Meaningful Returns

A fun trick to not spend money on dumb stuff is to ask, “how much are they charging me for that logo?”

Sometimes the logo is actually indicative of a history of quality and reliability–like the Honda “H.” In which case the logo has become a signal for actual value. But other times the logo is nothing more than a signal for perception. Take the Maserati Ghibli. It is a “nice $40,000 car with a $30,000 badge on the front,” which is to say it lacks several features considered ubiquitous in other cars of its class (BMW 5-series, Mercedes E Class, etc.), while costing significantly more, simply because you get a cool looking pitchfork-looking thing on the front grille.

Dig deeper than the logo.