This is a new entry where I’ll try to relay some good things that the week has brought me. I think a lot of us have a propensity to dwell on the negatives, I know I do. And this week has no shortage of negatives. But in the stock market your returns are categorized as Realized or Unrealized gains–the difference being whether or not you “cashed out”. Until you sell stock you haven’t really made or lost that number in the total returns column. By my own investing philosophy, my gains are unrealized because I’m holding for the long term.

But in life good comes as well as bad and we need to spend some time celebrating our wins. This morning I got a routine email asking me to come up to a gorgeous Colorado resort town called Steamboat Springs this June to run either a Marathon, a half marathon or a 10k. I loved the idea but it’s a long drive and these things start early in the morning. Just for fun–or maybe I was looking for an excuse not to run–I decided to check hotels against my IHG credit card points. Turns out I had enough points to pay for my hotel and now I get to take my son and spend a weekend in this amazing town.

This is a not-common-enough thing called travel hacking. It’s actually more credit card hacking. I have this credit card because I build up rewards on groceries and gas–and, of course, stays in IHG properties. This isn’t the first time I’ve cashed in points but it is the first time I’ve done it on a spur of the moment.

The lesson is this, I think, being responsible has more rewards than we know. I was positioned for this June weekend in a hotel that would normally physically hurt me to pay for–to run a 10k, yes, I picked the 10k, In one of the most scenic routes in the country. It’s not something I planned on, but it’s a great reward for being financially responsible.

I hope you’ve realized some gains this week too, in your life or your pocketbook.

Some believe that we're all addicts. Maybe your addiction is threatening your happiness rather than your literal life. There's a part of us all that needs to feel the high of reward for our actions and I'm here to tell you making your money make money is a hell of a high. If you get 100% of your money from your job, you're missing a great passive opportunity. It also carries one of the lowest risks in investing. Take a few minutes to hear me out, we'll all be happier for it.

Most financial advisor podcasts I’ve found, while they mean well, don’t seem to have had the same experience with money that you and I have. A lot of the introductions include things like “My parents paid for my college, so I didn’t have student loans…” My first job out of college only paid me $55,000 a year…Pre-tax!!!”

In general the people out there giving great advice got great advice early. They avoided a lot of the pitfalls of adult life.

You and I though- we’ve made our mistakes; we’ve suffered our sleepless nights; we’ve sacrificed the life we thought we would have for the life we spend our days just maintaining.

I know these financial guru’s mean well, and I love them for wanting to help young adults avoid needless pain, but when they tell their stories meant to inspire us, it can be pretty demoralizing--if you’ve already made these mistakes.

Or maybe it wasn’t mistakes. Maybe your chosen profession didn’t pay you $55,000 right out of college. Maybe it didn’t pay you $35,000. Or 25. Maybe it took you 15 years in your career to reach $55,000 and just maybe that’s right up there near the top end.

Maybe you had to “pay your dues”. Which, by the way, is a phrase used by people making a livable wage to turn your passion against you.

Maybe you don’t get a bonus. Maybe you don’t get an annual cost of living adjustment.  Maybe you did, but your COLA was taken away because of the pandemic. Maybe you worry it’ll never come back. Maybe your corporation made record profits last year on the backs of those denied a simple cost of living raise.

It may be too late for me to enter the FIRE movement--Financial Independence, Retire Early--those folks invariably made six figures out of college but began sacrificing even earlier than that. Don’t get me wrong, those people should be listened to. Anyone living on their terms on their own time in the prime of their life deserves our respect. The knowledge they provide is deeper than anything I’m capable of explaining to you. And while it’s too late for me, it may be possible for you. It’s certainly still possible for our kids. If you have them you must be worried for their futures. I remember premium pay, annual raises, christmas bonuses...christmas parties. These windfalls are being eliminated from more and more industries. They’re going the way of the pension...a thing I’ve never ever had. My most grim vision for the future eliminates health care and overtime putting us all into an independent contractor status.