Access to F* it up

While tuning-in to a podcast this morning, something interesting caught my ear. The guy on there was talking about how folks with steady job incomes—no matter if they’re raking it in or barely scraping by—are more risk-averse compared to those without that reliable paycheck rolling in every couple of weeks or month. There’s a lot to unpack here:

  • Is it because the latter have nothing to lose, so they dive in headfirst?
  • Or maybe the former really values every hard-earned penny they bring in?
  • Could it be that the latter feel more liberated, thinking money comes and goes, so why not take chances and seize opportunities?
  • And do the first ones avoid risk altogether, clinging to their stable gigs, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy? Or is it like a Risk Averse Ouroboros? (Look up Ouroboros—it’s pretty cool!)

Questions like these come with all sorts of conditions, tweaks, and variations depending on the countless variables in our lives. But it got me thinking about my own appetite for risk and the risks I’ve taken over the years. And I came to the conclusion that we should see a slice of our finances as an “Access to F* it up” card—a way to dive into things, get our hands dirty, and still have the means to bounce back or try something new (And no, this is not a break the rules or do bad spirited actions to then use money to save your ass, we got enough people in the world pulling that garbage out, we don’t need more).

There’s nothing more crucial than taking calculated risks, weighing the pros and cons, and having backup plans (plus an exit strategy) in place. We don’t want to throw caution to the wind unless we enjoy watching our money go down the drain. So set aside a bit of your cash (as much or as little as your budget allows) to explore new avenues, to dig into what makes you tick, what you’re good at, and what you suck at.

I’m talking about everything from sampling new cuisines to diving into business ventures. Because money isn’t just a tool to acquire goods and services—it’s the key that unlocks doors and keeps your self-discovering journey going, while also giving you an out when you need to regroup and plan your next move.

In this Dance Club we call Life – within capitalistic societies – We have built a system where an entrance ticket is required to go in, but if we decide we want to go somewhere else, an exit fee has to be covered as well.

And as a friendly PSA: always take measured risks! Don’t go all in without thinking things through, and definitely don’t bet the farm like you’re playing an all-in poker hand thinking you got the opportunity of the century.

I’ve got a personal story in mind, but that’ll have to wait for another post.

A Coin on the Sidewalk

Ever felt like the interest from your investments is just… meh? You crunch the numbers on your High Yield Savings Account, your CD (if you’re in the USA), GIC (shoutout to my Canadians), or Government Bonds, and can’t help but chuckle at the monthly interest. Like, really?

You’re not alone. There I was, throwing thousands at these investments for months, or even years (At least they are low-risk, right?) only to get the sense of getting peanuts in return. So you lock your money in and you get that sense of emptiness in your stomach once knowing it will be untouched for quite some time, but the return will only cover a few grocery runs? Maybe help you with a fraction of an item you want or need—don’t even get me started on a house. Sure, it’s a step closer, but I’ve heard some folks reckon it’s hardly worth locking up their cash, especially when they might need it for something more immediate, and what’s that immediate something? Nobody, not even they know. (And hey, always have that emergency fund ready and debts cleared before diving into investing, okay?)

It’s a matter of perspective, some people might consider some financial instruments a great opportunity, or a return yield being at the highest it has ever been, but when translated into money that goes in and the money it comes out it doesn’t look so promising, or is it?. We tend to look at our everyday with a consumer mentality which we grew on for years, thinking of an end goal as a fixed lump sum of money (normally contrasted against something we want to buy), this sum brings an expectation in which every step we take should be the biggest step possible towards it.

Then, one day, I found a shiny Canadian dollar on the street and it made me wonder, “In my investment, I am making a dollar a day too!”. Sticking your money in these safe investments is kinda like finding a dollar on the ground every day. 

Feels pretty great, right? Even if it’s just a buck. It all depends on your investment’s yield and how much you’ve put in. On my banking platform, it shows me daily earnings right up until the payout, and seeing those numbers can be pretty satisfying when you imagine that return is the coin you stumbled across on your day to day with no exception or not having to stare at the ground everyday. I don’t know a single person who does not cheer up at least a tiny bit when finding free money on the street.

Imagine that every single day you live, while you’re commuting, taking a coffee break, hanging out with friends, or shopping, you find a bit of cash. It’s like a little bonus just for you.

Found another dollar during a coffee break a month later (Who is losing all this money anyways?), and let me tell you, it made my day even better. It felt like all these little coincidences were adding up, while my investment was working its magic in the background. For a moment it all stopped being about the money but more about gratefulness of our everyday life and the little things that are there to brighten our day. We tend to disregard small things like these finds, but it proved to me that with the right outlook, even small gains can enhance your financial and mental well-being.

Maybe we can create lucky days for most of our days after all.

image by: Image by vecstock on Freepik

Does it flow like water?

My late grandpa was a real character—funny, clever, and oh boy, sometimes he was a total mischief-maker. He was all about the laughs, lightening up any mood, and sneakily tossing napkin balls at us across the dinner table while giving us this look and going, “What’s up, troublemaker?”

Grandpa didn’t see real money until way later in life. Coming from nothing in the sticks, he had to find his way to a cozy life. Not exactly living large, but he managed to keep him and his folks afloat. And man, did he have a quirky take on wealth.

Whenever we’d start stressing over cash flow or not having enough for the basics, he’d switch off his joker smile and hit us with, “Think of money like water in an irrigation ditch. We’ve all got our ditch, right? (As a countryside kid would casually say). And it’s bone dry, dirt cracking under the blazing sun. Every little effort you make is like a drop of water starting to flow. Keep at it, and your ditch will start filling up, nice and steady.”

Closing my eyes and imagining this always did something for me, kinda putting into perspective what I had in the bank and how full I felt my own ditch was.

He turned it into this cool little game to gauge how we felt about our dough. Let me break down how I picture the whole ditch-filling journey, based on how comfy we are.

  • Picture the peak of summer, ground all cracked and thirsty, not a drop of water in sight.
  • Then comes this tiny stream, snaking through the cracks, like putting ointment on cracked skin.
  • Soon, there’s enough water covering the ground, making everything look alive, smoothing the surface of the land.
  • You can now push the heat back a little, you’ve got enough water to chill your feet sitting by the edge
  • Ditch banks are getting painted with green grass (pun intended).
  • Now you’ve got your hands on a few glasses of clean and fresh water to beat the heat, just wish there was enough to go around and share with people.
  • You’re at a point where the ditch stays filled, and you can even take some water back home, no need to hit the ditch every time. Hey! Maybe you can treat yourself making some jars of lemonade or try that exotic & complex soup you’ve been wanting to try.
  • Things are looking up; you can lounge in it, full body and all. Not enough to swim, but hey, it’s pretty sweet to just soak in.
  • Seeing friends or family struggling in the heat, you realize you’ve got plenty to share.
  • You see your reflection on the water and you know the ditch is now deep enough for a bomb dive and a swim downstream!

    Sure, we can picture this whole thing in many other steps, focusing on different vibes and needs. But the real deal? It’s about knowing where we stand and feeling alright with it. It’s not gonna replace crunching numbers, tracking income and bills, or financial projections. But it’s a pretty chill way to recognize our progress, keep dreaming big, and tip our hats to where we started from.

    How is your irrigation ditch looking like? Could you paint the whole process with different or additional steps?

    Keep it cool and always remember that water will always find a way through.

Wealth isn’t only shaped as money.

Welcome to First Dividend, folks! Who would’ve thought I’d dive into the whole investing and finance scene? Have you asked yourself that question or started to? I had and let me tell you, it’s been quite the ride—from clueless to kinda getting the hang of it, from smiles to frowns and back to smiles, but most importantly embracing the conceptual value you can find in money, its taboos and misconceptions.

We all like money, right? Well, let’s talk about the emotional rollercoaster part, because, wow, does money mess with your feelings. One minute you’re on top of the world because your investment is soaring, and the next, you’re biting your nails watching it dip, your brain paints all these images of how much you sacrificed and worked hard to earn that same money which is now screaming in a red color while the quantity itself goes up (and you know is not the good type of “up”).

First Dividend is my way of chatting with you guys about how weird and wonderful this journey is. It’s not just about making bank (though that’s nice), but about the laughs, facepalms, “aha!” moments, and realizations we get along the way. Because at the end of the day, investing is about people—our dreams, fears, and the crazy ride of emotions we’re all on. This is not a site where you can find financial advice or learn how the market works, but to find perspectives and ways to see things differently when it comes to money and investing, a more philosophical way you could say for a healthier money-human relationship.

So, whether you’re a pro at this stuff or you’re also wondering how you ended up here, I hope you’ll find something relatable, something helpful, or at least something that makes you chuckle. They say leave your emotions out of investing, but there is a welcome sign at First Dividend!

Cheers to the adventure ahead, because wealth isn’t only shaped as money.