Rules, Regulations and Am I in Big Trouble! (again)

Several years ago I attended a family dinner with my in laws and their relatives.  We were in a lovely restaurant in a warm foreign country and I was on my very best behavior.  The check was about to arrive when I motioned to the waiter to give it to me.  My wife's cousins were given the check and my father-in-law gave me a lesson.

You see, in this Korean family, there are "regulations".  I almost violated one of those regulations by intercepting the dinner check.  Apparently, the custom is for the children of the person celebrating a special birthday, to pay.  This made no sense.  Their children are both working but hardly have the sort of discretionary money to just throw around.  Besides, even if they did, why shouldn't they spend it on a nice Chanel hand bag?

Last week we were in New York City to celebrate a wedding with the same family.  Sure enough, I discovered more new "regulations".  This time, I was kibitzing with a young person when my wife demanded I return to her. OBG, I had violated a regulation that I didn't even know existed!  Hell hath no fury like a .... Well you know what happened.

So, since I yearn to be accepted into my wife's family,  it is about time I codify mine.  First, for the investor:  Reg 1:  never act on a tip; Reg 2: Homework; Reg 3: There is no one single best approach to success; Reg 4:  Don't fight the Fed; Reg 5: sell your losers.

Well, I have at least 25 more  investing "regulations" that I self impose on myself every day.  But, this is not the place to bore you.

In the shop, "regulation" number one is always Safety.  Reg 2: measure twice, do it again and then cut once.

But here is my point:  regulations have to make sense.

They just can't be traditional and passed from generation to generation to be followed blindly-with one exception:  Thou Shalt Always Listen to She Who Must Be Obeyed, even when she is falling over drunk, screaming insults at cabbies and leaving DNA at the curb.

Of course, I wouldn't have the courage to write this unless I was sure nobody was reading it!  Hello, don't dare forward this to you know who!!!

Mr. K-thanks for a great time in NY!