Blake | PathwayToFI

Day 95 in Europe, and the last of our world trip. On to Asia!

I don’t have as much money as the super wealthy. But I have what many of them will never have … enough.

When you’re financially free, a Wednesday morning can look like this.

The goal of building wealth is to one day have enough. At that point, taking big risks to accumulate more makes no sense. Don’t risk your freedom chasing a number unless it means something to you.

The point of building wealth is to reach a place where you have enough. Once you’re there, taking big risks to accumulate more makes no sense. Don’t risk your freedom chasing a bigger number unless that matters more to you than freedom itself.

When your income goes up, upgrade your wealth before your lifestyle: • Increase your 401(k) • Build your emergency fund • Pay down expensive debt • Invest more Then spend & celebrate a little. You don’t need to live like a college student forever, but you also don’t need every raise to become a new monthly payment.

Over the past three months, we’ve traveled thru 5 countries, seen amazing architecture, art, and history, and eaten multiple Michelin star meals. But one of our favorite experiences will be playing tag in a big park at night in Spain. The best things in life are often free. Their only cost is time. So buy back your time whenever you can.

The best investment I’ll ever make is not a stock pick or real estate deal. It’s the lifetime of memories my family is making together on our 9-month trip around the world. The ROI is incalculable.

What if the biggest investing mistake isn’t missing the next Apple—but thinking you have to spot it in advance? You didn’t need to predict Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, or Nvidia. You only needed to own the market. Index investing lets you capture tomorrow’s winners without guessing who they are today.

My 5th grade daughter wants to be a veterinarian. So we’re building her education around that interest. 🦈 Field trips to zoos, aquariums, and science museums. 🧬 More emphasis on biology in her schoolwork. 🩹 Letting her play doctor whenever one of us gets a minor injury or illness. We’re using our mini-retirement to give her something traditional school can’t easily offer: an education personalized to her interests. Who knows where it will lead? But I hope she never loses that curiosity.

Do you want to spend 9 months traveling around the world some day? Top 3 reasons my family was able to do it this year: 1. Paid off mortgage 2. Cash flowing rental properties 3. Consistently invested in our 401ks and Roth IRAs for 20 years Big experiences are made possible by decades of small financial decisions.

There are two ways to spend a big raise or bonus: 1. Buy things that make you LOOK wealthy 2. Buy assets that make you wealthy One gives you a nicer lifestyle today. The other gives you more options later. Eventually, you can have both. Just don’t confuse them.

Your greatest investing advantage when you’re young isn’t knowledge. It’s time. You can survive market crashes, recover from mistakes, and let decades of compounding do the heavy lifting. You don’t need to predict the next great stock. You just need to start, stay invested, and give your money time to grow.

The best financial decision for a 22-year-old isn’t necessarily the best decision for a 52-year-old. Early on: • Increase income • Control spending • Build savings • Invest consistently As wealth grows: • Protect what you’ve built • Manage risk • Optimize taxes • Give your money a purpose Your strategy should evolve as your financial life evolves.

Investing is the only way to build wealth. Invest in stocks. Invest in real estate. Invest in yourself. Invest in your business. Keep investing and wealth will follow.

If you skip the 401k match, you’re giving income back to your employer. Who would do this? Apparently millions of Americans, who give a total of $24B back each year.

Trading homes is house hacking for travelers. I’m staying in Spain for 4 weeks out of 8 by trading homes with other travelers. The result? Saving ~$6,000 by putting an asset to work that I’m not using otherwise. Plus, we get to live more like locals in each destination. Sometimes the best way to save money is to make better use of what you own.

The secret to being wealthy… is being happy with what you have.

The Magnificent 7 were valued at $25 trillion at one point this week. That’s more than the entire economic output of every country except the US!! Alphabet trades for ~17 times earnings. Amazon: ~20x Meta: ~27x Nvidia: ~27x Microsoft: ~29x Apple: ~39x Tesla: ~350x Do you think these companies are worth the going price?

The S&P 500 is a great base for a portfolio. But it isn’t diversified. Just 7 companies make up almost 35%: Microsoft Alphabet Amazon NVIDIA Apple Tesla Meta Want to diversify further? The easiest way is to own an International Ex-US fund. International stocks make up roughly 40% of global stock market value and increase exposure to different industries. Diversification means not having to bet your financial future on one country, one sector, or seven companies.