Stop paying attention to the hot crypto or the inflated currency.
None of that will take care of you when youāre in need. They donāt even have internal rates of return to keep you sane.
The people you love the most will and those are the people you are investing for.
Never take for granted the people that will always support you.
True happiness cannot be purchased.
I learned this lesson when I got my first paycheck. I wasted it on a new Nintendo DS believing it would bring me joy so I could play Mario Kart all day. A few days in, not only an entirely new version of the Nintendo came out, the Switch, I was bored and wanted more.
Thatās my first encounter with lifestyle inflation and the hedonic treadmill addiction. We always chase what we donāt have.
When weāre on the look-out for financial advice or pro-tips, our eyes first gleam at the trendiest securities or the most lucrative returns yet we never take a step back and pay attention to what we value most and the opportunities that led us to invest.
No doubt you donāt need thousands nor hundreds to start investing, yet you do need something and in order to generate that something you had to have earned it.
Who helped you dust that piggy bank or advice you on how to save for that BMW as your graduation present to yourself?
Those annoying skills your parents instilled in you were the most vital for life. Not what your algebra teacher taught. What we neglected and took for granted as children we now cherish.
Family First
As an only child, family has always been my goto if I need advice or someone to chat with. Never in my life have I ever felt embarrassed or ashamed to hang out with them in my teenage years and beyond. Your family, especially your parents should be the last people you should feel embarrassed to be with. They created you and you should feel the most confident with them.
Sadly, this is big truth bomb most kids, mostly young adults realize too late in life. They donāt come to appreciate how their money is serving their loved ones and who they can support it with.
If I had to take a guess on the number of investors who actively consider how their returns can benefit their family, not solely themselves, I would assume little to none since most focus on quick profit and short-term status.
What a shame since a smarter motive tends to yield higher returns as well.
Letās take a look how.
Investire
Investing is a very personalized psychological task. Most people gamble and speculate, not invest which you can learn about here. The word, investing in Latin, āinvestireā means you know what you are getting into.
When you invest, you ideally want your money to work for you so you donāt have to do any additional work. Similarly to generating passive income, once itās set up accordingly, it flows passively into your account. During the pandemic, I particularly felt compelled to work even harder especially during a Republican presidency when taxes are lower and stuck at home convinced me to take advantage of every inch of my time neglecting why I was investing in the first place.
Along with 10m+ newcomers barging into the stock market this past year, although I opened my first Vanguard brokerage custodial account in 2012 at age 12 under my parentās name, I became really invested, no pun intended into why, how and what I was investing into.
The new hot trend is socially active investing via ESG (environmentally social governance and SEF (sociable equitable funds). This is a conscious earth friendly type of investment style focused on promoting governance, diversity, social causes and reducing climate change/emissions/fossil fuels while also helping one earn a juicy financial return and social equity boost.
BlackRock has been an big advocate in this space. Most likely for marketing purposes but also for returns. More diversity in the portfolio, the better.
And as many as ā rd of Millennials, more than any other generation, are focused on where their dollars are going to and how they contribute to their lives.
This generation can pat themselves on the back. Not for consumer credit card debt and adopting the FIRE movement lifestyle at 30 though.
We only have 1 livable planet, as of now, so Iām proud younger generations are taking a stance and caring about the earth to promote a healthier, safer environment.
Along with asset classes for promoting our planet, what about ourĀ family?
The wealthier one gets, not only the more they save, read here how much the wealthy save and how, and hold on to more cash, they think about death more often, for a surpassingly helpful reason. Yes death. Itās inevitable and planning for the worst hoping for the best is the most prudent strategy to live a fruitful and sane life. Read here why death talk is necessary.
The truth is the mortality rate is 100% for our species and as Iāve gotten older Iāve discovered the finite nature of time. Most change when something bad happens and at that point, itās already too late down the drain.
What Iāve discovered is that time goes faster than anticipated. As morbid as this seems, itās an experiment I pose to myself whenever Iām upset about my situation or start comparing myself to others. If you found out itās the end, how would you change your life? And Iām not talking about going on the ultimate vacation but rather how would you change your perspective and treatĀ others?
What would you say to people or invest in? I doubt AMC would be on your mind. Whether the end is in 3 months or 59 years, that appointment is on all of our calendars.
What Iāve discovered is that as we get older, we develop the courage to tell others how much they mean to us, we donāt sweat the small stuff anymore like sitting alone or spilling our drink and realize whatās really important.
We are so warped up in our minds most of the time, especially day traders as they forget whatās the real point of this guessing game they are playing. Whatās the point of gambling and charting every price, volume and momentum betting on companies that they know arenāt profitable and have no idea about only to loose money?
Itās deeper than an addiction, itās an unhealthy obsession that will only lead toĀ regret.
Investing isnāt a game nor your life. Money is just a tool not a goal and can make or break your life. Let that money work for you and for the ones you love since the best gift is giving.
Your impact happens when youāre not in the room. Ask yourself, what would change in terms of my thinking and where would I devote my energies? Sooner or later death is going to happen to all of us so might as well diversify and let your money work for you which doesnāt entail spending it all rather setting up tangible actionable goals.
Use this perspective to your advantage. Most donāt face fear and as a result, have to face it 10x harder when they arenāt prepared. It shouldnāt be used as fear rather liberation to be more forthcoming with your emotions and realize how people look up to you and whatās the life you want to lead to better express your emotions. Tomorrow isnāt guaranteed.
So the next time you review your portfolio, I hope you take that time to gauge how you really want to help the other side. Money certainly wonāt buy the most precious form of happiness nor boost your health by all that much, but it can add security and warm a heart if used wisely.
Life is rich.