I just came back from the vet’s office, where the checkup and a small battery of regular exams (heartworm, minor ear infection, office visit) for our dog Lola, ran a shockingly high amount. This got me thinking about how we try to save on pet care in a safe and responsible manner:

1. Shop online for pet meds: For an urgent situation or the first time we need medication, I tend to buy whatever medication my dog needs at the vet’s office. Yes, it’s more expensive, but at least you’re sure of what you’re getting. Once you’re in a situation where medication is something you have to buy regularly though (for example, Rimadyl for doggie arthritis) and are familiar with the dosage, brand and name you need, go online and price shop. There are several stores online which will almost always be cheaper than the vet’s office — 1-800-PetMeds(aff), EntirelyPets, KV Vet Supply come to mind — but prices will vary depending on what medication you need.

By the way, if you aren’t aware of this, there’s nothing out there that requires you to buy your pet’s medication through the vet. Vets must provide you (or the vendor) with a copy of the prescription at your request, unless there is no medical reason it’s needed.

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I was amused to read last week in the 7/10/06 issue of Barron’s that Ben Stein and I have the same portfolios. We independently arrived upon very similar approaches, though it doesn’t mean much, especially since I’m not familiar with his investment philosophy or performance.

Still, you always get a little tickled if someone famous (and that accomplished, if a bit goofy) agrees with you. He claims, as I do, that he has neither the interest or temperament to invest other people’s money, and that if he ever lost a widow’s money, he’d “probably leave the country or jump off a tall building.” I’d probably do the same.

In the article, Stein advocated creating a so-called fund of funds by using ETFs and index funds, and hedging not with short plays but with cash. Maybe this isn’t that uncommon a strategy, but it turns out that we’ve picked the exact same ones in which to invest, sans Utilities (XLU) and Natural Resources (IGE). (I did own XLE briefly last year but sold it out of being conservative and trying to limit my investments in things I don’t understand. Like oil.) In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll state here that I currently own shares of EEM, EFA, and VTI, and IWN (as Ben recommends). I also have tiny holdings in EWO and EWJ (see below).

So let’s say you decide to invest in an ETF. What is it, and what should you look for?

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For me, coming from a science background and being an introvert to begin with, the biggest eye-opener and the hardest thing to overcome was to accept that I needed to sell myself to employers and enhance my skills and experience on my resume. Here are two common mistakes and their solutions that I learned about resume writing while in business school:

Cater your resume for the position. Don’t make the mistake of creating a one-size-fits-all resume. So many people think that once you’ve put all your work experience on a piece of paper, you’re done. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially in this age of keyword-scanning software. In order to write an effective resume, you must research the positions you’re applying for. Gone are the days when you could mass mail your resume and a generic cover letter in the hope of getting bites from employers. For example, if you’re applying to a position in the marketing department as opposed to finance, you should probably change the emphases on some of your bullet points before sending out your resume.

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Heard on NPR this morning: a woman placed two $0.10 bets at Swartz Creek Raceway and won $21,584. That’s a CAGR of infinity according to my little calculator (starting amount $0.20, ending amount $21,584, # of years = 0.00002, assuming the whole thing took 10 minutes). Actually, I had no idea placing such low bets were even possible. She had to pick the top four finishers in the correct order, something called a Superfecta.

You’ve no doubt heard by now all the hullabaloo about how Dave Chappelle left his eponymous show mid-season last year and decided in the end to walk away from a $55M business deal. Some people think he ought to grow up. Others have thought he’s just an underachiever or just crazy. Personally, I think he walked away because he has integrity.

Look, I’ll admit my bias up front: I’m a big fan of Chappelle. For a decade or more, my family and I were the only Asians living in a small, rural, conservative town in Tennessee. Just imagine how blown away I was the first time I saw his Clayton Bigsby sketch. Chappelle’s comedy is definitely unique and controversial because his skits and standup often talk about race relations, discrimination, and other commonly unpalatable subjects. But he’s managed to present these subjects in a way in which people might feel just comfortable enough to start talking and thinking about them. That’s certainly not easy to do, and my impression is that he’s not just doing it to get laughs and a paycheck.

Earlier this year, I watched his 2-hour long interview on Inside the Actor’s Studio, and a few days ago, I caught his brief discussion on Anderson Cooper. He’s also spoken on Oprah. When I watched my first interview with him, I was initially surprised, and later impressed, that Chappelle responded honestly and seriously to the many questions and opinions raised by his comedy. He’s put a lot of thought into what he does, and even though he admitted he didn’t know whether what he was doing was “right”, he believed in doing it because he felt that certain issues needed to be talked about more in this country, and if he helped that get going, great.

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