Author Gary Sernovitz

Author Gary Sernovitz

Author: Paul Ollinger December 5, 2023 Duration: 59:08
Gary Sernovitz is one of the funniest financial writers working today. His hilarious new novel The Counting House tells the story of a university’s Chief Investment Officer who is suffering a mid-life crisis. If you possess either an interest in finance or a robust / dark sense of humor, The Counting House will make you laugh and, at times, cry in empathy with the protagonist. Gary has spent the last 25 years observing how money works from inside Goldman Sachs and the private equity business, bringing a keen writer’s eye to the money business through two previous novels, a non-fiction account of the oil and gas industrial, and a bunch of essays in The New York Times, The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal. A Milwaukee native and longtime resident of New York, Gary now lives in New Orleans with his wife and daughter. See more about Gary and The Counting House here.

In this conversation, Gary and I discuss:

Investing with the constraints of a modern university stakeholders

Whether your performance is your identity

The state and cost of college 

Writing as a side hustle while working full-time in finance


See Paul live in comedy mode:

Austin, Jan 11 - Buy Tickets Here


San Francisco, Feb 22 -  Buy Tickets Here


Nashville, Feb 28 - Buy Tickets Here 


🔥Learn and laugh by reading Paul’s Substack here. 🔥
🚀 Follow Paul on Instagram here. 🚀

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Paul Ollinger has worn a few different hats-stand-up comedian, tech executive, and now, the curious host of Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger. This isn't a lecture series or a dry self-help guide. Instead, it feels more like pulling up a chair for a series of genuinely engaging talks that wander into the places where our daily lives, careers, and inner worlds collide. The conversations, which feature authors, thinkers, and various creatives, are refreshingly candid. They dig into the practical and philosophical questions about what it actually means to build a life that feels both successful and satisfying. You'll find that each episode of this podcast approaches big themes-money, purpose, and the pursuit of contentment-with a blend of wit and thoughtful depth. The underlying idea isn't about finding a perfect, Instagram-ready version of happiness, but something more grounded and attainable. It's for anyone who's ever wondered if there's a smarter, more meaningful way to navigate the pressures of business and culture without losing sight of what matters. Tuning in, you get the sense that Paul is figuring it out alongside his guests, making the insights feel earned and relatable. The result is a consistently interesting exploration of how we can all aim for a life that feels reasonably, and authentically, well-lived.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 321

Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger
Podcast Episodes
How to Live a Stress-free Financial Life with Jared Dillian [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:00
Financial gurus like Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman tell their audience that the key to achieving wealth—or just financial stability—is to cut back on the little things like that daily Starbucks latte. Jared Dillian thinks th…
Judd Apatow on Money, Fame, and Adam Sandler (Encore) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:26
Judd Apatow is one of the most important figures in comedy and film today. But he just doesn’t care that much about money. This non-attachment to material goods leaves him more time to focus on what matters: writing, dir…
How to Get Un-stuck with Merrick Furst, Ph.D. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:24
Do you ever feel stuck in life? As if you are in the wrong place or you’re in the right place but doing the wrong thing? What do you do when you find yourself at a crossroad? Today, I speak to innovation expert Merrick F…
Paul Reads His Thanksgiving Essays [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:41
In this special “over the river and through the woods” episode, Paul reads four of his latest pieces from his Substack, Money and the Meaning of Life, so that you can drive or workout without reading. Latest posts includ…
Ed Begley Jr. on Finding Serenity in Hollywood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:45
✍️ Subscribe to Paul’s Substack ‘Money & the Meaning of Life’ here. ✍️🎤 See Paul’s upcoming comedy dates here and random thoughts on Instagram here. 🎤Ed Begley Jr. has been acting professionally since 1967 when he appear…
Lessons from an '80s Guitar god with Rik Emmett of Triumph [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:15
Rik Emmett is a vocalist, guitarist and former member of the rock band Triumph, which earned 18 gold and nine platinum records in Canada and the United States in the late 1970s and early’80s. Triumph was known for its BI…
The NHL, Brain Injury, and Psilocybin with Daniel Carcillo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:17
When Daniel Carcillo played in the NHL, he was known as an enforcer so tough and volatile that he earned the nickname “Car Bomb.” In his 12 seasons in the NHL, Daniel was a member of two Stanley Cup-winning teams (2013 a…
Paul and Cal Fussman Talk Israel, Hamas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:35
Over the past 30 years, Cal Fussman has interviewed a breathtaking array of the world’s most fascinating people, including Nelson Mandela, Clint Eastwood, Barbara Walters, Richard Branson, Muhammed Ali, Mikhail Gorbachev…
On Losing Billions with Victor Haghani [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:04
Victor Haghani is the author of a new book called The Missing Billionaires: A Guide to Making Better Financial Decisions, which explores why family fortunes like the Vanderbilts' get destroyed in the hands of the heirs.…