My parents bought their first house in 2000. My mother told me that one of their family members broke ties with my parents because of that. Certain people think that buying a house is not for everyone. Those types of people also believe that higher education is not for everyone. Or that owning stocks is only for rich folks. These are examples of mental barriers. So many of us have false beliefs about money and life. And those false beliefs can prevent us from ever living a good life. This is where Stoicism and mindfulness can help us. By becoming more self-aware, we can prevent ourselves from ..read more

A while back, I read a WSJ article about how companies started tracking the happiest of their workers. 1 The article concluded: “Employers are turning to sentiment-tracking software, daily surveys, and apps to monitor workers’ mental states.” One CEO says that the reason they track happiness is because, “I want everyone to be happier every day, more than they were before.” But demanding a happy face doesn’t work. We can’t demand happiness. We can only create an environment that makes people feel comfortable so they can be themselves. Which would eventually lead to happiness. We’ve all been ..read more

Welcome to Wise & Wealthy: A weekly newsletter full of proven ideas to become smarter and wealthier. I send this every Monday. #125 – May 20, 2024 Was this shared with you? Sign up here. Wise: Demanding happiness We’ve all been in situations where we felt obligated to put on a facade of happiness. Maybe it was a family gathering where you had to pretend to be more successful than you actually are. Or maybe it was at work, where you felt the need to appear more enthusiastic about a project than you genuinely were. These instances are not only emotionally draining, but they also strip u ..read more

I’ve been writing about the philosophy of Stoicism since 2015. A Stoic mindset has truly changed the way I do everything. I apply Stoicism to my happiness, work, finances, and even relationships. This Stoic mindset allowed me to leverage ancient lessons into my entire life. The other day I was talking about this change with a friend. He asked me: “What does the Stoic mindset really mean?” Let me explain. What is Stoicism? When I first stumbled upon Stoicism, I saw it as an intriguing philosophy. Now, after years of practice, I see it as a practical guide for life. Founded by Zeno of Citium ..read more

Welcome to Wise & Wealthy: A weekly newsletter full of proven ideas to become smarter and wealthier. I send this every Monday. #124 – May 13, 2024 Was this shared with you? Sign up here. Wise: The Stoic Mindset I’ve been writing about the philosophy of Stoicism since 2015. A Stoic mindset has truly changed the way I do everything. I apply Stoicism to my happiness, work, finances, and even relationships. This Stoic mindset allowed me to leverage ancient lessons into my entire life. The other day I was talking about this change with a friend. He asked me: “What does the Stoic mindset r ..read more

Stoicism, an ancient Greek philosophy, is not just a guide for leading a virtuous and meaningful life; it can also be a roadmap to financial success. People have endless discussions on Reddit about this topic. Somehow, the ideas of Stoicism and money don’t jive together in many people’s minds. That always seemed odd to me. Nearly all the prominent Stoics were well off, from the founder, Zeno, to the most prolific writer of the bunch, Seneca. In fact, you can argue that Stoicism was for wealthy people at the time. Think about it. If you weren’t well off, would you even have time to think about ..read more

Welcome to Wise & Wealthy: A weekly newsletter full of proven ideas to become smarter and wealthier. I send this every Monday. #123 – May 6, 2024 Was this shared with you? Sign up here. Wise: Personal benchmarks Most people tend to either overestimate or underestimate themselves. We hardly ever have a well-rounded picture of our abilities. Think about it: How often have you seen someone (or even yourself) claim to be good or bad at one thing, only to find that their result shows otherwise? For example, you may think you’re a terrible public speaker, but when you actuall ..read more

In her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, psychologist Susan Cain talked about the “Extrovert Ideal” when it comes to people’s confidence. It’s the widespread belief that being outgoing, assertive, and socially proactive makes a person successful. But what about the introvert? Having confidence as an introvert isn’t talked about much. When you look at social media, it’s no wonder that many people think this way. Most of the things we see online are often loud and adventurous people having the time of their lives or leading billion-dollar companies. But eve ..read more

Welcome to Wise & Wealthy: A weekly newsletter full of proven ideas to become smarter and wealthier. I send this every Monday. #122 – April 29, 2024 Was this shared with you? Sign up here. Wise: The extrovert ideal I’m very introverted. I truly enjoy (and need) time alone. Too much social contact drains my energy. One misconception about introverts is that they lack confidence. People falsely assume that we don’t want to be around others for that reason. In her book, Quiet, psychologist Susan Cain calls that concept the “Extrovert Ideal.” It’s the widespread belief that being outgoing ..read more

Welcome to Wise & Wealthy: A weekly newsletter full of proven ideas to become smarter and wealthier. I send this every Monday. #121 – April 22, 2024 Was this shared with you? Sign up here. Wise: Science-backed advice It happens all the time. New scientific results get published and then experts use the research to give advice. A while later, it turns out the study wasn’t accurate. But the advice remains. So, how do you know whether or not to listen to certain “science-backed” advice? First, it’s important to remember that science is constantly evolving. What may be considere ..read more