T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 155

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #155

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

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles & Content

What Is Middle Class Income? Thresholds, Is It Shrinking? (Investopedia) “The percentage of lowest-income earners—those earning less than two-thirds of the median income—had grown three percentage points, from 27% to 30% of the population, between 1971 and 2023. Over that same period, though, the percentage of Americans in the highest-income households also rose by eight points, from 11% to 19% of the population” Dave’s Comment: I wrote about this 5 years ago and the trend has continued.  Yes the middle class in America is shrinking, but if you listen to the mainstream media lying narrative you’d believe that it’s because middle class folks are becoming poor.  While the lowest earning category in America has seen a 3% growth, the upper-middle class has seen an 8% growth.  More folks are leaving the middle class because they are too wealthy to be in it.  The facts and links are in the article.

Robinhood Unveils New Fund To Open Private Markets To Everyday Investors (Yahoo Finance) “The initiative aims to give individual investors exposure to firms before they go public, an opportunity historically reserved for wealthy investors and institutions.“

Video

I haven’t posted an ASMR in a while so now I will. When I want to simulate the joys of camping by a river I go to this one.  Sometimes it’s nice to put this on, crank the volume, and read a book.  

What I’m Grateful For

A first place finish in my age group in my last big bike race of the season. Everything came together and I had great legs the day of the race.  I had my first beer of the year in the post-race celebration and it was worth it!

Lyrically Speaking

When I was just a young’in bouncin’ on my mamas knee
Said, “Son, there’s only one thing that sets your soul free”
Wasn’t no easy street where I come from
There wasn’t no sleep until the work was done

From “The Well” by Marcus King

What do Marcus King and Chris Stapleton have in common?  Well, for me, they’re probably the two best modern male vocalists out there.  Boom, shots fired!  You may have heard of Chris Stapleton since he’s uber-famous and has sold millions of records and won every vocalist award out there.  But chances are you have not heard of Marcus King.  Do yourself a favor and give him a listen. Don’t let the comparison to Stapleton push you away if you don’t like country music, because he’s not country.  His most recent full-length release, 2024’s Mood Swings, is basically a soul album, and a damn smooth one at that.  King is one of those vocalists who could sing the contents of a parking ticket and make it sound amazing.  And like Stapleton he’s a damn good guitar player too.

King also has some songs released under the moniker of The Marcus King Band, and I’m baffled that this guy is not famous yet.  In this age of auto-tune and AI music he’s the real-deal, no fakery involved.  As for the lyrics above, I’m glad I grew up in a working-class neighborhood of lower middle class people because it definitely left an impression on me.  No sleep till the work is done.  And if you save your money over time you can retire early to do happy work, and catch up on that sleep.

Miscellaneous

Brain fat, not just plaques, may be the hidden driver of Alzheimer’s – “For decades, scientists believed Alzheimer’s was driven mainly by sticky protein plaques and tangles in the brain. Now Purdue researchers have revealed a hidden culprit: fat.”

OpenAI and Nvidia’s $100B AI plan will require power equal to 10 nuclear reactors – “”This is a giant project,” Nvidia CEO said of new 10-gigawatt AI infrastructure deal.”

The search for anti-gravity propulsion – “A tale of theory, experiment, UFO sightings, secret military programs, and CIA disinformation campaigns.”