My Rule of Thumb I have this rule of thumb: if I can’t replace something out of savings, or if I can’t replace what I spend within a few months, I don’t spend it. The reason for that is because, over the years, I’ve noticed a pattern with people who get windfalls or lump sums.... Continue Reading →
I Turned 35 This Year: The Plan, Healing, Building, Living, Giving
Tonight, as I was reading various blog posts on retirement and saving money, I got to a Reddit post where somebody asked if they were starting too late at 37. And people were quick to tell them, “No. I started later.” One even said they had to start over at 43. And it made me... Continue Reading →
When You Can’t Afford to Replace It, You Learn to Protect It
I want to speak to those of you who’ve ever lived by this thought: "If I pull x amount from savings, yet I can’t replace it within a certain time frame, perhaps I probably shouldn't." If that’s you? You’re doing what most people never learn to do. You're not just “saving”, you’re calculating the opportunity... Continue Reading →
The Law of Financial Inertia: Why Your Money Moves Like Matter
You don't need to be a physicist to understand why some people stay broke for decades while others quietly build wealth in the background. You just need to understand a little bit of motion, and a whole lot of human behavior. In physics, Newton’s First Law says an object in motion stays in motion unless... Continue Reading →
What the Time Value of Money Looks Like When You’re Broke
What the Textbooks Say In every finance class, there comes a moment when the professor introduces a golden rule: "A dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow." It's a foundational concept, a building block of modern economics known as the time value of money. The idea is simple in theory: money loses value... Continue Reading →
The Ethics of Waffle Street and Wealth: Why I’m Choosing Financial Planning
It was kind of hard to give up med school and not just med school, but also the dream of becoming a PhD researcher in psychology. But here's the thing. One thing about finance, it doesn't have to be unethical if you are aligned with core values. https://youtu.be/l4S_QCByqCs?si=Qv0dF00xz11-wA2D Turns out he was fired. It's 3:25... Continue Reading →
The Sacred Nature of Capital: What Most People Miss About Wealth, Grants, and Discipline
The Invisible Cost of Every Grant There’s something people don’t often consider when they apply for a grant, ask for a loan, or swipe a card that doesn’t yet have the money behind it: someone else gave something up so that money could be available. When you receive a grant to pursue your art, education,... Continue Reading →
Dear Readers: This Blog Has Now Reached Over 50 Countries Worldwide
Dear readers, This blog has now reached over 51+ countries, and I'm honored to have each and every one of you here. If you're not from the US, it's important to know that financial advice is not a one-size-fits-all approach. So it's important to understand that what might look great on a post might not... Continue Reading →
Why I Chose My Portfolio Over a Car (And Never Looked Back)
A quiet case for walking, long-term wealth, and freedom on your own terms For the first time this year, I have been leaving my teenager alone. He used to go to school until he was about 8, but after that, we’ve always been together because of homeschooling. He’s never really been on his own, besides... Continue Reading →
The Dollar Hot Dog That Cost $1,000: Frugality, Opportunity Cost, and the Price of Overpaying
There’s a story I came across recently that stuck with me. The kind that doesn’t scream, but hums. It came from an article on the Dividend Growth Investor site, quoting something Christopher Davis once said about his grandfather, the legendary investor Shelby Davis. As a teenager, Christopher forgot his wallet one summer while working and... Continue Reading →
