Villager

02/27/2012

We’re changing our name. If you’ve liked “Villager” on Facebook, please surf over to Smallknot and like us there! (www.facebook.com/smallknot) Smallknot is the new black, y'all.

11/16/2011

Four simple reasons to care about investing locally.

A central principle of our mission at Villager is that it should be easy (and, ahem, possible) for you to invest in your own community. That’s harder to do than you might think under the current regime of securities laws in the United States (a series of posts in its own right).

11/14/2011

Social investing will never be important to big institutions. Find out why not in the latest post on the Villager blog.

In my early 20s, I remember asking my friends whether it was possible to invest specifically in good companies that did good things in the world.

10/21/2011

If you're like us, you may be exhausted of heated political rhetoric on all sides at all times. So here is a post on how (despite all odds) being pro-local is both deeply liberal and deeply conservative.

I’ve been getting into a lot of verbal slapfights recently. Occupy Wall Street, Tea Party, Socialism!, Freedom!, regulation, free markets, taxation and tyranny. The blood gets boiling. Everyone’s most cherished value has suddenly become a very loud opponent’s most sickening evil. The talking po...

10/19/2011

This is actually what it looks like when we stop working, realize it is evening, and look out the window.

10/17/2011

Reflections on Slow Money National Gathering. Inspiration in Smallness, San Francisco and Salami Sandwiches.

We are accustomed to the merits of bigger, better, faster and stronger. We need to recognize when small can be beautiful. That there is space for both.

10/10/2011

Here's everything that's wrong with the ubiquitous daily deals, and how a Villager loan makes everything better.

Remember how daily deal sites were supposed to revolutionize the way we think about buying from local businesses? Well, for many businesses, the revolution hasn’t been all it was cracked up to be. A lot of merchants who’ve offered 50 to 90% off their products have walked away pretty unhappy. Cu...

09/23/2011

Why crowdfunded investing makes sense!

This is part 2 of our exploration of crowdfunded investing. Using crowdfunding for poverty alleviation and creative projects is a great fit because funders are acting as patrons or donors. But using crowdfunding to evaluate a company is not the same, because funders are acting as investors. Our...

09/20/2011

Crowdfunded investing. Made interesting! Part 1.

09/18/2011

Chase Manhattan versus Villager

As I was walking by the Chase branch on 10th Street and Second Avenue where the 2nd Avenue Deli used to be, I was compelled to take a quick photo of a sign in the window. I thought I would just l...

09/16/2011

Crowdfunding is the future!

09/13/2011

Why it's time to stop throwing money at the big box retailers.

When Borders bookstore announced it was closing all of its stores and filing for bankruptcy earlier this year, more than 10,000 people lost their jobs. Terrible for the employees, and terrible ...