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
Aging Well with Dr. Laura Carstensen - Ep 110 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:34
Human life expectancy increased more in the 20th Century than it did in all prior years of human existence combined! This has meaningful impact on how we should think about our health, careers, families, and government p…
Wealth and Existential Despair with Melissa Bernstein - Ep 109 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:28
Melissa Bernstein has great wealth, a wonderful husband, and six healthy children. She has also endured a lifetime of “existential anxiety and depression,” suicidal thoughts, and a feeling that she does not belong on ear…
Moby on Fame, Fortune, Addiction, Animals - Ep 108 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:41
Moby’s first job as a DJ was spinning records at a dive bar next to a methadone clinic. A few years later, he was rich and famous, but "never felt more depressed.” Having grown up as "poor white trash” in the wealthy tow…
Life After Paralysis with Maura McVann Coley - Ep 107 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:43
In 1988, Maura McVann Coley sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury that deprived her of the ability to walk. Just 17 at the time of the accident, the then high school athlete had to adjust her expectations for senior y…
How business education builds character with Matt Slaughter - Ep 106 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:51
Matthew J. Slaughter is the Dean of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth where Paul (the host of this show) earned his MBA. In today’s conversation, Matt and Paul discuss the role of business education in creating no…
The Science of Well-being with Dr. Laurie Santos - ENCORE EPISODE [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:40
(Originally posted Sept, 2019...but so worth another listen) Our brains are not good at predicting what will actually make us happy. You think you want more money, more fame, and to be alone, but what will actually make…
Our possessions, ourselves with Michael Heller & James Salzman - Ep 105 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:48
What does it mean to “own” something? Do you “own”your body? Do you own the dirt in your backyard? If someone flies a drone over your deck, do you have the right to blast it out of the sky? (Seems fair to me, but the law…
Wall Street, the movie: a panel discussion - Ep 104 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:54
This week we tried out a new format—a panel discussion about the 1987 classic Oliver Stone film, Wall Street. It starred Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Darryl Hannah and a whole bunch of other amazing actors. The movie,…