T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 86

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #86!

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

Financial Independence/Retirement Articles

A letter to young investors (Tawcan) – “Your portfolio is like a bar of soap, the more you touch it, the smaller it’ll get.“

It’s Time to Work (Of Dollars And Data) – “It’s only once you have built a sizable nest egg that your investments begin to dominate your wealth.“

Video

Winter is here and I’m psyched.  Though we haven’t gotten off to a great start in the mid-Atlantic with mild temps, I’m hopeful the white stuff is coming.  So it’s time for some nature-porn!  Check out this jaw-dropping footage of winter in the Italian Dolomites.  Drones make this stuff possible, and that makes me happy.

AERIAL WINTER | Dolomites – Julian Alps | Drone 4K from Bruno Pisani on Vimeo.

Who’s Inspired Me

Leo Rodgers and Julien Molina.

Leo Rodgers lost his leg in a motorcycle accident.  Julien Molina was hit by a bus at age 7 and eventually lost his leg.  The two of them united a while ago to show what adaptive athletes can do on bikes – even without their prosthetics. Check out this video. 

Julien and Leo don’t see themselves as victims, they’re grabbing the bull by the horns and getting at it.  They also don’t claim it’s easy, they admit struggles.  But they get stronger by doing the hard things, and as you see in the video they’re just having good ‘ole fun on bikes. 

On a very somber note, Leo was recently hit by a car on his way to work in Miami and fractured his neck.  He’s working to regain feeling in his remaining leg and limbs.  There’s a GoFundMe page set up for him that’s been gaining traction from the cycling community.

What I’m Grateful For

A recent dinner reunion with 3 colleagues who helped launch my career many moons ago.  They’re all still working full time and had many questions about my current life, and I think my answers resonated.

Lyrically Speaking

He wanted easy money
It’s sad but it’s true
Everybody wants the most they can possibly get
For the least they can possibly do

From “Easy Money” by Todd Snider

Todd Snider first came on my radar in 1994 when I heard his song “Talkin’ Seattle Blues” on WRNR, the only indie radio station we had access to in Baltimore.  As much as I liked that grunge killed hair metal in the early 1990’s, I was admittedly getting sick of the media hype around it.  Sure I liked Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, but advertising and MTV’s desperate cling to anything Seattle, flannel, and grunge was getting old fast.  Snider’s ultra sarcastic take on the movement was the funniest and wittiest song I’d heard, and I had to buy his album.  Turns out all of Songs For The Daily Planet was just as witty and sarcastic, and Snider demanded attention with his sharp lyrical tongue.  The first song on the album called “My Generation Pt. 2” is a brutally honest and hilarious take on the Gen X’ers of the 1990’s, of which I was one.  Anyone my age will love dated 1990’s references such as “using condom sense” and Arsenio Hall.

The lyrics to “Easy Money” above should resonate with the FIRE community.  To me, investing in index funds is the easiest money out there.  It’s the most you can get for the least effort.

*On a somber note Jeff Beck died on Tuesday after I had this section written and prepared.  Regular readers know I typically honor the legends of rock with a feature after their passing, and Mr. Beck was surely one of them.  I play guitar and when I watched Jeff play, even recently, it was clear he was in another universe.  His phrasing, his approach to chord structures, he broke all the rules and made it look effortless.  Beck was a true virtuoso and one of the legends of rock, and will be sorely missed.

Miscellaneous

The Year In Quiet Quitting – “A new generation discovers that it’s hard to balance work with a well-lived life.”

One-minute bursts of activity during daily tasks could prolong your life – “First research to measure the benefits of vigorous physical activity as part of daily living.”

Perceiving without seeing: How light resets your internal clock – ” Every day you go out and look at the sun — and it entrains this circadian clock to be on the 24-hour cycle.”