All About Your Benjamins™

In order to reach the version of yourself or the life you are Pursuing you need to move past the belief that your Pursuit is linear. The future you are pursuing already exists and is waiting on your to embody it today--think how you feel, what are you doing, who are you surrounded by, etc. Begin feeling those feelings and doing those things TODAY. In addition to sharing my thoughts on the topic, I pull in some reinforcements from James Clear's Atomic Habits. Let's get to The Pursuit... https://youtu.be/QVWoGpGWOJM   Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Show Notes The quote I forgot: "As above, so below. As within, so without. As with the universe, so with the soul." -Hermes Trismegistus (found in The Emerald Tablets) All About Your Benjamins with James Clear Atomic Habits The Emerald Tablets Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

It's the return of The Pursuit. I've been busy (as I'm sure you have as well) and we catch up, level set what to expect from the show, and I share the roll signs from the Universe/God/High Being/etc. have played on my Pursuit and specifically three examples from the last couple of months. I'm excited to get back and am looking forward to Friday morning recordings of The Pursuit. Let's get into it... https://youtu.be/GhfEUP1wFZE Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Show Notes YouTube Channel Watch For The Signs   Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

In this special episode, I get to help a friend launch his new Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), which is a huge honor. Allow me to introduce you to Matt Fizell, founder of Harmony Wealth. Matt is a great friend of mine, a fellow member of The AGC™, a top-notch financial advisor, and an overall great human being. I asked him to join me for a special episode of The Pursuit to discuss how starting his own company aligned with his vision and allowed him to continue down the path of his own Pursuit. We may be talking about launching a financial planning firm but Matt's experience translates to all entrepreneurs and dreamers. As of today, July 2nd, the audio version of the podcast is not ready--full disclosure I haven't had the chance to record my introductory segment but I will this weekend. So, be sure to check back next Tuesday for the audio version of this episode. For now, check out the video--you're only missing my ramblings, so you'll probably be just fine. https://youtu.be/gO6K7_i9NcQ Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts (Coming Soon) Spotify (Coming Soon) Matt's Twitter Harmony Wealth All About Your Benjamins: Build The Addition Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

This week's episode was inspired by my friend Derick Grant's visit to The AGC™. Derick's talk was centered around mindset but he spent a little bit of time discussing "fear" and he lead off with "Fear is not real. It's the feeling of fear that is real." Insert head exploding emoji here. Tune in to hear more about Derick's visit, how the feeling of fear, not fear itself, is slowing your Pursuit, and a few examples of how to handle your fear. Also be sure to check back on the blog Monday for a blog post that will have some exercises to help identify and overcome your feelings of fear. "Fear, fear’s a powerful thing. I mean it’s got a lot of firepower. If you can figure out a way to wrestle that fear to push from behind rather than to stand in front of you, that’s very powerful." -Jimmy Iovine Google Podcasts Apple Podcast Spotify Derick Grant's Website Derick Grant's Twitter   Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

In this week's episode, we'll take a look at how the last few years have led me to taking the position of VP of Marketing and Brand at Onramp Invest--in hindsight it's so obvious why I was doing the things I was. We'll also talk about how when you're living on purpose the ability to manage multiple ventures and accomplish more becomes easier. Read more about this week's announcement here. Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

In this week's episode of The Pursuit I briefly put my financial advisor hat on to discuss the importance of financial planning for your pursuit and share how a financial advisor, who understands you have bigger aspirations that retirement and college planning, can help not only identify what you value the most, but help you align your finances with your pursuit. It's a little self-serving as this is the type of planning we do at RLS Wealth but I share this because it is important for your personal pursuit and to let you know there are more financial advisors taking this approach to planning--help is out there, you just need to know where to look. If you need help finding the "right" advisor to help you with your pursuit, let me know--I know plenty and would happily connect you with the advisor I think would be best to assist you. Before we get to the importance of planning, I share some thoughts about how along your pursuit opportunities, conversations, and even chapters of a book present themselves at the most important, yet unexpected times. Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify Notes For The Episode During the episode, I reference Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, which you can grab a copy of here, and the specific chapter below. The Empty Heart From Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching translated by Urusula K. Le Guin "The greatest power is the gift  of following the Way alone. How the Way does things is hard to grasp, elusive. Elusive, yes, hard to grasp, yet there are thoughts in it. Hard to grasp, yes, elusive, yet there are things in it. Hard to make out, yes, and obsucre, yet there is spirit in it, veritable spirit. There is certainty init. From long, long ago till now it has kept its name. So it saw the beginning of everything. How do I know anything about the beginning? By this." Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

Your pursuit does not always have to be career-oriented. As the great Stoic Seneca, reminds us life is short and it is important to live today. In this episode, I share some thoughts on pursuing happiness and fulfillment today, while still being responsible for your long-term goals. Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify (Coming soon) https://youtu.be/koVHN6eO4Xg Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

Erin Angerer and Nate Wyne left comfortable jobs with a bank to build a company that will help reinvent the financial system. Floodlight was born to help investors and financial professionals make values-aligned investing decisions and this is their story of how and why they made values-aligned decisions for their careers. https://youtu.be/cVBpjBYGuBM Listen On: Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify Floodlight Erin's Twitter Nate's Twitter Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

Pursuing your passion may not be right for you. But, if it is you'll want to shorten the leap of faith you'll be taking to increase your chances of success. I discuss this and more on this week's episode of The Pursuit. Listen on your favorite podcast player: Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

It's tough to say no to people or opportunities when saying yes has always been so rewarding. But, once you find something so important you begin to pursue it, a 'no' to something outside of your pursuit is actually a 'yes' to something else in line with your goals. Accepting that a 'no' can actually mean a 'yes' is not something most of us can do without experiencing the benefit on of well intentioned 'no' ourselves. My hope is that by discussing how I've come to realize saying no more often will actually help me reach my goals sooner you might be able to reach that conclusion on your own a little faster than I did---took me five years to finally wake up. I mention the book Essentialism and would highly recommend you give it a read! Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts (coming soon) Spotify (coming soon) Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

https://youtu.be/UoETjcOCUU8 Do you know what is enough for you? Enough money? Enough time? Enough prestige? Enough stuff? This episode of The Pursuit begins to explore how starting with your "why" can help you determine your "enough". I was inspired by the blog posts Enough and Why Do We [Truly] Do What We Do? by Jeremy Walter. So, I decided to talk about it a bit and then bring Jeremy on to talk about the post, his definition of "enough", how one conversation gave him a new perspective, and why it is such an important concept to understand. Listen on Google Listen on Apple (coming soon) Calibrating Capital: Enough Calibrating Capital: Why Do We [Truly] Do What We Do? Calibrating Capital: Enough Part 2--A Framework Jeremy's Twitter Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

  The WSJ: Keith Gill Drove the GameStop Reddit Mania. He Talked to the Journal. The WSJ: U.S. Economy Shrank in 2020 Despite Fourth-Quarter Growth The WSJ: Janet Yellen Confirmed by Senate to Serve as First Female Treasury Secretary The WSJ: GM to Phase Out Gas- and Diesel-Powered Vehicles by 2035 People who focus on money and not wealth don't realize they're playing the wrong game until it's too late. While money can be measured, wealth matters more. — Shane Parrish (@ShaneAParrish) January 26, 2021 Morgan Housel: Why It’s Usually Crazier Than You Expect "Find a feedback loop and you will find people who underestimate how crazy prices can get, how famous a person can become, how hard it can be to change people’s minds, how irreparable a reputation can be, and how tiny events can compound into something huge. They take small trends and turn them into big trends with unforeseen momentum. And they happen in every field." Michael Baker: Muscle Memory--Train Yourself To Endure "I shouldn’t have to tell you that I aced that swimming test the next summer. What’s interesting is that I spent more time playing basketball than I did in the water that year. It’s weird how our goals and priorities may shift over time. That’s ok. What matters is that we always pursue them with tenacity, discipline, and excellence." Brian Plain: The Story We Tell Ourselves "Our lives tend to improve when we make our stories about who we want to be and not about who we used to be." Elliott Appel: The Economic vs. Emotional Side of Every Financial Decision – Why It’s Okay to Not Always Choose the “Smart” Financial Decision " Our emotions play into our financial decisions, and it is wise to be mindful of how they influence them in order to make better decisions for ourselves. " The Irrelevant Investor: Is This Legal? "When Wall Streeters take advantage of the system, it’s called capitalism, but when outsiders do it, it’s called manipulation." Jason Zweig: The Real Force Driving The GameStop Revolution "For all the hyperventilating over this week’s financial revolution, though, investors should regard it as the latest phase in a long evolution—and unlikely to disrupt markets overall." Thomas Kopelman: Federal Student Loan Forbearance Extended "At this point we do not know for sure whether this bill will be passed, but as of now, federal student loan payments are suspended until the end of September 2021." All About Your Benjamins: Ben Carlson and Saving For Retirement All About Your Benjamins The Podcast: The Pursuit--Less Is More YouTube video about GameStop Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

"Here's my point: The solution to an overbusy life is not more time. It's to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters."  -The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry by John Mark Comer   The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry   Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

  https://youtu.be/hIXyJ_BAD9I Most Americans are behind on their savings for retirement and many are left to tackle their saving, planning, and investing for retirement on their own. While there are plenty of blog posts, podcasts, and articles to give people fractions of the information they need to have a chance to navigate the retirement savings waters, there are few books written in a way that actually help readers put it all together. That was until Ben Carlson dropped Everything You Need To Know About Saving For Retirement earlier this year. Ben is the author of the blog A Wealth Of Common Sense, the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management, co-host of the podcast Animal Spirits, and one of my favorite bloggers. I was lucky to snag a little bit of his time to record this bonus episode of AAYB too discuss some of my favorite sections of his book. If you plan on retiring one day or know someone who would, then I highly recommend you grab a copy of the book--link down below. Everything You Need To Know About Saving For Retirement A Wealth Of Common Sense Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

https://youtu.be/rCMtPu8y5l4 The WSJ: Joe Biden Calls on Nation to ‘Start Afresh’ at Inauguration as 46th President The WSJ: Trump Impeachment Trial to Start Week of Feb. 8 The WSJ: U.S. Business Activity Gains at Start of Year The WSJ: U.S. Existing-Home Sales Reach Highest Level in 14 Years You attract what you are ready for and are given exactly what you can handle. That means that GOOD DAYS and BAD DAYS are one and the same: they are both opportunities for celebration, acceptance, and growth. — Brittney Castro,CFP® (@Brittneycastro) January 19, 2021 Morgan Housel: Personal Finance Philosophies "There are few universally right answers. Just lots of shades of gray that work for people’s unique personalities and situations. A lot of finance arguments happen when people get upset after realizing that not everyone has, or wants, the same life as you."  Kyle Moore: When The Future Never Comes "Financial planning is a never-ending balance between living for today vs. planning for tomorrow. We don’t know what life will bring our way, but it's better to prepare and not have needed, than need and not have prepared. While we can't escape planning for our futures, we must do so with balance and a reverence for the present moment, for we aren't guaranteed a tomorrow." Calibrating Capital: Why Do We [Truly] Do What We Do? "As I said in my own example, I think it’s possible to still do good work even with the existence of the Nefarious Why. However, we need to ensure that the Noble Why is the one in the driver’s seat, and the Nefarious is in the backseat – or even the trunk." Of Dollars And Data: 10 Investing Lessons from 2020 "If 2020 taught me anything, it was what the late Jack Bogle was fond of saying, “Nobody knows nothing.”  Of course, predicting the future is always hard, but 2020 illustrated to us just how difficult it can be. If you would’ve told me that U.S. stocks would rise over 10% in the same year as a global pandemic, I wouldn’t have believed you.  But that’s what makes markets so complex and mystifying, especially in 2020, a year unlike any other." Brett Koeppel: Trust the Process: What You Can Learn About Retirement Planning From the Buffalo Bills "In the early years, fans heard “Trust the Process” so often from Sean McDermott that it became a running joke around town. The belief is that by taking the right reps and doing the right things consistently, the results would come over time." Simon Tryzna: Mosaic Theory "While I'm not building valuation models for individual stocks or making any stock recommendations, I think this analysis method is essential in making informed decisions. There are many places for investors to get information from on the internet – I urge everyone reading this to not fall in love with one or two and follow their recommendations blindly." A Wealth Of Common Sense: Getting Your Stock Picks From Podcasts "I didn’t perform any due diligence on Spotify’s business or look through the financial statements or anything approaching the work of an actual analyst. I simply bought it because I was impressed with Ek’s vision for the future of the company and his humility as a leader." Retirement Field Guide: Real Return Is All That Matters "So, if inflation has been about 3%, then the real return for each asset class has been 7% for equities vs. just 2% for bonds. That means that equities haven’t outpaced bonds by 2X, but by 3.5X! " Brett Fellows: Investor Heuristics--5 Biases To Watch Out For When Making Financial Decisions "However, these mental shortcuts don’t always serve us when making complex decisions. Indeed, heuristics aren’t supposed to result in optimal decisions, but rather “good enough” decisions given a limited timeframe. That’s why it’s important to recognize them at p...