Michael Steele is Hooked on Netflix's "Arrested Development"

I haven't watched any of Netflix's other original series before, but I have been excitedly watching Arrested Development. I'm up to episode 5 so far, and I'm loving it (I was a fan of the show in its original run too). I watched the first 3 episodes the first night, and one episode a night since then.

My non-spoiler observations so far:

1) The plots are indeed non-linear and intertwined, as all the pre-release media coverage said. You probably could watch the episodes (at least the ones I have seen so far) in nearly any order, and the plot would make sense. Maybe you'd need to watch episode 1 first for the set-up and episode 15 last for the wrap-up, and then watch the rest in any order. (I'm watching them in order.)

2) While the plot would work, not all of the jokes would work if you played them out of order (which creator Mitch Hurwitz has been saying as the release date got nearer). A lot of the jokes depend on dramatic irony, where the set-up for the irony comes from having seen an earlier episode. Also, some of the gags are very linear, and should be watched in order to maximize their effect; for example, when they show the same scene over and over again from slightly different perspectives, building and revealing a little more of the full picture each time.

3) Having said that, I keep noticing weird things that are clearly jokes that I won't get until a later episode. I remembered and retroactively laughed at several scenes from episode 3 (Lindsay's story) while watching episode 5 (Tobias's story). So maybe, after seeing all the episodes, you really could go back and re-watch in any order to pick up on other non-linear jokes.

4) If you had never seen seasons 1-3, you would be lost at the beginning. I think that by the time you got a few episodes in, it would start making sense. There are a lot of characters to get to know. The first episode included flashbacks to season 3 to fill you in (which is good for my memory, because I last watched seasons 1-3 when they were on the air originally years ago), and the narrator clues you in from time to time when you're supposed to remember a minor character or plot point from the original series.

5) I'm concerned that with the non-linear, intertwined plots and jokes, that I will lose something if I don't watch all the episodes close to each other. We will see how it goes when my wife leaves on a business trip tomorrow and I'm on the honor system to not watch without her for a week.

6) I like the single character focused episodes. It's a different way to tell the story. I have seen shows do this before to a more limited extent. Like on The Simpsons, sometimes there's a Marge or Lisa-centric episode. Actually, come to think of it, The Simpsons episode "Trilogy of Error" already did the intertwining non-linear plots thing too. So, once again, "Simpsons Already Did it".

I have been a long-time subscriber to Netflix, both the DVD-by-mail and Internet streaming varieties, but Arrested Development is the first of their original series to get me excited (I'm a comedy person). I also like Netflix enough that I'm also a $NFLX shareholder. So for many reasons, I'm happy for Netflix this week.

Michael Steele Invests Like a Ferengi

No race of aliens has taught us so much about finance, markets, and economics as Star Trek's Ferengi. The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, a personal and financial code of ethics, offers a buffet of aphorisms on making money by any means necessary. Greed is the number one virtue for the Ferengi, and they use the word "ethics" only in its loosest form. But some of their rules may have some truth for investors on Earth.

Today, Michael Steele uses the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition to teach you about investing. (Follow the link for the full details.)

Paying attention to the the Ferengi Rule 45, "Expand or Die", shows you why Chipotle Mexican Grill ($CMG) saw its share price plunge last fall. Rule 89, "Ask not what your profits can do for you, but what you can do for your profit", teaches us about dividend reinvesting with dividend growing companies, like Coca-Cola ($KO) which has raised its dividend for 50 straight years. Rule 162, "Even in the worst of times, someone turns a profit", leads us to Costco ($COST), which increased its sales and retained its membership while the 2008-09 recession was hurting the rest of the retail sector.

But not everything the Ferengi say is wise. If you followed Rule 261, "A wealthy man can afford anything except a conscience", you might forego investing in socially responsible companies like Whole Foods Market ($WFM), whose CEO is a leader in the Conscious Capitalism movement. And if you listen to Rule 94, "Females and finances don't mix", you ignore investor psychology studies that say women generally make better investors than men here on Earth; Warren Buffett used "feminine" investing traits to increase the book value of Berkshire Hathaway ($BRK-A, $BRK-B) 586,817% since 1965.

Michael Steele Takes a Closer Look at Warren Buffett's Annual Shareholder Letter

With the 2013 installment of Warren Buffett's annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway ($BRK-A, $BRK-B) shareholders hitting the Internet recently, plenty of stories have been published highlighting the most quotable passages from the letter. News articles abounded with the best examples of Buffett's traditional wisdom and wit.  But Michael Steele delves deeper into the letter and finds six more notable passages that nobody else is talking about.

Why is nobody talking about Buffett's demand that we bow down before his lieutenant?  Or Buffett's false assertion that hamburgers and Chinese food cannot co-exist in one restaurant?  Or Buffett throwing down and trash talking one of his company's biggest rivals in the insurance industry?  Because most financial commentators do not analyze Buffett's writing with the skill and tenacity of Michael Steele.

Michael Steele Protects You From Vampires

You may have prepared for the upcoming vampire apocalypse by putting skylights on your house and stocking up on garlic and wooden stakes (all of which are recommended by Michael Steele), but have you prepared your portfolio for the coming reign of our new immortal, blood-sucking masters?

What's going to become the newest mass market commodity in our post-vampire economy? Blood. And I have several companies in mind that will benefit when pints of blood move from being a high-value medical need to a basic consumer staple, like Baxter ($BAX), CSL Ltd. ($CSL.AX, $CMXHY.PK), and Grifols ($GRFS).

Or, if you're a contrarian who foolishly thinks humanity has a fighting chance against the vampires, I've got stocks for you too, like the leading company in wooden stakes, Weyerhaeuser ($WY) or garlic (and other spices) distributor, McCormick & Company ($MKC)! Or maybe you want to bet on the people who will run for their lives: they will be buying lots of new running shoes from Nike ($NKE)!

Whichever way you think the coming fight for the survival of humanity will go, if you follow Michael Steele's advice, your portfolio can weather the red tides of chaos if you prepare today.

Michael Steele Wants You To Invest in Baltimore

Individual investors are most successful when they buy into the idea that they are owning a part of a business for the long-term, not short-term trading or speculating on stocks. A good way to build and maintain that mentality is to buy companies that you can root for through thick and thin, and adding a little civic pride to your portfolio can be a part of that. By owning a few of the local companies that make your community great and drive your local economy, you can keep your short-term emotions in check and become an owner for the long haul. And since Michael Steele is from Maryland, I illustrated this with a portfolio of five companies from Baltimore on my financial blog at the Motley Fool: Under Armour ($UA), T. Rowe Price ($TROW), Legg Mason ($LM), Jos. A. Bank ($JOSB), and McCormick & Company ($MKC). Think global, invest local!