defining wealth

12 May 2023
“Buy things, not experiences”

Harold Lee wrote a piece arguing you should buy things, not experiences — and I think he's onto something. The popular idea that experiences are inherently more valuable than things is, at its core, a…
6 March 2020
The magic’s not in the numbers (or: Why this blog is squishy)

I rarely talk numbers on this blog, which might be surprising since it's mainly about money — and I LOVE spreadsheets. Numbers change, past performance isn't future performance, and precision can make…
28 February 2020
Is “early retirement” another pot at the end of the rainbow?

What does "retirement" actually mean to you? For many of the people I talk to, early retirement isn't really about stopping work — it's about changing their relationship to work, or getting freedom to…
18 February 2020
What type of inheritance do you want to leave?

My wife and I joke that cafe treats and holidays are "coming out of the kids' inheritance". It's strictly true. But your children don't just inherit money when you die — they inherit memories, experie…
18 October 2019
My manifesto

"Wealth" isn't just about money, and "success" is personal. Don't over-complicate your financial life — make it boring so the rest of your life can be interesting. Everyone has a financial plan, wheth…
19 April 2019
Buy experiences, not things??

"To be happy, buy experiences, not things." It's a compelling slogan and I've repeated it myself. But the more I think about it, the more I question it. Experiences aren't all equally rewarding, and s…
22 February 2019
You can’t buy love

Warren Buffett is endlessly quoted about investing, but his most important lesson isn't about money. In a 2001 speech at the University of Georgia he said you measure success in life by how many of th…
13 August 2018
“Living doesn’t cost much, but showing off does”

Geoffrey Miller's book Spent has probably saved me thousands of dollars. Its central point — "the fundamental consumerist delusion" — is that other people care less about the products we display than…
1 March 2018
Financial advice for 16 year olds (and the rest of us)

Some high-level financial advice for 16-year-olds, and anyone who still feels young. The biggest investment in your early adulthood is in yourself. One of the best (or worst) financial decisions you'l…
18 September 2015
Ubuntu. An ode to friendship

Success in life, to me, isn't about accomplishments — it's about the relationships we cultivate with the people we care about. The South African word ubuntu captures it: I am because you are. If your…