T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 26

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #26!

* This marks the one year anniversary of my T.G.I.F. Posts!  I’m delighted to say it’s been a huge success as they’re quite popular and I’ve received more than a few emails and comments of support.  I enjoy curating content and I spend quite a lot of time finding the coolest stuff to share with my readers.  So if you’re a fan THANK YOU very much and I plan to continue finding interesting stuff for you to chew on and ponder!

Here are some things I really like and that you might too. 

 

Finance Articles

The True Value Of Alternative Income Streams (Banker On FIRE) – “There is a lot of wisdom in finding a way to augment your employment income.”

Why the stock market and the economy actually aren’t disconnected  (Yahoo Finance) – “It isn’t so much that the stock market is up, it’s that stock market indexes that are up because of just a few stocks.”

 

Video

This footage of Ocean Ramsey diving with a 20 foot great white shark is just stunning.  I’ve dived with sharks many many times, but there are four species of shark you should never be in the water with, and the great white is one of them.  The size of this monster is chilling.

 

Who’s Inspired Me

Maggie Doyne.

While on a trip to India, Maggie Doyne met a little girl working hard to make money for her family at a gravel factory, breaking rocks.  Like so many in poor countries who face adversity we privileged Americans will never know, the girl always had a smile on her face and brightened Maggie’s day.  Doyne wound up paying for the girl’s education. 

But then she went bigger.  Using the money she had saved, she bought land in Nepal and built an orphanage focused on girls education.   Her efforts blossomed into BlinkNow, a nonprofit foundation serving the growing and inspiring community in Surkhet, Nepal.

 

What I’m Grateful For

My first job out of college at a small tech company that I landed in a recession.  It didn’t pay much and the company was operating in the red, but it taught me to work my ass off.  Those lessons carried me to wealth beyond my wildest dreams.

 

Lyrically Speaking

There’s two boys holdin’ stars for wishin’
Yeah, one boy’s sure, one says “I don’t know”

From “You Don’t Get Much“, by BoDeans 

As pioneers of the “Americana” genre the BoDeans have always been one of my favorite bands.  I saw them live way back in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s, I was so drunk I don’t recall much of it.  This song was one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar and I love it because of those first two lines, they represent the ying and yang of life.  Two kids ready to make wishes on stars, one full of hope and the other hedging his bets.  That’s life right there.

But the message of the song resonates with me the most.  You don’t get much without giving.  The song reaches a crescendo with Sammy and Kurt belting out “you don’t get much!” over and over, as if to will it upon the listener to give, to realize the truth.  Now that I’m wealthier than I ever imagined I’d be, I need to keep listening.

 

Miscellaneous

Why COVID-19 is more deadly in people with obesity—even if they’re young“People with obesity are more likely than normal-weight people to have other diseases that are independent risk factors for severe COVID-19, including heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes.

Soap dodger: meet the doctor who says we have been showering wrong“Hand-washing aside, James Hamblin has not used soap for five years. He warns that our obsession with being clean is harming the microbiome that keeps us healthy”

Run a First Marathon, and Your Arteries May Look 4 Years Younger“Training for and finishing a marathon can leave arteries more flexible, healthy and biologically younger than before.”

 

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Dave @ Accidental FIRE

I reached financial independence and semi-retired in my mid-40's through hard work, smart living, and investing. This blog chronicles my journey and explores many aspects of personal finance including the psychological and behavioral factors that drive our habits.

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11 Responses

  1. Damian says:

    Thanks for the share Dave – and the inspiring story on Blink Now.

    I’ve often found it interesting that people in less well to do countries (I happen to have been born in one as well) have a more positive attitude on life than many privileged folks in places like London or New York.

    • Dave @ Accidental FIRE says:

      I’ve been o many many 3rd word countries and have almost always found this to be true. It really makes you reflect on what matters in life.

  2. regarding the disconnect between the economy and the market we really try hard to only own the winners who carry the indices higher. we’ve done a pretty good job the past 5 years avoiding the cinder blocks who drag us down. that’s why i’ve been pounding the table for the nasdaq stocks. there’s plenty of overlap between them and the s+p but subtract those nasdaq stocks from the sp500 and i wouldn’t want to know where that one would be.

    i forgot all about the bo deans. thanks for reminding me.

    • Dave @ Accidental FIRE says:

      Yep, take those few behemoths away and whats left are not so great returns. But the reality is that those few behemoths are an integral part of the economy, so it is what it is.

  3. Mrs. FCB says:

    It’s interesting that the article about obesity and COVID twice referred to the 30-something man in the article as “healthy” aside from the fact that he was obese. Perhaps COVID will finally push our society to face how unhealthy we are and to make some positive policy changes to get everyone healthier? Obesity doesn’t warrant shaming, but it’s most certainly not “healthy” either. I’m not optimistic on that front, but we can hope. Thanks for sharing that article!

    • Dave @ Accidental FIRE says:

      Exactly.. there’s no such thing as being healthy besides being obese. Being obese is not healthy in so so many ways, period. I’m a former obese person, I should know. I don’t shame obese people and don’t like those who do – they need empathy. But they also need the truth, that their condition is extremely detrimental to their health (both physical and mental) and longevity, and it’s driving up healthcare costs for everyone.

  4. Mr. Tako says:

    Wow, that shark video… they’re just touching and rubbing that Great White like it’s some kind of dolphin! That’s wild that the shark is so docile! Thanks for sharing that!

  5. Chris@TTL says:

    Drat, the one question I wanted answered about that Marathon Run article, wasn’t:

    “It’s also uncertain whether someone must go the full 26.2 miles to improve arterial health, Dr. Chirinos says. “Is this the best dose” of exercise to produce healthier, more-youthful arteries, he asks. Perhaps less training would be sufficient, or different exercises of varying intensities, or any routine people will continue for the long haul.”

    I’d assume it’s a spectrum of improvement rather than a binary state of X miles to provide Y benefit. Hopefully I’m getting most of the value with the occassional 10k and half marathon!

    • Dave @ Accidental FIRE says:

      Oh yeah, it’s not black and white. Doing any amount of running will be beneficial, but constantly changing up distances and pace will give you the most bang for your buck. You have to stop your body from adapting.

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