I agree about all the influencer content. That’s why I started my Substack. For books, I would recommend It’s Not About the Money. The author has a really interesting story. I also am planning to get the new TFD book when it comes out this spring
I love love love reading these newsletters! This was NOT boring to read, and I really appreciated the list of things you have an aversion to - especially the part about "abundance" and "manifestation". There's way too much content out there along those themes and I find them incredibly unhelpful. Here for the (non)-boring, practical and useful content that incorporates interesting personal stories that I can relate to (or can contrast my current stage in life against - also helpful!).
Not recommending this for finance reading although they say Warren Buffet recommends just this book “The Intelligent Investor”. It’s great for putting me to sleep 🤣 with its tiny print. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intelligent_Investor
Although I really did enjoy Amanda Holden from US and her investing courses. Love the way she frames the content and easy to understand.https://www.amanda-holden.com/id-course
on tiktok lately there has been a "loud budgeting" trend- this is where the girlies who want to stick to tighter budgets or want to pay off debt faster, share exact and specific numbers / spending this week/month, as a sort of online accountability/voyeuristic feeling girl group of "we're all in this together". My favorite lately is Brittany Reynolds. She's been paying off 36k of credit card debt and I think she's down to 12.5k left- partially bc she keeps getting tiktok brand deals now. Part of what makes it interesting is (in her case) the rags to riches feeling you get when you watch her pay down another couple grand. Part of it is the interest in her life- it's just interesting to watch her compare "what i spent this week vs what i spent this time last year" as she picks apart her old bad habits that racked up all the debt. It's interesting to see what people spend money on. It feels like a part of their lives we usually never get detailed access to. I am sure I don't have to explain this to you!! You were part of an earlier wave of this trend I think.
So I wouldn't say money is boring now... but you have to go where the young people are. Finance books are not it. But for the kind of content you are looking for- I am not sure. Maybe that stuff is all boring. I haven't gotten to that point in my life yet.
Interesting story of a personal journey managing money. I’m both a certified public accountant and a writer on Substack on living with the trait of high sensitivity, and occasionally I write for other outlets. I might be interested in contributing some content to your effort. I’m not sure the tack I’d take but would be interested in collaborating on something perhaps.
I’m interested in stories about people working towards less than more. Instead of trying to find out how to make the most money, they search towards getting meaning out of life other ways. At the same time, one can’t live without money so I’m interested in that balance between figuring out how to live a “meaningful” (I know that means so many different things) life without being focused on having the largest house, the newest fanciest car, the expensive purse, etc. I want to work less and enjoy life more yet I must have a job to pay for all the things and especially in America, you have to have a full time job to have healthcare but I know people figure out ways around this!
I get what you’re saying about money being boring. Anything I get in a groove with and is effective becomes “boring” to me. I’ve learned to embrace it.
Like you mentioned, it probably has to do with my nervous system.
I’ve learned to embrace boring because when I don’t something in me conjures up “excitement” in the form of crises.
It’s a pattern in all areas of my life.
I’ve also learned to shift from bored to content. I’m thankful that I have routines that stabilize my life. Thankful that I have the capacity to settle.
The growth junkie in me wants to reach reach reach, but I’m learning that I don’t need to reach to grow. Life unfolds. New pathways open up. Questions are asked and answered.
Yeah, that’s all woo and feel good, but it really is turning out that way.
On the money front, I know how to budget, save, pay down debt and earn income. I see those as basics.
My edge is now growing money and creating income streams that increase as my effort decreases. I’m fascinated about those topics.
Loved this. It's so hard to figure out how to have a critical voice when I'm at the very beginning of my personal finance journey. I want to find the things that are rooted in what you're talking about, but I end up getting so confused about how to find the resources that are really going to resonate with me. The world of money feels like such a predatory place sometimes. I really appreciate your outlook.
I heard somewhere that the drama of our lives is the drama of our relationships. And when those relationships (money or people or work or anything) are mostly solid then I think they feel 'boring' because they aren't wildly activating either direction. But I think that's when we settle into enjoying the simpler nuances of days and weeks and lives. Ripples instead of hurricanes.
I also find the 'boring' content the most interesting. I'd maybe call it realistic rather than boring, and the more real things are the more interesting they are. The term realistic is often used to mean not ambitious, but of course being ambitious is a real experience too, just not one that is often framed in a realistic way. A lot of that other content doesn't feel like it's made about or for human beings.
If you ever feel like writing about it in more detail I would love to know your evolution from the needs/wants stuff! Like, how you conceptualize your spending now in that regard.
Back in 2017, I read Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing and that was what nudged me to start investing. I never regretted it even though prices seemed high at the time.
In reading your words, as well as those from others here who comment, I am of the opinion that money (and finances in general) is a very personal / individual related topic. What may seem "boring" to one person (who has "been there / done that" financially over the years) may instead appear as quite new to another (who is just starting out and has never experienced the topic). Likewise, there may be a person who needs to be step-by-step guided in grasping and / or completing a financial task as opposed to another person who, in just being given a more general financial topic, has the ability (and / or experience) to form their own conclusions and / or unique steps in completing a financial task successfully.
People are all different. We all enjoy reading / learning information (whether it be finance / money -related or something else) at all different levels of detail. It all depends on one's background, education, past experience (whether it be good and/or bad), lifestyle, age, present wealth, family situation, whatever.
I guess what I'm saying is that my thoughts and interests regarding money having continually changed over the years: from right after university (starting my first job); then later getting married; and then later starting a family; followed later (with more savings) getting into investing. I guess that this interest in money matters will always continue to evolve as time goes on for me.
So whatever money matters that you decide to discuss here over time may not apply to some readers but most probably will apply to others reading your words. Write about what interests you personally and I'm sure your readers (through their comments) will post about whatever interests them. That way we will all benefit by sharing ideas and information.
I'm in a completely different financial space. So, I'm reading books about how to hurry and catch up on saving for my retirement. I'm 56 years old, I started out 2024 with $81,700 combined debt (with my husband - this includes credit cards, student loans, and one more vehicle to pay off. This does not include our mortgage. Due to a complicated financial past, my husband and I probably only have about $20,000 in our 401K's, and about $2K in the bank for emergencies. 2024 is the year of being mindful for me, and finances (specifically retirement) are a huge part of that. I thought about starting a blog about our journey, but I don't know how to even go about it. I really enjoyed your books, and I am motivated by these newsletters and the commmunity that follows them! Thank you!
Read "Your Money or your Life" by Vickie Robin and Joe Dominguez. It's and oldie but goody.
I agree about all the influencer content. That’s why I started my Substack. For books, I would recommend It’s Not About the Money. The author has a really interesting story. I also am planning to get the new TFD book when it comes out this spring
I love love love reading these newsletters! This was NOT boring to read, and I really appreciated the list of things you have an aversion to - especially the part about "abundance" and "manifestation". There's way too much content out there along those themes and I find them incredibly unhelpful. Here for the (non)-boring, practical and useful content that incorporates interesting personal stories that I can relate to (or can contrast my current stage in life against - also helpful!).
Not recommending this for finance reading although they say Warren Buffet recommends just this book “The Intelligent Investor”. It’s great for putting me to sleep 🤣 with its tiny print. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intelligent_Investor
Although I really did enjoy Amanda Holden from US and her investing courses. Love the way she frames the content and easy to understand.https://www.amanda-holden.com/id-course
on tiktok lately there has been a "loud budgeting" trend- this is where the girlies who want to stick to tighter budgets or want to pay off debt faster, share exact and specific numbers / spending this week/month, as a sort of online accountability/voyeuristic feeling girl group of "we're all in this together". My favorite lately is Brittany Reynolds. She's been paying off 36k of credit card debt and I think she's down to 12.5k left- partially bc she keeps getting tiktok brand deals now. Part of what makes it interesting is (in her case) the rags to riches feeling you get when you watch her pay down another couple grand. Part of it is the interest in her life- it's just interesting to watch her compare "what i spent this week vs what i spent this time last year" as she picks apart her old bad habits that racked up all the debt. It's interesting to see what people spend money on. It feels like a part of their lives we usually never get detailed access to. I am sure I don't have to explain this to you!! You were part of an earlier wave of this trend I think.
So I wouldn't say money is boring now... but you have to go where the young people are. Finance books are not it. But for the kind of content you are looking for- I am not sure. Maybe that stuff is all boring. I haven't gotten to that point in my life yet.
Interesting story of a personal journey managing money. I’m both a certified public accountant and a writer on Substack on living with the trait of high sensitivity, and occasionally I write for other outlets. I might be interested in contributing some content to your effort. I’m not sure the tack I’d take but would be interested in collaborating on something perhaps.
I’m interested in stories about people working towards less than more. Instead of trying to find out how to make the most money, they search towards getting meaning out of life other ways. At the same time, one can’t live without money so I’m interested in that balance between figuring out how to live a “meaningful” (I know that means so many different things) life without being focused on having the largest house, the newest fanciest car, the expensive purse, etc. I want to work less and enjoy life more yet I must have a job to pay for all the things and especially in America, you have to have a full time job to have healthcare but I know people figure out ways around this!
I get what you’re saying about money being boring. Anything I get in a groove with and is effective becomes “boring” to me. I’ve learned to embrace it.
Like you mentioned, it probably has to do with my nervous system.
I’ve learned to embrace boring because when I don’t something in me conjures up “excitement” in the form of crises.
It’s a pattern in all areas of my life.
I’ve also learned to shift from bored to content. I’m thankful that I have routines that stabilize my life. Thankful that I have the capacity to settle.
The growth junkie in me wants to reach reach reach, but I’m learning that I don’t need to reach to grow. Life unfolds. New pathways open up. Questions are asked and answered.
Yeah, that’s all woo and feel good, but it really is turning out that way.
On the money front, I know how to budget, save, pay down debt and earn income. I see those as basics.
My edge is now growing money and creating income streams that increase as my effort decreases. I’m fascinated about those topics.
Loved this. It's so hard to figure out how to have a critical voice when I'm at the very beginning of my personal finance journey. I want to find the things that are rooted in what you're talking about, but I end up getting so confused about how to find the resources that are really going to resonate with me. The world of money feels like such a predatory place sometimes. I really appreciate your outlook.
I heard somewhere that the drama of our lives is the drama of our relationships. And when those relationships (money or people or work or anything) are mostly solid then I think they feel 'boring' because they aren't wildly activating either direction. But I think that's when we settle into enjoying the simpler nuances of days and weeks and lives. Ripples instead of hurricanes.
I also find the 'boring' content the most interesting. I'd maybe call it realistic rather than boring, and the more real things are the more interesting they are. The term realistic is often used to mean not ambitious, but of course being ambitious is a real experience too, just not one that is often framed in a realistic way. A lot of that other content doesn't feel like it's made about or for human beings.
If you ever feel like writing about it in more detail I would love to know your evolution from the needs/wants stuff! Like, how you conceptualize your spending now in that regard.
Back in 2017, I read Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing and that was what nudged me to start investing. I never regretted it even though prices seemed high at the time.
"need to know who the audience (is)"
Hi Cait,
In reading your words, as well as those from others here who comment, I am of the opinion that money (and finances in general) is a very personal / individual related topic. What may seem "boring" to one person (who has "been there / done that" financially over the years) may instead appear as quite new to another (who is just starting out and has never experienced the topic). Likewise, there may be a person who needs to be step-by-step guided in grasping and / or completing a financial task as opposed to another person who, in just being given a more general financial topic, has the ability (and / or experience) to form their own conclusions and / or unique steps in completing a financial task successfully.
People are all different. We all enjoy reading / learning information (whether it be finance / money -related or something else) at all different levels of detail. It all depends on one's background, education, past experience (whether it be good and/or bad), lifestyle, age, present wealth, family situation, whatever.
I guess what I'm saying is that my thoughts and interests regarding money having continually changed over the years: from right after university (starting my first job); then later getting married; and then later starting a family; followed later (with more savings) getting into investing. I guess that this interest in money matters will always continue to evolve as time goes on for me.
So whatever money matters that you decide to discuss here over time may not apply to some readers but most probably will apply to others reading your words. Write about what interests you personally and I'm sure your readers (through their comments) will post about whatever interests them. That way we will all benefit by sharing ideas and information.
I'm in a completely different financial space. So, I'm reading books about how to hurry and catch up on saving for my retirement. I'm 56 years old, I started out 2024 with $81,700 combined debt (with my husband - this includes credit cards, student loans, and one more vehicle to pay off. This does not include our mortgage. Due to a complicated financial past, my husband and I probably only have about $20,000 in our 401K's, and about $2K in the bank for emergencies. 2024 is the year of being mindful for me, and finances (specifically retirement) are a huge part of that. I thought about starting a blog about our journey, but I don't know how to even go about it. I really enjoyed your books, and I am motivated by these newsletters and the commmunity that follows them! Thank you!