Holbox is a tiny island in the Gulf of Mexico.
I was there on holiday in 2009 and liked it so much I returned ten years later, but discovered the sleepy fishing village had transformed into a packed tourist trap.
At dinner one night I overheard a guy complaining how congested the island had become. “This is our second time here, but last year there weren’t many tourists. It’s completely changed!”
That got me thinking about perspective....
I was born in 1979. If my parents had invested $1,000 in a no-fee S&P 500 index fund, and had reinvested all dividends, the stake would have grown to be worth $80,601 on my 40th birthday.
That’s a gain of 81 for 1.
Meanwhile, a $1 million investment by the endowment at a college would have grown to over $80 million.
But here’s the math that’s hardest to believe: If the college had paid a seemingly small 2% investment fee, then its gain would have...
Does it seem like everyone but you is becoming fabulously rich and famous?
It makes for a good story. Someone goes from living out of their car to driving a Ferrari. The problem is when they go on to say their success is a result of their morning routine or this one book they read or some random tactic.
You’ve probably heard business icons or celebrities giving this advice. It typically goes something like: “Look, all you need to do is this one thing, and...
Like everyone, I sometimes struggle with waiting for the perfect time.
You wait for the perfect time to have kids, learn a new skill, quit a bad habit. And then after you just do the thing, you always wonder why you waited so long. Life is better now.
It’s no different with investing. If you’ve never invested before it’s hard getting started. It’s even harder if the market’s been steadily rising. Almost impossible...
I don’t own a car anymore, and so I’ve been riding a 12-year old bike. It takes a lot for me to buy anything.
Like I’m writing this on a two-year-old laptop, which replaced a laptop that was six years old, which replaced a laptop that was six years old.
I’ve been wearing the clothes in my closet until they’re worn out, and then not replacing them. I’m down to just a few...
