Reframe saving money not as delayed gratification, but as actively buying future independence and security, which provides immediate value and a buffer against life’s uncertainties.
Focus on building the capacity to endure financial downturns and unexpected events, as survival is key to long-term financial success and compounding.
Adopt a straightforward investment strategy, such as dollar-cost averaging into broad index funds (e.g., Vanguard Total Stock Market Index, VTI), to maximize the odds of staying invested for decades and achieving long-term wealth with minimal effort.
Understand that wealth is defined as ‘what you have minus what you want,’ and actively managing your desires and expectations is often more within your control than significantly increasing your income.
Recognize that true fulfillment often comes from contentment—feeling grateful and having what you need—rather than the fleeting emotion of happiness, which money cannot guarantee.
Identify a small group of people (e.g., family) whose disappointment you genuinely want to avoid, as this can be a powerful motivator for living a good life.
Understand that market volatility, recessions, and personal setbacks are inherent costs of participating in capitalism and investing, rather than punishments, making them easier to contextualize and endure.
Seek inspiration from successful individuals whose integrity and overall life you admire, rather than envying those whose methods or complete lifestyle you dislike.
Maintain a level of savings and liquidity (e.g., 20-30% of net worth in cash) that might seem excessive, acknowledging that people often underestimate the likelihood of very bad things happening in life.
Develop the ability to quickly switch between acknowledging your achievements and maintaining humility or self-criticism, as this balance prevents both ego-driven mistakes and stagnation.
Start practicing saving and sound financial habits in your youth, as these early routines are foundational and difficult to change later in life.
When making decisions about spending or saving, reflect on what you are most likely to regret in the future, whether it’s immediate experiences or long-term security.
Allocate your money towards experiences and possessions that genuinely bring you personal enjoyment and fulfillment, rather than those intended to impress others or signal status.
Internalize the idea that most people are not paying as much attention to you as you think, freeing you to make choices that align with your true self rather than external validation.
Direct your energy towards actions and aspects of your life that you can influence, rather than dwelling on things outside your control, such as inflation.
Choose your social circle wisely, as the people you spend time with will inevitably set your expectations for what you want and influence your values and behaviors.
Be open about your struggles and failures, as sharing your ‘warts’ can be deeply comforting and relatable to others, fostering stronger connections.
Offer unwavering loyalty to those who have earned it, as this act is not only beneficial to the other person but also profoundly rewarding for your own sense of self.
Employ social signaling, such as appropriate dress or manners, to be accepted and fit into groups, but avoid using it primarily to gain the attention or admiration of strangers.
Always prioritize avoiding catastrophic collapse in your financial and personal life, as reaching a point of no recovery can negate all previous progress.
When receiving a significant sum of money for investment, allocate it to index funds immediately rather than attempting to time the market or dollar-cost average over a long period.
Purchase a home only if it aligns with your long-term living needs and budget, avoiding decisions driven by FOMO or the desire for perceived status.
Use your money to provide a safety net for your children to prevent catastrophic failure, but avoid simply giving them money that could stifle their independence and work ethic.
Consider distributing inheritance to your children during their 30s and 40s, when they are establishing families and homes, as this support can have a greater impact than receiving it later in life.
Keep a significant portion of your net worth in cash (e.g., 20-30%) for psychological comfort and to ensure you can sleep at night, even if financial advisors suggest a lower allocation.
Recognize that living an authentic life requires continuous, daily effort and self-reflection, much like maintaining physical fitness or a meditation practice.
Rely on your intuition for decisions that can be easily reversed, as gut feelings are often accurate and over-analysis can be unproductive for non-critical choices.
Apply thorough analysis and caution to decisions that have lasting, irreversible consequences, such as major life changes or reputation-affecting actions.
Understand that inflation is a historical constant and an inevitable part of economic cycles, fostering acceptance rather than anger and allowing focus on controllable financial strategies.
Recognize that social media can exponentially inflate expectations by constantly showcasing others’ seemingly perfect lives, leading to dissatisfaction even amidst personal progress.
Consider a general life trajectory: identity formation (birth-20), skill learning (20-30), skill application (30s), and skill exploitation for wealth (40s-50s), as a flexible guide.
Recognize that money cannot guarantee happiness or solve all problems, especially when observing the lives of the ultra-wealthy and what it fails to provide them.
Understand that how someone spends money offers a very insightful window into their social aspirations, self-confidence, doubts, and other psychological traits.
Understand that ’long-term’ investing typically means a minimum of 10 years, if not 20-50 years, to put the odds of success in your favor and earn real returns.
Be wary of getting rich very quickly when young, as it can be damaging to your investing psychology by setting unrealistic expectations for future returns.
Become a student of investing history to understand what to expect historically and the base rates of success, preventing your expectations from being blinded by short-term experiences.
Avoid the temptation to believe you can outsmart the infinitely complex global economy by trying to predict market movements or individual stock performance.
Understand that by simply being an average investor and enduring for 30-50 years, you are likely to outperform the vast majority of people who attempt to beat the market.
Identify an area where you intentionally spend very little, even if you can afford more, as this demonstrates independence from societal expectations and a focus on your authentic values.
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