priorities

1. 18 May 2023

   Adiós, amigos!

   This blog and Fairhaven Wealth are on indefinite hiatus. I have other things in my life right now that are more important to me and my direct loved ones, and freeing up that mental bandwidth is more i…

2. 3 March 2023

   Living in line with your values and priorities isn’t always easy

   One of the themes of this blog is the importance of aligning your decisions with your values and priorities. Sometimes, this isn't easy. Sometimes it's hard. 2022 was a pretty bad year for me, but des…

3. 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…

4. 14 February 2020

   The paradox of advice

   If you engage a financial adviser, you might think the decision will leave you better off financially. Not necessarily. I often encourage clients to spend more, or point out they can afford to earn le…

5. 22 November 2019

   You’ve got to spend money to save money

   Frugality is great — if it's mindful, and aligned with your values. But focus purely on savings rate and you can miss the forest for the trees. My wife and I joke that you've got to spend money to sav…

6. 11 August 2017

   Financial advice and the FIRE (“financial independence, retire early”) phenomenon

   The FIRE movement — financial independence, retire early — is alluring. The core lesson is simple: increase your savings rate, live frugally, and you can retire decades early. I'm sympathetic to it, a…

7. 7 August 2017

   The billion dollar question

   Approaching 20, I asked myself a stark question: would I rather have $1 billion in the bank, or a fantastic relationship with a fantastic woman? The answer reshaped my priorities. I spent years workin…

8. 17 June 2017

   The big financial decisions you make need to reflect your values and priorities

   My wife and I own a wonderful house. We could have bought one for half the cost, halved the mortgage, and been financially independent years earlier. We made the decision with open eyes — we were prep…