notfinancialadvice

[notfinancialadvice]

[notfinancialadvice]

I love Taylor SO MUCH

Started watching Billions (doc's orders).

Taylor is my favorite character thus far.

Uncomfortable how close to the mirror this is.

[notfinancialadvice]

For the record yes it's dumb as shit (re: media splits)

but this is (one of the many) reason(s) why they are named that

Why are streaming services these days all named shit like Fubi and Hehu and lala

[notfinancialadvice]

Unusual names are easier to protect in trademark because they are inherently unique.

The unusual sound they make when said helps them become a mnemonic device.

The recognizability is helpful in branding, online, etc.

Why are streaming services these days all named shit like Fubi and Hehu and lala

[notfinancialadvice]

I was busy yesterday and couldn't do the 6th Geneuary piece. So did day 6 and 7 today!!! Very excited to see who participates tomorrow!!!! :D

[notfinancialadvice]

... I will not be revealing what character I am.

Started watching Billions (doc's orders).

Taylor is my favorite character thus far.

Uncomfortable how close to the mirror this is.

[notfinancialadvice]

Now I know who my Dollar Bill is GOD DAMN IT laugh

Started watching Billions (doc's orders).

Taylor is my favorite character thus far.

Uncomfortable how close to the mirror this is.

[notfinancialadvice]

FUck.

I know who my Wags is.

Fuck.

Started watching Billions (doc's orders).

Taylor is my favorite character thus far.

Uncomfortable how close to the mirror this is.

[notfinancialadvice]

Started watching Billions (doc's orders).

Taylor is my favorite character thus far.

Uncomfortable how close to the mirror this is.

[notfinancialadvice]

Keep this in mind

You're going to hear a lot of "the market is crashing" or "the market is going to crash" over the next four years.

It does not fucking matter.

When do you need this money you have invested? If soon, then make moves according to what is happening. If not, then make moves according to what is happening.

How are the companies you are investing in acting?

What is the risk profile they have going forward?

These are the questions you should be asking whatever the heat / coolness of the market is.

"I don't know what to do."

The simplest, most straight forward thing is called "target date fund."

"Broker Name Yadda Yadda 2030."

This means a bunch of fucking math and money nerds are figuring out how to maximize your return, and minimize your potential for losses, with a full maturity in the year 2030.

They typically come in years -- 2030, 2035, 2040, 2045, 2050... etc.

You can, as always, have multiples. If you are using this for a retirement fund and you're not sure what age you want to retire at, and you don't want to think about it now, you can put some in 2035, 2045, 2055... etc.

It's a better idea to set your goal, first, but that is appreciatively complicated and itself anxiety inducing. The above is not financial advice (none of this is), it's an observation to a larger view:

There is always a way.

Your situation is singular and personal.

Be direct and own it.

You do not need to worry about the market crashing, you can make money on a market crash. You do not need to worry about the market ramping up, you can lose money on the market ramping up.

You need to focus on you.

"My money is in a 401K or similar retirement vehicle so..."

Good place for it. Tax advantaged.

Massive, massive, massive penalty for tapping it early.

Which is why I'm writing this.

A lot of people see headlines of "oh fuck the market is going to crash, my 401K which I cannot touch for LITERAL DECADES YET is in danger, I should pull it--"

:)

You should talk to whomever is managing your account and get a viewpoint based on where you are, where you want to go, and how long you have to get there.

Panic will break you.

Talk to your financial folks.

If you don't have financial folks, a high yield savings account --

(this is a definition link, not an affiliate link, this blog does not use affiliate links -- I'm not trying to sell you things here)

-- will net you about 4% (as of time of this writing) with $0 fees and zero risk.

Other things will make you more money -- with more risk.

That's not relevant if you don't feel comfortable to take that risk.

You have to do what is best for you. Now. When your situation changes, re-assess. Hell, it's best to re-assess occasionally whether your situation has changed or not.

Do not be scared of money.

Fire anyone who insinuates you should be.

This recommendation applies if you have $10 or $10 million and is one of the VERY few pieces of actual advice I'll give here.

I can safely give it because it is one of the VERY few pieces of financial advice that is universal.

You can do this.

I know you can without knowing you.

Because there is SO MUCH good, basic information out there.

Fear is the only guard.

You can defeat it.

If you're broke, then the fear of destruction is being weaponized against you. I hope your situation changes, quickly and safely.

Knowledge will help.

Get what you need to get what you need.

[notfinancialadvice]

c'mon hedge funds you predator fucks start releasing research on AI companies losing buckets of cash

[notfinancialadvice]

To be explicit, it is not within my sphere of knowledge to know if TikTok is a solid investment.

If Kevin O’Leary told me the sky was blue I would verify it for myself after leaving his company as quickly as fucking possible.

[notfinancialadvice]

When people join self-improvement or even hobbyist communities, there are some absolutely critical skills of fundamental skepticism they need when going in. I think most people who get into these communities aren't aware of these.

And just, as a fundamental few:

Does this person stand to gain financially from the thing they're trying to sell you on?

Is the business model of this whole community one of artificial competitiveness? Is there a pressure around never lapsing, or never straying from the model being sold to you?

Are the claims made in this community becoming bolder and bolder deviations from standard information?

These are absolutely rife in fitness, nutrition, and financial-advice communities and they often receive very little scrutiny except among those who already "got out." Because from the outside, seeing someone get into fitness is a good thing, good for them, glad to see it, look at that dedication, happy for them. Same on the other categories, and probably numerous others I haven't seen.

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Does this person stand to gain financially from the thing they're trying to sell you on?

If the answer is yes, that does NOT mean "immediately abort", it means keep that in mind when you're interacting with their content.

This nutrition influencer has given you some great recipes for free, and now they're promoting a "really fantastic" brand that they have an affiliate link with? Their motivation isn't to be your friend and helpfully clue you in on a great product. It's to make money off you.

You really like this fitness influencer's work outs, but she gets MORE interaction and MORE viewers the skinnier she gets? She CLAIMS she's been losing weight naturally with healthy eating and exercise, and she's still full of energy, and You Can Too. This is not your friend. This is not someone who knows you. This is someone under large financial and social pressure to do everything she can to put out her best appearance and her happiest appearance, and your attention and belief in the appearance is where the money and clout come from. You really need to remember this in the same way you remember to look both ways before crossing the street. You can cross a street and you can follow a fitness account, but protect yourself when doing it.

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Is the business model of this whole community one of artificial competitiveness? Is there a pressure around never lapsing, or never straying from the model being sold to you?

Communities stay strong if they retain people. There are a lot of fine and positive ways to retain people, but it's often easier to retain people by instilling them with a sense that they must be here. They should feel bad if they lapse or if their attention drifts. What they were before was inadequate. Everyone outside this community is inadequate. Do you want to go back to inadequate?

Is that financial subreddit that taught you valuable lessons about 401k's, index funds, and budgeting also quietly pressuring you to always do more? Are the top posts from extremist examples of people living in destitution so they can show the most extreme screenshot, and curate the envy of everyone else who ought to be ashamed of not doing as well as them?

Is that fitness community that got you into jogging also putting you in the mind that the truest and best people exercise 7 days a week? Never miss a metric? Never compromise on their dedication?

Is that person who "cut out all sugar and feels amazing" informing you that you should never have another cupcake in your life? And if you DO it's because you're BAD and DON'T WORRY, you'll get RIGHT back on the horse after. Shame will motivate you to come right back, and stay with the community, and never leave.

As long as you stay, the community grows. As long as you stay, the ad sponsors and the endorsed products and the influencers can benefit more and more. And sometimes, there's perhaps not even a malicious force behind it. It can happen from evolutionary pressures. The communities that survive are the ones that retain people. A community that trips accidentally into a model of pressuring people to stay is one which retains people and thrives.

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Are the claims made in this community becoming bolder and bolder deviations from standard information?

You joined because you wanted to learn to cook for yourself. And this community has been helpful! You know how to make some delicious things. You've tried vegetables you've never tried before. And maybe you needed some convincing that brussel sprouts can be yummy, but what do you know, turns out you like them roasted.

But what else is being said? What things are being said with more and more frequency? Is it that "humans don't actually need any sugar, and it's a poison being sold to us?" Is it that "seed oils are toxic for you"? Is it that "pasteurization is bad"? Is the raw fruitarian convincing you that cavemen lived exclusively off fruit and you can too?

They'll have sources sometimes. Check them. Are they cherry-picked? Are they from an insular echo-chamber? Why isn't the mainstream literature aware of this? And if the answer has anything to do with "because mainstream wants to TRICK YOU and you're actually BAD for ASKING" then don't engage. Disregard. Take the recipes if you must but apply your skeptical filter to all the parts that are snake oil.

Sometimes it's that another community is only a stone's throw away. That person with a great financial portfolio has only good things to say about crypto, and what they're saying is making sense (average person [not smart] [poor] [bad money skills] laughs at crypto, but you're smarter. you're on the in-track). That amazing bodybuilder is pulling the hottest dates, and he says it's about male-confidence, and he says there are good support guides on becoming a respectable masculine man, and all you need to do is reclaim your masculinity in a society that wants to steal it from you.

In any place like this, come up for air. Come up for air FREQUENTLY. Talk to regular people and engage in academic literature outside this circle. Conspiracy thinking wins if you draw all your information from the entity trying to sell you on the conspiracy.

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And I hope this is clear but my message is not "never join a community." My message is know danger when you see it. Recognize when you're being used or pressured. Don't fall for conspiracy thinking. Protect yourself. You can use a gas stove to cook meals but don't touch the flame and don't burn your house down. You can cross the street but recognize the signs of a car coming down the street.

And I'm making this point because so many people just don't know. ...Because getting into fitness is "good" and "self-improvement"! So is nutrition. So if financial responsibility. People walk into it and the extremism can make them feel accomplished, and admired, and like they're a part of something, and maybe even like a proper self-punishment for their own inadequacies. And people on the outside won't save you because "Wow! He spends 3 hours at the gym every day! I wish I was that dedicated." is a common attitude, and will push you deeper into what has its claws in you.

Everything I'm saying is not because I'm so much smarter and so much holier-than-thou for knowing this when others don't--I'm saying this because I was in it. I fell for it. Not all the examples above, of course. But I recognize the machine in them. It is highly appealing to run farther and fast longer and overload your class schedule when you don't feel good enough and want to prove something, and so many communities will sell you on the idea this IS an accomplishment. Then once you do, you have to do it forever. Or else you'll go back to not being good enough. And since fitness is "good", and weight-loss and good grades, no one can save you but you.

The answer was not to give up on the hobbies I was doing. I cook for myself most nights. I run and bike as regular parts of my routine. I like new recipes and I like half-marathons. But these are just positive additions to my life and they do not define my worth. If I miss a work-out it's whatever. If I order take-out it's whatever. I fundamentally do not care about the influencer with the washboard abs, and if I try a work-out from her, I have no loyalty to it. If the new recipe I try mentions "clean eating" I'll roll my eyes and just figure out if the recipe seems good. If the recipe is botching itself to avoid certain scare-words I will simply find something else.

There is absolutely a reasonable place for challenging yourself and trying things outside your comfort zone. The internet is full of resources to do so much more than you currently know how to do. And if that community is an oven, recognize it's an oven. Wear oven mitts. If it's actively on fire, leave. You're the only one protecting you. Stay safe.

[notfinancialadvice]

[notfinancialadvice]

Motivational things to send in the group chat

[notfinancialadvice]

mutual recognition

[notfinancialadvice]

Scott McCloud’s incomparable “Understanding Comics”.

I swear you can open this book to any page and it’s amazing.

(ps it’s actually a digital image of a printed copy of a drawing of a painting of a pipe)