The Daily Meaning

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“Your daily blog posts have become a great part of my morning routine, waking up and reading your posts challenge me to reflect on something that matters in my life or view something from a different perspective.”
"Love starting my morning with a daily dose of positivity or perspective!"

Daily Meaning Reader

Travis Shelton 11/1/23 Travis Shelton 11/1/23

Finding Our Blind Spots

That brings me to the topic of blind spots. There are things in life we don't know. And the problem is, we don't know what we don't know. That's why they are blind spots. Turns out, one of my figurative blind spots is Finn's literal blind spot. Ouch. We have some work to do!

Travis Shelton 10/31/23 Travis Shelton 10/31/23

Knowing When to Say “No”

If you're someone with variable income (wage, commission, bonuses, solopreneur, freelancer, or business owner), there's an obvious upside. When you work more or produce more, you make more. Work more hours, get a higher paycheck. Sell more widgets, get a better commission/bonus. Serve another client, get another revenue stream. There's a direct correlation between your work and your compensation.

Travis Shelton 10/30/23 Travis Shelton 10/30/23

A Guaranteed Return on Investment

What if I told you there was an investment you could make that is guaranteed to make a positive return? Not only that, but said investment returns would be sky-high! You want in on this investment opportunity? This isn't a scam. This isn't some Ponzi scheme. This is the real deal!

Travis Shelton 10/29/23 Travis Shelton 10/29/23

Life Isn’t Fair

"It's not fair" is the most accurate and most debilitating statement we can make. It's accurate because it's absolutely true.

Travis Shelton 10/28/23 Travis Shelton 10/28/23

Intensity vs. Diversity

Does it ever feel like there are too many needs and not enough money? You're not alone! There are lots of priorities vying for our money. We may need to buy a car soon. We'd love to purchase a house one day. We want to buy an engagement ring for the love of our life. That trip to Europe looks pretty fun. We have a medical procedure coming up in a few months. So many things!

Travis Shelton 10/27/23 Travis Shelton 10/27/23

Finding Purpose in Crappy Work

After giving a talk yesterday, one of the young men in the audience asked a fantastic question. He asked how one would pursue work that matters if they didn't have the financial means to take care of themselves while trying to pursue it.

Travis Shelton 10/26/23 Travis Shelton 10/26/23

Riddle Me This

What's something we take for granted when we have it, then desperately crave it when we don't? It's relatively affordable to keep, but very expensive to get back. Though we know it's important, we'll trade it away for things that feel even more important.

Travis Shelton 10/25/23 Travis Shelton 10/25/23

Tangibility Bias

It's called tangibility bias. It's subconsciously prioritizing things we can see, touch, and feel. Houses, vehicles, and possessions all fit this category. People are allured to the idea of buying something they can physically see. Some of these things can be good things, but it often comes at the expense of other less tangible things. Things such as retirement investing, college funds, generosity, and future needs.

Travis Shelton 10/24/23 Travis Shelton 10/24/23

The Meaningless Meaning

Do you have any silly little habits, traditions, or activities in your life that don't have much meaning, yet provide a lot of meaning? Here's an example. Last night was the draft for our 12th annual fantasy NBA basketball league. Our 12-person league is comprised of friends, colleagues, and friends and colleagues of friends and colleagues. Some of these people have been my friends for decades, while others I've never actually met in person. This silly little league is a mainstay in my life each year from late October through mid-April.

Travis Shelton 10/23/23 Travis Shelton 10/23/23

Don’t Wait Alone

Travis Shelton 10/22/23 Travis Shelton 10/22/23

The Sunday Scaries

Happy Sunday! Depending on what time of day you're reading this, your mood could be vastly different. Studies show that 4PM on Sunday is the most depressing hour of the week. The fun weekend is almost complete, and now our brain is shifting its attention to tomorrow. And considering 70% of Americans dislike or hate their job, the mere thought of Monday makes most people cringe. Some refer to it as the Sunday Scaries.

Travis Shelton 10/21/23 Travis Shelton 10/21/23

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Through the lens of these numbers, the results submitted to me by readers look really sad. As a reminder, in the illustration I ran the other day, a 2% difference resulted in a $1.7M worse result for the family in the example. Based on our reader's numbers, we're talking about 3%, 4%, 5%, and even 6% difference between what they are getting and what the market is getting. This can be the make or break between having enough down the road....or not. This discrepancy gets magnified the younger the investor is.

Travis Shelton 10/20/23 Travis Shelton 10/20/23

The Many (Noble) Roles of Businesses

Businesses get a bad rap. For whatever sick and twisted reasons, businesses get pigeonholed as soulless entities whose sole role is to take advantage of people while extracting as much money from them as humanly possible. This is absolute nonsense, of course. Businesses don't thrive by taking advantage of people. They thrive by adding value to people's lives, which earns them the right to add more value to more people's lives. The more people they serve, the more financial success they can achieve.

Travis Shelton 10/19/23 Travis Shelton 10/19/23

A Novel Concept

Yesterday, I met with someone who I completely disagree with on a specific topic. Oh yeah, and he disagrees with me. We actually met to talk about this very topic. There was no hate, no animosity, and no tension. Just a productive conversation. Novel concept, I know.

Travis Shelton 10/18/23 Travis Shelton 10/18/23

Sometimes, "Pretty Good" Sucks

I recently had a conversation that I repeat multiple times per week. I was meeting with a friend, and the topic of investing came up. They mentioned they use a financial planner who does a "pretty good job." This comment always sets off my red flag and warning sirens. What is the definition of a pretty good job? How do we know our investments are performing well? Because they are going up? Because they are being watched? Because they are spread across a few dozen funds that sound like some sort of twisted alphabet soup? Because they are being managed by someone we know and trust?

Travis Shelton 10/17/23 Travis Shelton 10/17/23

Turning the Tables

It's the paradox with spending. Some of the best values in our lives are things other people just scratch their heads at. I love this tension. I love how unique we are wired.

Travis Shelton 10/16/23 Travis Shelton 10/16/23

The $700 Bargain & $50 Ripoff

Last week, I took the boys to a popular local attraction. I won't use the business's name, as the point of this post isn't to drag a local organization through the mud. I paid $50 for us to get in. We had a pretty good time, but it was honestly one of the biggest ripoffs I've experienced in quite some time. I kind of knew I was putting myself in that position, but it felt worse than I anticipated. Needless to say, I hope never to make that mistake again.

Travis Shelton 10/15/23 Travis Shelton 10/15/23

Death to Girl Math, Death to Boy Math

There's a new social media trend that's both silly and worrisome. It was initially called "girl math," which highlighted some of the psychological games women play on themselves to justify financial decisions. Women quickly turned the tables and started highlighting some of the ridiculous psychological games men play on themselves.

Travis Shelton 10/14/23 Travis Shelton 10/14/23

It Doesn’t Have to Make Sense

I love, love, love when people make decisions that fly in the face of our prevailing culture. Decisions that make people scratch their heads. Decisions that cause our loved ones to question our sanity. Decisions that lead others to talk behind our backs.

Travis Shelton 10/13/23 Travis Shelton 10/13/23

Celebrate the Wins

Whenever someone tackles this sort of endeavor, I always give one particular tip. Celebrate the wins. All the wins. When you pay off a small debt, celebrate small. When you pay off a large debt, celebrate large. But always celebrate. Maybe it's dinner at a nice restaurant. Maybe it's a weekend away. Maybe it's a trip to the spa. Maybe it's ______ (you fill in the blank). But always celebrate!

The Daily Meaning

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“Your daily blog posts have become a great part of my morning routine, waking up and reading your posts challenge me to reflect on something that matters in my life or view something from a different perspective.”

"Love starting my morning with a daily dose of positivity or perspective!"