Essays — Books — Alex J. Hughes

My Notes:

Finding meaning:
“Pay attention to what you pay attention to. That’s pretty much all the info you need.” Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Excess:
“Gatsby is a critique of the American Dream. The only people who end up rich or successful in the novel are the ones who start out that way. Almost everyone else ends up dead or destitute. And it’s a critique of the kind of vapid capitalism that can’t find anything more interesting to do with money than try to make more of it. The book lays bare the carelessness of the entitled rich—the kind of people who buy puppies but won’t take care of dogs, or who purchase vast libraries of books but never read any of them.” John Greene

“Like ice on a hot stove, we must ride on a melting Earth, all the while knowing who is melting it. A species that has only ever found its way to more must now find its way to less.” John Greene

Belonging:
Home is not a place, but a moment: “Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go.” Sarah Dessen

Evolving: “One of the strange things about adulthood is that you are your current self, but you are also all the selves you used to be, the ones you grew out of but can’t ever quite get rid of.” John Greene

Perception:
“I honestly believe it is better to know nothing than to know what ain’t so.” Josh Billings

“We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Anais Nin

Focus on your work:
Embrace the quiet: “Being busy is a way of being loud.” John Greene

“I’ve often wished—especially when I was younger—that my work was better, that it rose to the level of genius, that I could write well enough to make something worth remembering. But I think that way of imagining art might make individuals too important. Maybe in the end art and life are more like the world’s largest ball of paint. You carefully choose your colors, and then you add your layer as best you can. In time, it gets painted over. The ball gets painted and painted again until there is no visible remnant of your paint. And eventually, maybe nobody knows about it except for you. But that doesn’t mean your layer of paint is irrelevant or a failure. You have permanently, if slightly, changed the larger sphere. You’ve made it more beautiful and more interesting.” John Greene

How I Invest My Money – by Joshua Brown and Brian Portnoy
Recommendation: 8/10. Date read: 2/11/21.

Instead of financial gurus preaching what you should do with your money, this book is a collection of essays by 25 financial experts detailing how they invest, save, spend, give, and borrow in their own lives. Through reflection and personal stories, each expert breathes life into the how and why of their investments. Each investment strategy is quite different which illustrates a key point of the book, there’s no single “right” way. What matters most is that you’re thoughtful and true to yourself in your approach.

See my notes below or Amazon for details and reviews.

My Notes:

Independence:
“I did not intend to get rich. I just wanted to get independent.” Charlie Munger

“I mostly just want to wake up every day knowing my family and I can do whatever we want on our own terms. Every financial decision we make revolves around that goal.” Morgan Housel

“Independence, to me, doesn’t mean you’ll stop working. It means you only do the work you like with people you like at the time you want for as long as you want.” Morgan Housel

Get the goal post to stop moving: “Independence, at any income level, is driven by your savings rate. And past a certain level of income your savings rate is driven by your ability to keep your lifestyle expectations from running away.” Morgan Housel

Define what is enough: simplify by finding the line between excess and satisfaction.

Investing strategy:
High savings + patience: “My investing strategy doesn’t rely on picking the right sector, or timing the next recession. It relies on a high savings rate, patience, and optimism that the global economy will create value over the next several decades.” Morgan Housel

Get the big stuff right: “Getting the big stuff right—living within their means, setting a reasonable savings rate, staying employed—will be a bigger determinant of whether they reach their goals than will their investment selections.” Christine Benz

Invest in yourself: “Invest in yourself. Your ability to work is your safest and highest returning asset. By lifelong learning, and taking care of your physical health, mental health, and relationships, you are much more likely to lead a secure and satisfying life without regrets.” Carolyn McClanahan

You biggest asset is your earning power: “I’m about 40, and plan on working for another 20 years. So, my biggest asset is still my earning power—my ability to turn my time and effort into money.” Dan Egan

Working matters more than investments: “I wonder if the greatest trick the devil ever played on investors is making them think it is the investing part that matters most. The working part moves the needle more, both for the math of deposits but also in the discipline of a purpose.” Ryan Krueger

Maximize for choice: “Having options and a little bit of luck are the key to financial security.” Debbie Freeman

Avoid the herd: “The more intensely and emotionally a lot of people ‘hate on’ a particular investment, that is a good signal to buy.” Joshua Rogers

Move with purpose:
“You have exactly one life in which to do everything you will ever do. Act accordingly.” Colin Wright

Karma:
“Karma may be important in achieving wealth accumulation, but karma is definitely important in wealth preservation.” Joshua Rogers

The Anthropocene Reviewed – John Greene

My Notes:

How I Invest My Money – Joshua Brown and Brian Portnoy

My Notes:

ajh.