GEORGE HAHN LLC
APOLLO BEACH, FLORIDA

Some things to know about Jack… He is one of two sons born to Irish Catholic immigrants who clearly instilled a sense of humility and the value of hard work in their children. Jack began his professional life in 1950 as a trader at McDonald & Co., a Cleveland-based investment firm, and he’s been working there ever since. (The firm is now part of UBS.) Jack McGinty is one of my favorite examples. I didn’t necessarily understand it when I was young, but I get it now. Whether it was stocks, a car or his clothes, Jack has never been frivolous. (He always looks nice and chooses his clothes carefully.) I didn’t realize until the other night that when I bought my first pair of Alden shoes years ago, I went about it like Jack. I mused about it, labored over it and carefully considered the wisdom of the $700 expense before I ultimately made the purchase. This wasn’t some disposable pair of shoes I’d be throwing away in a few years. These had to be built to last. After my research, I was totally confident that I made the right investment. (And I still am.) I’ve been doing the same thing as I slowly furnish my apartment, closely examining all the best options I can afford before making my move. It reminds me of what Joan Rivers always said of her ethic: “It’s about the work.” After a certain point, she didn’t need the money. She kept doing it because she loved it. Retire? To do what? Whenever I’ve observed Jack, I’ve noticed that his eyes and ears are always recording. His curiosity and interest still burn hot. I can’t help but think that his uncommon vim and vigor are the result of investing wisely in smart life choices, moving forward and doing the work. We are the majority. We have discerning taste and real requirements. We like good things that work, that are smart and that reflect well on us. Sure it would be nice to have no financial worries so that money was no object. But we can live well regardless. We understand that the more we know, the less we need. And when we pull it all together and step out of the house, we make it look effortless. , for which I painfully shaved my legs without knowing that flesh-colored dance tights were an option. I also played the feeble Joad brother Noah in an outdoor production of I always had a knack for design. As a youngster back at St. Luke’s in Lakewood, I developed skills as a sketch artist. I studied advertising design and layout at Boston College. When I was interested in hiring a web designer in 2000 to create a website to showcase my “work” as an actor, a friend gave me an unused copy of Photoshop and Dreamweaver, along with the user manuals. A hobby was born. After doing small web and design work for friends, someone wanted to pay me for the work. A hobby grew into a business. From 2004 to 2012, I owned and ran my own small graphic and web design business, catering to individuals and small companies in entertainment. In the Fall of 2011, in the wake of the Occupy Wall Street protests, the recession knocked on my door, forcing me to sell my Rolex and a few other valuables to pay my rent and feed my dog. I decided to re-invent georgehahn.com as the blog that I wanted to read: a journal designed for men who weren’t millionaires, but who also wanted to look good and live well, fashioning myself as a self-made “thousandaire” in hot pursuit of sartorial stealth and effective living. And here we are.