it's shocking how many founders I have spoken to who only have a basic understanding of their personal finance. these are smart people who have successful businesses but they just simply haven't even thought about what comes after the EBITDA not only they barely understand the concept of free cash flow but they definitely don't know what objectives they have for their personal portfolio allocation nor have they defined their "fuck you" money amount. if this is you, please spend some time to develop a clear plan for yourself! you should know this well before you have "made it", don't wait until later

I chose poorly.

This is the real Europe by the way

It’s almost 7pm Just put down a Campari Spritz, a beer, and a delicious chicken and pasta dish. Gotta put the kids to bed next. Big question of the evening… ice cream, Netflix, and pass out on the couch… Or… Go run 10-20 miles

No matter what you think, someone will always argue the opposite side.

Now they're gaslighting Opus. smh

While deliberately provocative and extreme, this post’s underlying message is pretty simple… appear as the opposite of what you are. Rich? Look poor. Poor? Look rich. You want to be treated as the inverse… harmless and underestimated. It doesn’t take much life experience to grasp this paradox. People are far more motivated by hate and envy than by admiration for beauty or greatness. That said, these replies are incredible displays of philosophical and cultural LARPing. Get offline (ironic how we all make fun of each other yet are all online doing it). Funny how it mirrors the crowd that mocks “Fourth Turning” ideas… the Western civilization anti-dilution champions lamenting lost decorum… insisting we must “inspire the masses” through individual displays of high-brow culture. Likely the same voices recite the classic “hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, weak men create hard times…” History is littered with examples of individual displays of high-brow culture and ostentation (not just impersonal buildings or city planning) breeding resentment, revolution, and ruin. Roman patricians’ lavish villas, exotic banquets, and flaunted wealth in the late Republic… denounced by Cato and others as moral decay… fueled populist rage and helped tear apart the Republic. Then you have Versailles and how the French aristocracy’s public luxury helped spark 1789. Yet another with the Gilded Age… extravagance drew populist backlash then too. Bottom line… just be like Adam Sandler.

Last chopper left last night

You can add “the government bans it because it’s too powerful” to the list of reasons to stop what you’re doing and use this stuff before it’s too late

I created a monster

It’s so easy. I think I’ll retire. Also, BigFashion shills are out in force today.

For all those who followed this story... his retirement is now 100% fully funded at age 30... Been selling it down since the $140 range... claims it's "so easy." "coast fire" he keeps saying doesn't seem fair

The biggest financial flex imaginable is not caring about material status symbols and keeping non-essential spending to the bare minimum. I've seen so many takes about the importance of dressing well (the guy who tells you to wear a suit on an airplace-- lol) or buying the right watch or showing up to an event with an elite whip... All terrible advice The higher NW and liquidity you have... the more slovenly and ridiculous you should appear in your day to day comings and goings.

This triggered some morning thoughts… The thing about US/EU discourse ppl on either side don’t understand is.. A couple in a major tier 1 EU city earning, say, €60-80K each are living a life of both absolute and relative luxury… traveling around the world regularly (pretty normal thing for them), their kids are exposed to the entire world both linguistically and culturally, and have relatively low stress because it’s really hard for them to be fired or go bankrupt from school or healthcare debt. An American couple living in a tier 1 city earning $60-80K each are not flying to the Caribbean or Mexico every time the kids are off school for more than 3 days (yet the Europeans are) or taking 2 weeks off work to hike Banff or Zion). The American couple can’t keep up with bills, debt, and are constantly afraid of getting that call from HR or that random injury or surprise diagnosis.. or their car breaking down and taking the local bus to Costco or Wegmans 30 min away is impossible.

I think about this a lot

Isn’t this the nicest most desirable suburb in Dublin? If so, price seems about right, no?

People ask me what I'll do when AI takes over all white collar professional services work... things like data analysis, financial modeling, storytelling which is what I'm paid to do... ...I'm just going to go back to construction. That's what I grew up doing. My grandfather used to always say "If you have a skill, you'll always have a job." The modern updated version of this is, I think, "if you have a skill people need, you'll always have a job." Perhaps that's what he meant.

Well, that escalated quickly.

I agree with all of this advice

I'm 38. At this point of my life/career, I have so many friends working corporate W2 jobs making $200-400K/year (mostly in NYC/NJ/PA corridor) who just don't actually work that much. One friend makes $250K as a manager at a biotech... all he does is send pictures of his chicken coop or other DIY projects all day during the week.. no idea what value he actually provides his company. Then there's my "jiggler" friend who you might recall... guy makes $250-300K and just plugs a "mouse jiggler" into his laptop and just goes to the gym, homeschools his kids, tans, does yard work... all day. I ask him what he does and he can't even articulate it... Another friend makes $150K at a remote startup and just travels around the world all the time... don't ask don't tell situation on where people are at any given time... but does seemingly little actual work.. maybe 1 hour a day. This is truly what's going on out there... BS W2 jobs all over the place. And AI is a bubble? Really?