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1. No one is crazy: Our personal experiences shape our relationship with money

Your personal experiences with money make up maybe 0.00000001% of what's happened in the world, but maybe 80% of how you think the world works.

Our money behaviors are shaped by our unique experiences. People from different generations, raised by different parents who earned different incomes and held different values, in different parts of the world, born into different economies, experiencing different job markets with different incentives and different degrees of luck, learn very different lessons about money. These experiences form the foundation of our financial decision-making, often without us realizing it.

Understanding this concept is crucial for financial empathy. When you see someone making a financial decision that seems irrational to you, remember that they're acting based on their own unique set of experiences and lessons learned. This doesn't mean all financial decisions are equally valid, but it does mean that we should approach financial discussions and advice with humility and an open mind.

2. Luck and risk: Appreciate their roles in financial outcomes

The line between "inspiringly bold" and "foolishly reckless" can be a millimeter thick and only visible with hindsight.

Luck and risk play significant roles in financial outcomes. While skill, hard work, and good decisions are important, they don't tell the whole story. Every financial outcome is guided by forces outside of individual control, and it's crucial to recognize this when evaluating both your own financial journey and others'.

Acknowledging luck and risk leads to better decision-making. When you understand that not all financial outcomes are directly tied to effort or skill, you can:

• Be more forgiving of your own financial setbacks
• Be less judgmental of others' financial situations
• Make more resilient financial plans that account for uncertainty
• Maintain humility in the face of success
• Be more open to learning from a diverse range of financial experiences and strategies

3. Never enough: The challenge of knowing when you have "enough"

The hardest financial skill is getting the goalpost to stop moving.

Lifestyle inflation can be a perpetual trap. As people earn more, they often increase their spending proportionally, constantly pushing the definition of "enough" further away. This can lead to a cycle of always wanting more, regardless of how much wealth one accumulates.

Defining "enough" is a personal and crucial exercise. To break free from the cycle of always wanting more:

• Regularly reflect on what truly brings you happiness and fulfillment
• Set clear financial goals based on your personal values, not societal expectations
• Practice gratitude for what you already have
• Focus on experiences and relationships rather than material possessions
• Consider the trade-offs of pursuing more wealth (time, stress, health) against the benefits

4. Compounding: The most powerful force in finance

$81.5 billion of Warren Buffett's $84.5 billion net worth came after his 65th birthday. Our minds are not built to handle such absurdities.

Compounding is the key to long-term wealth creation. The power of compounding – where you earn returns on your returns – is often underestimated because it's counterintuitive to how we usually think about growth. Small, consistent actions over a long period can lead to extraordinary results.

To harness the power of compounding:

• Start investing early, even with small amounts
• Be patient and resist the urge to interrupt the compounding process
• Reinvest dividends and interest whenever possible
• Focus on consistent, long-term returns rather than trying to time the market
• Remember that compounding works in other areas of life too, such as knowledge and relationships

5. Getting wealthy vs. staying wealthy: Different skills for different goals

Getting money is one thing. Keeping it is another.

Accumulating wealth and preserving wealth require different mindsets and skills. Getting wealthy often involves taking risks, being optimistic, and putting yourself out there. Staying wealthy, on the other hand, requires humility, fear, and an acceptance that some of what you've achieved is due to luck.

To build lasting wealth:

• Develop a balanced approach that combines growth strategies with preservation tactics
• Cultivate humility and avoid overconfidence, even as your wealth grows
• Diversify your investments to protect against unforeseen risks
• Regularly reassess your risk tolerance and adjust your strategies accordingly
• Focus on sustainable, long-term financial practices rather than get-rich-quick schemes
• Remember that maintaining wealth often requires different skills than acquiring it

6. Tails drive everything: The power of outliers in finance

Anything that is huge, profitable, famous, or influential is the result of a tail event—an outlying one-in-thousands or millions event.

A small number of extreme events have an outsized impact on overall returns. In many areas of finance, a tiny fraction of events or decisions account for the majority of outcomes. This principle applies to individual stocks, overall market returns, and even personal financial decisions.

Understanding the importance of tails can improve your financial strategy:

• Diversify broadly to increase your chances of capturing positive tail events
• Be prepared for negative tail events by maintaining emergency funds and insurance
• Don't be discouraged by frequent small failures – they're often the cost of capturing rare big wins
• Focus on systems and processes that allow you to benefit from positive outliers when they occur
• Remember that your overall financial success is likely to be determined by a few key decisions or events, not the average of all your choices

7. Freedom: The highest dividend money pays

Controlling your time is the highest dividend money pays.

Financial independence provides the ultimate freedom. The ability to control your time – to do what you want, when you want, with whom you want – is the most valuable benefit that money can provide. This freedom can lead to greater happiness and life satisfaction than material possessions or status symbols.

To prioritize freedom in your financial planning:

• Define what freedom means to you personally (it might not be traditional retirement)
• Calculate the cost of your desired level of freedom and make it a primary financial goal
• Consider trading higher income for more control over your time, if possible
• Build a financial cushion that allows you to make decisions based on personal preferences rather than necessity
• Remember that even small increases in financial freedom can significantly impact your quality of life

8. Save money: The only factor you can control

The only factor you can control generates one of the only things that matters. How wonderful.

Saving is the foundation of financial success. While you can't control market returns or economic conditions, you have direct control over how much you save. A high savings rate provides flexibility, security, and options, regardless of external circumstances.

To improve your savings rate:

• Automate your savings to remove the temptation to spend
• Focus on reducing your largest expenses (housing, transportation, food) for the biggest impact
• Cultivate contentment and resist lifestyle inflation as your income grows
• View saving as buying freedom and options for your future self
• Remember that a high income doesn't guarantee wealth – it's what you keep, not what you earn, that matters

9. Reasonable > Rational: Aim for psychological comfort in finance

Aiming to be mostly reasonable works better than trying to be coldly rational.

Financial decisions should prioritize peace of mind over theoretical optimization. While it's important to understand financial principles and mathematics, making decisions that allow you to sleep well at night is often more valuable than choosing the option that looks best on paper.

To make more reasonable financial decisions:

• Acknowledge the role of emotions in your financial choices
• Choose strategies you can stick with long-term, even if they're not mathematically optimal
• Consider the psychological benefits of certain financial choices (e.g., paying off a mortgage early)
• Recognize that what works for others may not work for you due to different circumstances and risk tolerances
• Regularly assess whether your financial strategies align with your personal values and goals

10. Room for error: Plan for the unexpected in your financial life

The most important part of every plan is planning on your plan not going according to plan.

Building in margin for error is crucial for long-term financial success. Life is inherently unpredictable, and the most robust financial strategies account for a range of potential outcomes. This approach helps you weather unexpected setbacks and take advantage of unforeseen opportunities.

To incorporate room for error in your financial planning:

• Maintain an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses
• Diversify your investments to reduce the impact of any single failure
• Be conservative in your financial projections and assumptions
• Avoid taking on debt that could become unmanageable if your circumstances change
• Regularly stress-test your financial plan against various scenarios
• Remember that the best financial strategies are those that can survive real-world uncertainties

11. You'll change: Adapt your financial plans as you evolve

Long-term planning is harder than it seems because people's goals and desires change over time.

Your financial goals and strategies should evolve as you do. It's natural for your values, priorities, and circumstances to change over time. A financial plan that doesn't account for personal growth and changing perspectives is likely to become irrelevant or frustrating.

To create adaptable financial plans:

• Regularly reassess your financial goals and adjust your strategies accordingly
• Avoid making irrevocable long-term financial decisions whenever possible
• Build flexibility into your financial plans to accommodate changing priorities
• Consider how your past self has changed and imagine how your future self might be different
• Remember that changing your financial strategy isn't a failure – it's a sign of growth and self-awareness

Last updated: September 25, 2024