Teaching the money stuff that you don't learn in school

Hi Reader. Thanks again for subscribing to my newsletter.

I've made a little change. My newsletter is now called 'Happy Money'. And here's why ...

Generally, when we talk about money (if we ever do) it's a kind of serious topic. Actually, it can be more than serious, even stressful. It's often full of numbers, arguments, boring stuff or information that confuses.

I'd like to change that a little. My newsletter will still have useful information, tips, discussion points and some strategies to help.

But it will also have some fun stuff. Money should be fun, we should be happy to discuss it and our conversations should be positive.

Money doesn't buy happiness, but we can be happy with what we have and be happy about the progress that we're making and about the joy that money can bring - to us or to those that we can help with it.

So here's the plan. Each week you will receive the following:

A joke - it's always good to laugh
A quote - there is a lot to learn from what smarter people than me have said about money
Some wisdom - if it isn't my wisdom then it will be wisdom from experts, books and data that will help you to get closer to financial freedom
Some hope - this will be the positive vibes, feelgood stories or inspiration that I hope you will get from my newsletter.

A Joke

I had my credit card stolen the other day but I didn't bother to report it because the thief spends less than me!

A Quote

"I will tell you the secret to getting rich on Wall Street. You try to be greedy when others are fearful. And you try to be fearful when others are greedy. "(Warren Buffet)

Buffet is a financial wizard with a long history of winning bets on the stock market, although he didn’t get there by following the crowd. If you can take away anything from Buffet’s words, it’s that you shouldn’t think or act the same way everyone else does. Forge your own thinking and follow your instincts, even if that means going against the mainstream.

Some Wisdom

Invest In Index Funds:

An index fund is a portfolio of stocks or bonds designed to mimic the composition and performance of the stock market
They have lower expenses and fees than actively managed funds
Index funds seek to match the risk and return of the market based on the theory that in the long term, the market will outperform any single investment.
The S&P 500 index has returned a historic annualized average return of around 10.26% since its 1957 inception through the end of 2023.
Warren Buffet advises that everyone should invest monthly in index funds and never sell.

Some Hope

If Ronald Read, the janitor from Vermont can do it, then why can't we all?

Read the story of the janitor who lived a frugal life and surprised all who knew him, when it was discovered after his death that he had a net wealth of almost $8 million.

Thoughts For The Week Ahead

Life is a constant journey of learning. And learning about money is no exception. If we want to achieve our financial goals and live our best life then we can never stop learning.

As you progress through your week you will most likely be exposed to tweets, YouTube videos, Facebook posts, 'expert' finance gurus and advice from well-meaning friends telling you how to 'get rich quick' or what investment is hot right now.

Your best defence against what is very likely bad advice is to be active in your learning. Read, listen, question and most of all learn.