Dan J. Harkey

Master Educator | Business & Finance Consultant | Mentor

Opinion & Prospective

Hear Dan’s viewpoints about how things work and the intended and unintended consequences, delivered with humor to keep you entertained and engaged.

They are delivered with humor, breaking down the barriers of reality, truths versus illusions, and manufactured narratives.

Search Results

Designing Business Feedback Loops for Sustainable Growth and Risk Control

Feedback loops—reinforcing (positive) and balancing (negative)—shape how businesses grow, stabilize, or stall. Reinforcing loops create flywheels that amplify momentum (e.g., reputation → demand → revenue → reinvestment → quality), while balancing loops impose constraints (e.g., capacity, risk, cash) to prevent runaway failure. In practice, both types interact, and time delays between cause and effect often produce oscillations and unintended consequences.

The Term “Police State” in U.S. Political Discourse

The concepts of the police state and police state overreach are not new. It has a long history. It may be layered in truth or used in a political context to harass the opposing party as though they are the culprit. Police, state, and government overreach go hand in hand.

The Subconscious Mind: The Hidden Engine Driving Personal Motivation

When it comes to motivation, our conscious decisions often take the spotlight: setting goals, making plans, and pushing ourselves forward. However, it’s the subconscious mind that truly drives our daily behavior, wielding an astonishing 95% of our actions. These are the patterns and beliefs that operate beneath our awareness. If we’ve ever found ourselves sabotaging our own goals or struggling to stay consistent, the answer likely lies in our subconscious. Understanding and harnessing this hidden power can put us in the driver’s seat of our own lives.

Ever Wondered What ‘Irrational Exuberance’ Means in the World of Finance and Beyond?

“Irrational exuberance” refers to unjustified or overly optimistic investor behavior that drives asset prices far beyond their fundamental value. In other words, it’s when enthusiasm and speculation in markets become detached from economic reality.

Systemic Barriers to Learning Critical Thinking in U.S. Public Schools: What to Do About Them

When was the last time we heard of one or more classes designed to help children function in society, such as business mathematics? How about classes that contain education on obtaining a job, budgeting, awareness of the business, and profit-motivated industries, as opposed to public financing, and where public funding comes from, taxation, hidden taxation, inflation, and the reduction of the purchasing power of their hard-earned dollars from their wages?

Irrational Exuberance Was First Used to Describe an Overly Optimistic Business Environment

“Irrational exuberance” refers to unjustified or overly optimistic investor behavior that drives asset prices far beyond their fundamental value. In other words, it’s when enthusiasm and speculation in markets become detached from economic reality.

Motivation Isn’t a Mood—It’s a System. Build It Like One.

When we discuss motivation, we often envision conscious decisions, such as setting goals, making plans, and propelling ourselves forward. However, the staggering revelation that up to 95% of our behavior is driven by subconscious processes—patterns and beliefs that operate beneath our awareness-opens a fascinating window into our minds. If we’ve ever wondered why we sabotage our own goals or struggle to stay consistent, the answer likely lives in this powerful, yet often overlooked, part of our mind.

Humor for Emotional Health: What Science Says

Humor is often described as “the best medicine,” but this isn’t just a cliché—scientific research increasingly supports the idea that laughter and humor play a vital role in emotional and physical well-being. From reducing stress hormones to improving cognitive function, humor is a powerful, evidence-based tool for mental health.

The Four Components of American Enterprise--interdependent—competing forces--and Why They Matter

The U.S. economy runs on four interdependent components: workers, consumers, government, and the Federal Reserve. Understanding their roles—and how they interact—helps explain both growth and volatility. This is a shortened version of an article of the same title.

The Four Interlocking and Competing Forces Driving—and Distorting---the American Economy—and Why They Matter

The U.S. economy is driven by four interdependent components: workers, consumers, government, and the Federal Reserve. Understanding their roles—and how they interact—helps explain both growth and volatility.

Debt Monsters-Credit Cards-Locked into A Spiral of Dread

The current state of credit card defaults is not just a concern; it’s alarming. We’re witnessing the highest rates in 14 years, a stark reminder of the 2007-08 meltdown.

Credit Card use can be beneficial. It can also become a curse to deal with. Consumer habits will dictate whether it is advantageous or a curse.

Credit cards can be powerful financial tools, but they come with both advantages and disadvantages.

Insurance Companies: Admitted vs. Non-Admitted

Here’s the difference between admitted and non-admitted insurance carriers in California:

How to Create a Set of Daily Action Habits that will Boost Productivity

Building a series of daily action habits for productivity works best when you combine clarity, consistency, and accountability.

The 80/20 Rule: How Empowering is the Application?

The 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle) is highly applicable in productivity, but its effectiveness depends on how you implement it.

Hog Wild: What is the Origin and Meaning

The phrase “hog wild” is an American idiom that means acting in an unrestrained, reckless, or enthusiastic manner, often with a sense of going overboard or losing self-control. People and groups become crazy and excited.

Makers or Takers: America’s Crossroads

America was built on a foundation of self-reliance, innovation, and personal accountability. Yet today, we face a pressing cultural and economic shift: too many are being incentivized to become takers rather than makers. This isn’t just a financial problem—it’s a philosophical one that demands our immediate attention.

The Moral Hazard of Dependency: Why America Must Reclaim Self-Sufficiency

Moral hazard is a term often reserved for insurance and finance, but its most corrosive form may be cultural. It occurs when people take on more risk—or exert less effort—because they don’t bear the full consequences of their choices. In social policy, moral hazard emerges when systems reward dependency over self-sufficiency. The result is predictable: fewer people strive to stand on their own, and more people settle into reliance on others—whether government, employers, or family—without a plan to regain independence.

“Just Going Through The Motions:” Turning Employees Into High Engagement Dedicated To Achieving Company Goals: Management Guide

For every minute, every hour, and every day that employees maintain a state of non-productivity, a company bureaucracy and a counterforce to productivity are created. Hiring more of the same is not the solution.

Welfare vs. Entry-level Job Comparison in California:

How did the term entitlements and benefits become so ingrained in the public persona? We can work and pay taxes, or choose to go on the welfare system, tax-free