Chip firmly in place

Chip firmly in place Cover Image

Over the years I have had more than a few “interesting” discussions with new member applicants. I guess I can talk about them with all of you because they weren’t sponsored or accepted.Although I am in a position where I have to say no now and then, I try to visualize my role as that of “t...


Apr 14, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Asking for help

Asking for help Cover Image

Asking for help is hard for many people. I don't know why that is, but I am sure it is just part of human nature.I guess we have been brought up to “do it ourselves.” It is sort of a mark of our independence when we become real adults. I have been told that this is the reason that guys use...


Apr 08, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Organizations have character

Organizations have character Cover Image

One of the more amazing things I find myself discussing from time to time is that organizations seem to take on a life of their own. Even when I “drop in” many years later I find very little has changed.As I “drop in” to chapters of The FENG around the country, one of my goals is to find o...


Apr 04, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Brutally direct advice

Brutally direct advice Cover Image

The FENG is a society based on helping others. (Not that they actually need our help, of course.)I realize that, at times, members are in a sensitive state and I try to act accordingly. But, I don’t really know if providing brutally direct advice is better than soft peddling what they abso...


Mar 11, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Call me Mr. Know-it-all

Call me Mr. Know-it-all Cover Image

One of the most endearing qualities of us financial folks is that we almost always have a firm opinion about everything. And, if we don’t have an opinion about something, we figure we can reason one out. (Hey, just take the facts and multiply by two!) It is sort of part and parcel of wh...


Feb 21, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Is it business or personal?

Is it business or personal? Cover Image

In the closing scene of the first Godfather movie the individual who betrayed Don Corleone is being led away. Just before he gets into the car to his certain death, he turns to consigliere Tom Hagan and says that he hopes he understands that it was all about business and that it was nothin...


Feb 16, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Geese and golden eggs

Geese and golden eggs Cover Image

I am sure that I don’t need to repeat the fable of the goose that laid golden eggs, so I will move right into the analogy. The goose is The FENG (also a living organism) and the golden eggs are the ability to network with other members. (If networking isn’t true gold, I don’t know what ...


Feb 02, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Sharing with the family

Sharing with the family Cover Image

Job search can be a lonely business. There you are, in your home office from the moment you get up in the morning until just before you go to bed. Emails are going out. Letters are being sent. Appointments are being made. (And, the only time you leave the house is for this purpose.) The...


Jan 27, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Save the Nauga

Save the Nauga Cover Image

I assume that most of you are unaware that in addition to being Chairman of The FENG, I am also president of the Save The Nauga Society. I have been actively involved in trying to save the nauga from extinction for many years. While naugas existed in most parts of the world in large num...


Jan 24, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Knowing what’s important

Knowing what’s important Cover Image

I always find it interesting during 90-second announcements how nearly identical are the descriptions of “ideal jobs” when compared to the one a member has most recently left. Since we are all financial folks, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me. As history based individuals, it is hard to...


Jan 17, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

The Hotel California

The Hotel California Cover Image

As you may remember from the song of this same name, you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave. I know they thought of it first and popularized it, but it is very much like your membership in The FENG. The only difference is you can check out, but I hope you won’t.If you ...


Nov 18, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Sharing with the family

Sharing with the family Cover Image

Job search can be a lonely business. There you are, in your home office from the moment you get up in the morning until just before you go to bed. Emails are going out. Letters are being sent. Appointments are being made. (And, the only time you leave the house is for this purpose.) The pr...


Jan 22, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Brutally direct advice

Brutally direct advice Cover Image

The FENG is a society based on helping others. (Not that they actually need our help, of course.) I realize that, at times, members are in a sensitive state and I try to act accordingly. But, I don’t really know if providing brutally direct advice is better than soft peddling what they abs...


Mar 06, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Is it business or personal?

Is it business or personal? Cover Image

In the closing scene of the first Godfather movie the individual who betrayed Don Corleone is being led away. Just before he gets into the car to his certain death, he turns to consigliere Tom Hagan and says that he hopes he understands that it was all about business and that it was nothin...


Feb 11, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Organizations have character

Organizations have character Cover Image

One of the more amazing things I find myself discussing from time to time is that organizations seem to take on a life of their own. Even when I “drop in” many years later I find very little has changed. As I “drop in” to chapters of The FENG around the country, one of my goals is to find ...


Mar 29, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Fixing a bad attitude

Fixing a bad attitude Cover Image

How often have you heard it said “He has a bad attitude?” We spend a lot of time addressing the bad attitudes of others. For example, discussions about age discrimination fall into this category. The world has a “bad attitude” toward those of us who are well experienced. (Over qualified.) ...


Apr 25, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Chip firmly in place

Chip firmly in place Cover Image

Over the years I have had more than a few “interesting” discussions with new member applicants. I guess I can talk about them with all of you because they weren’t sponsored or accepted. Although I am in a position where I have to say no now and then, I try to visualize my role as that of “...


Apr 11, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Being nice to everyone

Being nice to everyone Cover Image

Whether you are active in your job search or just trying to get your job done for “the great corporation,” it pays to be nice to everyone. One of my best friends is a real charmer and I always enjoy going out to dinner with him because we always get great service. He just has a way of enga...


May 06, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Fewer close friends?

Fewer close friends? Cover Image

There was mention of an article several years ago in The Wall Street Journal that Americans have fewer close friends. Intrigued at the time, I “Googled” and found a few press reports about the article. According to an article in American Sociological Review, in 1985, the average American h...


Jun 20, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Curb your enthusiasm-NOT

Curb your enthusiasm-NOT Cover Image

There is a memorable scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in which Paul Newman is challenged for control of the Hole in the Wall Gang. They agree that the best way to settle their disagreement is with a knife fight. Paul suggests that before they get started that they should decide ...


Jul 17, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

The art of friendship

The art of friendship Cover Image

Perhaps because we fill in so many forms during the course of our careers, it seems that as financial types we are always looking for a fill in the blank approach to just about everything. Is there a formula for 90-second announcements, I am frequently asked? Well, there are some basic gui...


Jul 25, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG