Author: John Crawford

The Evolution of Local Investing

by John Crawford on April 27, 2022.

At the end of 2020 Chapel ran a successful campaign on Vicinity’s portal to fund a multi-tenant facility in the Poe Mill area. For context, Poe Mill is a historically overlooked neighborhood in downtown Greenville. At face value, it might appear this project didn’t check the box for a “location, location, location” real estate deal; however, a closer look reveals the opposite.

The Case for Direct Ownership

by John Crawford on February 8, 2022.

Let’s talk some trash. No, not figuratively. Trash is an everyday part of our lives, but how much do you really think about this dirty topic? Can you think of a day that goes by where you don’t throw something away? At the same time, when is the last time you’ve had an in-depth conversation...

See, Touch, Feel

by John Crawford on November 16, 2021.

Diving into financial planning resources or investment strategy tips can feel more like a personality test than a mathematical analysis. You’ll get questions like: Are you active or passive? Do you prefer growth or safety? Do you value short- or long-term rewards?

An Alternative to Fighting Manipulation with Manipulation

by John Crawford on February 3, 2021.

There’s a good chance you’ll come across a BFF or “soul sister” at some point in life, but you’ll have better luck finding good sweet tea in New Jersey than finding someone you NEVER disagree with.

We’ve Got a Message for Warren Buffet

by John Crawford on December 29, 2020.

“It’s an economic war.” Warren Buffet delivered this mic drop moment on his recent CNBC interview with Goldman Sachs’ CEO, David Solomon. During the interview, Buffet had a specific request to lawmakers: extend the Paycheck Protection Program.

Burn Baby Burn

by John Crawford on November 18, 2020.

Not to start out the insight on a down note, (or a bang?) but I want to emphasize the critical importance in business of this little thing we call the burn rate. So what is it and why does it matter?

Just Ask

by John Crawford on October 27, 2020.

Instead of worrying about your intellectual status, adopt the approach of asking a lot of questions. And while the only dumb question might be the one you don’t ask, asking the right questions about your investments can make things a little easier.

Social Capital – What is it and why should you care?

by John Crawford on September 15, 2020.

Around here, we often say Vicinity is where financial capital meets social capital. Well, if you say something often enough, you should probably stop and make sure people know what you mean. What is social capital anyway? Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone has pointed out that the term was actually “independently invented” at least...

Nomads Can’t Grow Gardens

by John Crawford on September 8, 2020.

It’s no secret. Whether we’re talking attention spans or investing strategies, we live in an age of short-sightedne… oh look! Bitcoin! Everybody wants to make a quick buck. Over the years, priority in the markets has shifted from forward-looking innovation and production to short-term earnings and a ”we’ll get to you later” approach to research...

Investor Insights: Prophets and Pro Formas

by John Crawford on August 12, 2020.

Before we talk about the future, let’s mention a bit about the past. Business owners, sales leaders, finance executives and other stakeholders are all tasked with monitoring basic financial statements. Tools like the Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Statement of Cash Flows tell stories about business results in the past. These stories contain lots of...