The Thing We Never Talk About

What Is “Wealth”?


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What comes to mind when you hear the word “wealth”? In this episode, Tim explores how our ideas about money are shaped not just by math & spreadsheets, but by deep emotional lessons from family, culture, and experience. He unpacks why textbook definitions of wealth often fall short, shares perspectives from author Morgan Housel, and offers a new way to think about building abundance: creating more “perfect average days”. Along the way, Tim explains how saving and investing can buy you freedom, time, and peace of mind—keys to living a life of true wealth.

Key takeaways:

  1. Wealth is more than a number. Financial education often emphasizes the math side of money—budgets, compounding, spreadsheets—but emotional lessons from family and culture shape our views about money just as strongly.
  2. Early experiences—such as seeing family members struggle with debt, investing, or real estate—can create lasting beliefs about what’s “safe” or “risky” (even if those beliefs aren’t accurate or helpful).
  3. Abundance is about “more than enough.” But abundance depends on how much you think you need, not just how much you have.
  4. Freedom > possessions. Wealth is really about time and freedom, not just money or material goods.
  5. Instead of chasing endless big goals (which look great on social media), let's reframe wealth as the ability to afford more “perfect average days”—days filled with comfort, connection, and choice. Saving and investing is a way to buy those future days of freedom.

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The Thing We Never Talk AboutBy Timothy Iseler

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