Category: Mindset
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The Society Time Machine
One of the simplest psychological tools for thinking about your financial future is the “society time machine.” Find people who are about 10 years older than you, with similar education, income, lifestyle, and social environment. They may be coworkers or next-door neighbors. In many cases, they provide a surprisingly good preview of where you are…
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Why Adults Regress Into Teenagers When Planning Finances
Grownups behave like teenagers when doing financial planning. In a bad sense. But it is difficult to blame them. After all, the situation is clear from any adult practical point of view. Somebody tells you what you have to do now to be safer in the future. But: The problem is that financial planning psychologically…
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The Moving Line in Financial Security: From “Never” to “Why Not”
Intro The goal of this note is not to tell you how to live, but to give you a framework to evaluate your own decisions.It is useful to balance the numbers when we talk about expenses in our life.There is a well-known discussion about avocado toast and lattes “ruining” your financial future, or not.Usually, the…
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On the price of financial instruments
Eating in the restaurant instead of buying four in a grocery store is a waste of money Buying new car instead of used one is a waste of money Buying annuities or life insurance instead of stocks is a waste of money NOT At some point in life it is time to spend more and…
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“Do You Really Love Your Job?”
Some people say they love their job. (While many others secretly count the days until Friday, but this is different story) Here’s a quick thought experiment for the first group. Imagine I make you an offer:You’ll never have to worry about money again.From today until the end of your life, everything you need is fully…
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Financial advisors make life better. Why planning beats ignoring
Accepting that money needs to be managed is not easy. Somehow, there is a roadblock to the idea that handling and optimizing money is not a decent goal. We do not want to be bothered with it. We work hard, and that is it. Let’s think about it one more time. Assume we’ve decided to…