How many people have you come across in your life who have been envious of something you possess or have accomplished? Maybe it's the new car you bought or the Hamilton tickets you managed to snag. Perhps it's the promotion you landed as a result of your hard work. Or perhaps they envy your fairytale-like marriage. While I've emphasized that material possessions don't bring us lasting happiness, you have every right to acquire and enjoy whatever you please. As long as you're not spending recklessly and hurting yourself or others in the process, what you buy with your hard-earned money is no one else's business. People should focus on themselves and quit worrying about what others are buying, whether it be cheap or expensive.  The problem is that human beings have this seemingly unshakeable tendency to compare themselves to other people.  Certain individuals can't live with the fact that others may have a better house, a prettier spouse,...

In a recent post, I discussed how Macy's holiday sales fell well below expectations, prompting it to close 68 stores nationwide. The Limited, a once-popular women's clothing brand that offers workwear and casual attire, has met an even darker fate: It shuttered all of its stores around the country. Only its website will remain up and running, and it will continue to ship nationwide. Despite owning such popular companies as Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch, the brand fell on hard times in the mid-2000s. Sun Capital Partners, a private firm, took over its management in 2007. Still, like Macy's and other brick-and-mortar retailers, The Limited has had a hard time fending off e-commerce giants like Amazon, not to mention fast fashion stores like Forever 21 and H&M. The news comes as a shock to many people who have been shopping at The Limited for a long time, including my sister and wife. In my view, The Limited and Macy's chief problem bo...