Wall Street has come a long way from the insider-dominated world that was blown apart by the Great Depression.

In the heart of the Great Depression, millions of American workers did something they'd never done before: they joined a union. Emboldened by the passage of the Wagner Act, which made collective bargaining easier, unions organized industries across the country, remaking the economy.

I tend to have a hard time working on pieces long before they're due. That's why I think the fact that I write a column is really good for me - the column has to be done, and there's no getting around it.

Older people do a better job of managing their impulses, and so they're better able to put off putting off.

Companies, like people, don't much like to change.

There does seem to be some evidence that as people get older, they procrastinate less, perhaps because they feel the pressure of time more.

From a social point of view, it's beneficial that homeownership encourages commitment to a given town or city. But, from an economic point of view, it's good for people to be able to leave places where there's less work and move to places where there's more.