I have a busy week coming up and you know what that means. It’s time to do another post about some of my favorite things I’ve watched, listened to, and read recently.
If you’re not interested in checking out my fantastic content recommendations but are yearning for something strictly finance-related, here’s a link to the main blog page where you can read past articles.
NOTE: The content is linked in the green titles.
So, here’s what I’ve been into:
The Future of You by Jack Raines
At 22 years old, Jack Raines got interested in investing and began trading SPACs during the bubble in 2021. He started YOLOing his entire retirement savings over and over again, and he turned $6,000 into over $300,000 in less than a year. Then he promptly lost $150,000 and decided to get out of the game and start writing about finance. Here’s a link to the post where he talks about his journey.
In a recent article, Jack wrote about how many ambitions are driven by a pursuit of status rather than happiness. Here’s one of my favorite sections:
“Status is a dangerous game, because status is relative. If you win this level of the status game, whether that means making a certain amount of money, working for a certain company, or landing a certain job title, you merely enter a new level. Now you are comparing your status to even more successful individuals. Maybe you win that level as well, but the cycle never stops.
You can spend your entire career playing this status game. Grinding away for years to achieve brief moments of satisfaction, just to hop back on the treadmill and repeat the cycle once again. It never ends. Even the richest men in the world, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, have petty disputes with each other.
If your primary motivation for pursuing a career path is to "win" the game of success, you have lost before you left the starting block. If you "win" the rat race, you're still a rat.”
We All Knew This Would Happen by Nick Magguilli
In this post, Nick tells his story of getting involved with cryptocurrency and he ponders the question of why people do crazy things even when they know better. He references an awesome quote from famous investor Stanley Druckenmiller, who lost $3 billion in the DotCom bubble:
“You asked me what I learned. I didn’t learn anything. I already knew that I wasn’t supposed to do that. I was just an emotional basketcase and I couldn’t help myself. So maybe I learned not to do it again, but I already knew that.”
This article isn’t about money or investing, but Morgan writes about the often overlooked value of staying put in your life and career. As always, I found it really insightful. Here’s a snippet:
“What’s easy to overlook is that networks and trust compound like any other asset, and every time you switch jobs or careers you reset the clock to some degree.
Most people would never consider marrying a partner until they’ve dated for at least a year, maybe five, because it takes that long to grasp what a person is or isn’t capable of beyond their surface-level resume. But those same people expect their employers and coworkers to give them full respect, autonomy, and confidence from the start. It rarely happens. Trust has to be earned, and it’s mostly earned through firsthand observation over time, when people watch you under a variety of circumstances.
Most of the time you see someone do something incredible, with what seems like little effort, and you ask “How did you do that?”, the honest answer is, “I’ve been doing this every day for 10+ years.” Noticing patterns and connecting the subtle dots is something that’s hard to teach in a classroom but becomes obvious when you’ve lived and breathed a field for decades.”
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. I loved pretty much every second of it. The lack of CGI and filming of real jets was incredible to watch. The simplicity of the plot makes it easy to bask in the emotion of the movie. The third act was flawless. Tom Cruise was awesome. I could go on but I won’t. Just go watch it if you haven’t already.
This is another one that seems to be at the top of the cultural conscience at the moment. I’ve been a fan of Stranger Things since I was enthralled with the first season, but the past two seasons haven’t lived up to the expectations set by the first.
My wife and I binged this season over Memorial Day weekend and we had a great time. I think it’s the best since the first. This season is gorier and a little more mature as the kids are getting older but still maintains its trademark adventurous spirit. It also has the feel of a big-budget movie.
Outer Range is a TV series on Amazon Prime about a Wyoming rancher who stumbles upon a giant, supernatural hole in the middle of his ranch. It’s a sci-fi western that blends a little bit of Yellowstone with a little bit of Lost. This show gets weird from time to time which I appreciate.
Plus, I’m a sucker for any show that moves from scene to scene with lingering nature views.
This is a TV series on FX that I just started. I’ve only seen two episodes so far but was really impressed. If you like spy thrillers, long monologues delivered by good actors, and brutal action sequences then this is the show for you.
If you have any other content recommendations, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email. I’d love to hear them!
Thanks for reading!