keep me honest. I’ll be discussing my trades and my rationale behind each of them.”

“Americans, weíre constantly being told, have forgotten ho to save. We have two trillion dollars in consumer debt and national savings rate of just two per cent, and the government after a brief experiment with thrift in the Clinton years, ha resumed its profligate ways. There is one glaring exception though: American corporations, a group that in the past fe years has learned to salt away its gains.”