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
Finding Hidden Assets in Divorce Discovery with Nick Himonidis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:19
If you’re trying to hide assets from your spouse or soon to be ex-spouse, beware! Whether it’s Cayman Islands bank accounts, bearer bonds stashed in a safe deposit box, “hidden" real estate, or hundreds-of-thousands in B…
Divorce For Wealthy Women with Olivia Summerhill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:42
Having experienced divorce as the child of a wealthy family, Olivia Summerhill understands the massive impact parents fighting about money can have on their children’s lives. Today, Olivia provides financial consulting f…
I See Rich People (with Will Vogt) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:19
Will Vogt is a photographer with a front row seat to the American upper class. Raised on Philadelphia’s Main Line, Will attended boarding school, and spent lots of time in the tony enclave of Watch Hill, Rhode Island whe…
Student Loan Debacle with Oren Cass [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:34
Our higher education system is broken. But instead of trying to fix the underlying issues, the Biden administration is attempting to treat the symptoms with a massive giveaway to student loan debtors. In this encore epis…
The All-or-Nothing Marriage with Eli Finkel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:15
If you find marriage to be hard, you are not alone. If you feel as if your spouse should fulfill every single physical, emotional, sexual, and financial need in your life, you probably should be alone. This week, I talk…
Wall Street, Cocaine, and Recovery with Turney Duff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:20
Turney Duff was making millions on Wall Street until cocaine addiction brought him to his knees. His book The Buy Side: A Wall Street Trader’s Tale of Spectacular Excess is a funny, horrifying, then hopeful read and a Ne…
Staying Hungry in Your 50’s [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:43
For your summer listening while driving, walking, gardening, pleasure, Paul reads three of his latest pieces from Substack (Money and the Meaning of Life), including:How to Stay Hungry When Your Life is FullMoney, Pain,…
Searching for Meaning at Work with Bruce Feiler [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:46
Bruce Feiler is a seven-time New York Times best-selling author of books such as Life is in the Transitions, Walking the Bible, and The Council of Dads, Bruce's 2008 account of his battle with bone cancer and the contemp…
Family Fortune and Misfortune with Janny Scott (Encore) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:34
Janny Scott is the descendant of railroad barons and financial tycoons. She grew up on an 800-acre estate on the Philadelphia Main Line. In her book The Beneficiary: Fortune, Misfortune, and the Story of My Father, she s…
Kevn Kinney is Done Auditioning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:14
Kevn Kinney is the lead singer of Drivin N Cryin, a rock band that achieved legendary status in the Southeast during the late 80s and 90s but never quite broke into the national big time. DNC’s popularity peaked when the…