financial independence, simplified
plus, AI format engineering
My high school chemistry teacher often said: Confusion happens when you can’t define the concepts you’re talking about.
Very true.
Want financial independence?
Well, how would you define that term?
(Really. Please stop here. How would you define it, with sufficient specificity such that you would know, with certainty, once you’ve achieved it?)
People talk about money, all the time. I’ve noticed two prevailing mentalities.
Financial Independence = Fort Knox: I need to have enough money so that I can cover my current (very high) expenses, in perpetuity, with the interest and passive income. I also require an extensive buffer to manage risks related to inflation, rising healthcare costs, government insolvency, etc.
This sounds intelligent, responsible, robust. And it often ends up being an absurd amount of money. Upper middle class Americans often give me numbers like 10 MILLION DOLLARS. I think they are completely insane. But that’s what their financial advisors and retirement calculators tell them.
Furthermore, this level of wealth is incredibly difficult to obtain for 99% of the population.
And so we get our second definition.
Financial Independence = Something I’ll Never Have: I avoid thinking about money whenever possible, because it depresses me, especially after talking to the Fort Knox people. I just do the best I can, and try not to dwell on the black financial cloud that’s probably hanging over my future.
Each of these definitions will lead you to a different flavor of financial unhappiness. Let’s scrap them, and find something better.
Here’s our agenda for today:
AI format engineering: AI is smart. It likes to dump on you with mountains of text. Lots of insight, but painful to read, so you don’t. I’ve discussed how to generate deeper content. Now, we’re going to make it easier to process and digest, and you’ll be amazed at the difference that makes.
Redefining financial independence: It’s not Fort Knox, and it’s not something you’ll never have. It’s also not a single number. And accumulating mountains of assets isn’t the only path to achieve it. There’s a better model, and you’ll get the theory, and the AI tools to implement it in your life.
The nirvana of objectivity: Why do you want to become financially independent? Lots of reasons. One big one: not having to think about money. This is more than a psychological luxury. It is a moral force, an invitation to speak your mind, do the right thing, build the world you want to live in, independent of financial considerations. This is the nirvana of objectivity, and you don’t need Fort Knox to get there. Not even close.
Ready to be $$free?
AI FORMAT ENGINEERING
Format matters.
