Alex Fayman | Updates

CONTRARIAN INVESTING in RELATIONSHIPS

Alex Fayman — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Contrarian trading strategies are widely covered by finance literature. Theoretically, when the market is rife with good news about a company, investors should consider selling the stock. Rapid price appreciation driven by investor demand tends to attract media attention and further praise from stock analysts. A contrarian investor would argue that this is the optimal time to sell because the price is likely bobbing near the top. Conversely, a firm that disappoints market participants and experiences a decline in valuation may be recognized by a contrarian investor as a buying opportunity. The bad news is out. The sellers have purged themselves of the stock. The price is low. At that point, a buy order is a bet on a brighter tomorrow.

Like stock values, relationships are subject to human psychology and tend to reflect some of the same contrarian patterns. Specifically, when interaction between parties reaches its heights, a disagreement may be fast approaching. Indeed, when things are going well between people or entities, positive emotions may help transform confidence into hubris and caution into receptiveness. In this environment, mental filters are relaxed, augmenting the potential for hurt feelings.

Arguing that a relationship may be ready to resume an upward trajectory once it hits a low point is equally intuitive. Applying contrarian principles, a time of stress often leads to finer vocal filters as well as greater reliance on niceties and patience.

I’ve been cognizant of these contrarian relationship patterns for at least a decade. Like data used by economists to predict recessions, these trends lend themselves to forecasts of human interaction. At times, I feel that awareness of these tendencies impacts my behavior, propagating or self-fulfilling the contrarian prophecy.

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WRITTEN WORD: THE ULTIMATE SUPERPOWER

Alex Fayman — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Looking at a museum painting on a Sunday afternoon, I was amused hearing onlookers extrapolate meaning from an abstract canvas. If you are like me, you look at the randomly colored triangles wondering whether the artist had those ideas in mind. Similarly, listening to a discussion on the political implications of the Alice in Wonderland tea party left me wondering whether Lewis Carroll was at the same depth as his readers.

As I work to finish my second novel, I am now the one behind the brush. I can tell you that weaving clandestine themes into my work is like planning a treasure hunt for the readers. Yet despite my ability to set traps, I believe that the ultimate power of the written word does not belong to the author. The level of imagination and personal experience that the reader brings into the equation allows for virtually limitless depth and scope of interpretation.

It’s kind of like sex. Yeah, I said it! I’m about to compare creative writing to sex (You should really read Superhighway.)

A naked body is never as sexy as one with the sensitive areas covered. When an artist communicates with the written word, much is left to the imagination, expanding the quantity of possible interpretations to the number of readers.

Having discovered the incredible superpower of the written word 11 years into my career, I now aim to graduate from academic life. At this point, to shed the title of a professor to that of an author is the professional prize I seek.

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A SLICE FROM MY PHILOSOPHY

Alex Fayman — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

If life is a gift, then you've basically received an ongoing membership to your local gym. Looking back, my tribulations seem more vivid than the seemingly brief periods of true happiness. Perhaps it’s just human psychology. As a species, we tend to experience heavier doses of pain during difficult times than cheer while riding a wave of joy.

Exercise is a great metaphor for life because our time is mostly spent in training. As our bodies develop and then regress with age, we exercise our minds through experiential learning. This is why we dream of going back in time to teach our younger selves what we learned in the school of life.

If we are living a decathlon, like athletes relying on high-grade nutrition, we need to feast on positive emotions to last through the entire race. Being extremely selective about the type of people you let into your life is an essential component of that diet.

Rule #1: Life is too short to deal with people who consistently make you feel bad.

Unfortunately, because it is challenging to find people who don’t leave a scent of negativity behind, you run the risk of being alone.

Rule #2: You should not have to rely on other people for happiness.

As our weeks feel more like laps in NASCAR, it is important to care for the vessel that keeps you in the race. Happiness is the steroid you need to get an edge on your competition. This drug is not only legal but also free. Find it and get addicted.

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EDITING vs. WOODWORKING

Alex Fayman — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I have never been confused for a handyman. My most advanced project involved hanging a television on a wall without injuring myself. For a long time, I looked in that room with trepidation, scared the TV would greet me from its final resting place on my basement floor.

Though lacking significant exposure to tool sheds, when asked what editing a novel was like, I immediately thought about working with wood. Even with brief exposure to the process years ago, it appeared to be a perfect example. As I recall, you may start by taking rough chops at a slab of timber with an axe. As the wood approaches the desired size, you may switch to finer tools like chisels to shave off excess wood and shape the object. Eventually, you’ll be sanding your completed piece to make it feel polished to the touch.

It seems that editing a novel is a similarly structured process. Working through the first draft is akin to hitting a slab of timber with an axe to create a starting point with material you can mold. In the following few drafts, pieces of the story are rewritten, whole sections of the novel are cut out and replaced. At this point, you are still taking rough cuts at your pages with large chisels, knowing that you will have a chance for more precision later. As you advance through more drafts—I journeyed through 15 Superhighway drafts—the work becomes more focused. Instead of working on pages or paragraphs, you begin working on sentence structure and ultimately word choice. Working on “how you say” versus “what you say” is the part of the editing process comparable to sanding down your wooden piece.

Finally, once a handywoman finishes her woodworking project, she will see imperfections others won’t notice because of her familiarity with the piece. Similarly, an author, even when the novel is in print, will still read her work, noticing deficiencies and opportunities for improvement.

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IS IT LOVE or HABIT?

Alex Fayman — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As a quasi-joke, I often say that people who don’t love me tend to like me, while those few who claim to love me don’t seem to like me very much. Applying my own theory, I wonder whether some of my loved ones are simply obeying a habit. It is possible that watching a person grow up can create a habitual bond that could be mistaken for love.

How do we know that we truly love something or someone? How do we know that the comfort and joy we draw from company or activity is not a result of habitual satisfaction?

The difficulty in discerning love from habit lies in the intrinsic relationship between the two. Specifically, when you love something or someone, you tend to give a lot of yourself to that activity or person. At some point, it may be natural for love to evaporate along with initial excitement, leaving behind just a simple habit.

To examine these human traits, one must not picture a linear scale with love at one end and habit at the other. Simply put, the two are not mutually exclusive. It is quite possible to love an activity that you are also in a habit of doing. So how can you test whether love is still alive? I argue that the answer is passion. Indeed, the presence of passion is the litmus test we seek.

Obviously, when gauging your feelings towards a person or activity, no one can expect to uncover passion one hundred percent of the time. Let’s face it: at the end of a long workday, when the kids are finally in bed, and the house is reset for the next day, a person who finds energy for passion may end up in a psychiatric ward. However, if the highs that you experience hitting that golf shot, writing new code, racing a car, or laughing with your partner make you happy to be alive, then you have passion. You have love!

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IDEA vs. EXECUTION: REVISITED

Alex Fayman — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

According to mainstream business principles, the execution of a plan is exponentially more valuable than the idea behind the project. This concept can be explained by asking, “Would you bet on a jockey or a horse?” When evaluating investment alternatives, one should put greater weight on the team running the organization than on its actual product.

Indeed, in my experience, investment decisions based on the perceived value of the merchandise instead of the executive team lead to results that this finance PhD is too ashamed to discuss. The concept seems both simple and intuitive. While you are paving your road to success, hard work, smart thinking, and diligent planning are crucial building blocks.

Though I understand the importance of pragmatic execution, it troubles me that arguments for its value involve attesting to the worthlessness of naked ideas. To me, this is the chicken-or-the-egg argument, but with an answer. Simply put, without ideas, there would be no need for execution. By arguing that ideas do not have value, we are taking them for granted. If one were to trace any business to its birth, the budding of a new concept would likely signify that starting point. Good or bad, in the absence of new ideas, execution can quietly rest on a shelf because there would be no place for it in business.

I believe that the ability to develop new business ideas is an art form. This is where dollars and cents intersect with the creative process. Great execution can be taught. However, I don’t believe you can teach someone how to come up with new ideas. When you argue for the value of execution, be careful not to disparage the importance of creative thinkers. Because of these visionaries, many of us have jobs.

The greatness of America, in large part, lies in the ingenuity and imagination of its people. Yes, finance and execution are vitally important components of business success. Yet, as a baby’s first breath signifies the start of a journey, it’s the birth of an idea that sparks the need for competent execution. Every new concept carries opportunity and hope for improving lives. So, when we argue for the importance of execution, let’s try to avoid devaluing creativity.

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AMERICA is ALREADY GREAT

Alex Fayman — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

My family immigrated to the United States from the former Soviet Union. At the age of twelve, I started eighth grade in a new country, with new kids and a new language. While my peers discussed Back to the Future II and their summer vacations, I was scared out of my mind, working hard to disguise my feelings.

Thankfully, with time, things got easier. I made friends. I learned the language. I fell in love with the country. As far back as that first year, I remember getting upset when kids criticized America. Every time I heard complaints, I’d tell my friends that they should thank God every morning for waking up in this country. During my 27 years in the United States, I have said that exact phrase hundreds of times.

Because there are no units of measurement for feelings or quality, as human beings we tend to gauge our impressions by relating them to competing alternatives. I believe that because most Americans were born here, they have a naturally impaired ability by default to judge the true extent of our country’s greatness.

As a person who loves America with every living cell in my body, it is not easy to listen when people disparage this miraculous land. When we do exercise our freedom of speech to criticize our country, let’s remember that, if given a choice, we would not choose to live anywhere else. Furthermore, if we are forced to reshape our future to look more like the past, it may be difficult to control which historical traits we bring back. Therefore, we would run the risk of resurrecting parts of our history that should remain buried forever.

Let’s seek to reach ideals without disrespecting our precious jewel that so many, willingly and unwillingly, spilled their blood to build and protect. America remains a beacon of freedom, opportunity, creativity, and hope for the entire planet. America is already great!

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WHY I HATE PREJUDICE

Alex Fayman — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I was born almost 50 years ago in the former Soviet Union. As far back as I can remember, I was scared to discuss my Jewish heritage. In fact, my mother’s family changed their last name to conceal their Jewish roots. It was done primarily so my grandpa would face less prejudice from his own brethren fighting in World War II for the Soviet Union (talk about irony). The hate was everywhere. I remember my family having to be secretive about visiting a synagogue on the High Holidays. The synagogue was a covert house with a room for prayer services.

My earliest recollection of anti-Semitism occurred in grade school, when I was about eight. In Soviet schools, at the beginning of each semester, the teacher conducted a special roll call. Once your name was called, you had to stand up and announce your religious affiliation in front of the class so she could record it in her grade book (this was before Excel). I dreaded those times of year because of the teasing that lasted for weeks. Of course, when the new semester started again, the roll call was held anew by the same teacher. I was one of the few Jewish kids in a school of 2,000. In fact, I did not know any other Jewish kids in my school because it was not something you advertised.

The Soviet school I attended was a one-stop shop. You entered it as a first grader and graduated from the same building. Meaning that seven-year-olds were using the same bathrooms as teens sneaking a smoke. One day, when I was about ten, I asked to leave class to go to the bathroom. The hallways were empty and quiet, but the bathroom was not. It did not take long for a bunch of upperclassmen to corner me. I was in a Soviet-issued uniform, complete with a red Lenin’s Pioneer tie, and my back was against the wall.

For a few long minutes, they beat the crap out of me, screaming horrible things about Jews. I remember lying face down in Soviet filth before leaving school without returning to class to get my stuff. I also remember walking home smelling of urine and crying like the child that I was. On the back of my uniform, right between the shoulder blades, was a solid imprint of a shoe, surrounded by many other partial prints. My family immigrated to the United States when I was twelve. I grew up in Los Angeles. I loved this country immediately. Though I did not love it for the overflowing stores or endless toys and television; I loved it for its acceptance. I loved it because what happened to me in that Soviet bathroom could never happen in the United States.

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