Welcome

About Mind Your Decisions (by Presh Talwalkar)

Hi, and welcome to Mind Your Decisions. I want to explain what this site is about and why I started it.

This site is about personal finance and game theory. In other words, this site is about making smart decisions. This site is not about memorizing trite rules. To make smart decisions, you need both ingenuity and flexibility–understanding what others do, but ultimately focusing on a personal best response. I will share my own experiences, but I do not expect your decision will necessarily be the same as mine. I hope to inspire and motivate you to make better decisions. In short, I want to give you the facts and let you mind your decisions.

Speaking of which, the phrase mind your decisions has personal meaning to me. On a deeper level, I started this site to write about the philosophy of minding your decisions. I believe all will be well if you use your mind for your decisions, and mind only your decisions.

With this site, I will get the conversation started and then ask you for comments and emails to further the discussion. Deep down I think if everyone put their mind to these decisions we can all be made better off. I hope you’ll join me.

About me: Presh Talwalkar

I studied economics and mathematics at Stanford University. I write this blog to discuss game theory and personal finance with college students, recent graduates, and anyone interested in making strategic decisions.

I am a math nerd at heart and numbers are second nature to me. I have been teaching and tutoring math at all levels for about ten years now. I’m very much against learning rigid financial “rules” and doing unnecessary mental computation. I focus on concepts and theory that you can apply to a broad range of problems. If you need to crunch the numbers, just use a calculator or spreadsheet. The brain is made for thinking.

I have a passion for game theory, the branch of economics dealing with strategic interaction. Personal finance is full of strategic players—basically every one you deal with tries to profit off of you. Game theory tells you how to improve your bargaining position and strategy. I express my views in a weekly column “Game Theory Tuesdays.”

Contact me

If you need to get in touch, feel free to write to me via email and I’ll do my best to get back. Thanks!