Good morning, friends!

Hope you had a fabulous week over there! It’s been quite eventful in the Money household the last couple of days getting surprise after surprise after surprise, and not all horrible ones! Haha…

First, Mrs. Money and I *both* got alerted that we could get the Covid vaxx out of nowhere when we assumed it wouldn’t happen until at *least* summer?! Then I get a note that a rare plot of land has opened up in the cemetery I want to be buried at (don’t laugh – everyone’s DYING to get in!!! 😂), and then literally hours later we find out that a house in our dream community is coming on the market soon and we might be able to get a sneak peek before the chaos ensues…

(And wow has the chaos ensued in the real estate market here in Virginia!  The last place we looked at had 8 offers come in within 48 hours, of which half of them got into bidding wars with each other AND were waiving home inspections and appraisals and even first born children! It’s no joke out there!! Lol…)

We’ll see how it all turns out, but as long as that Covid/Cemetery combo is a happy coincidence and NOT a premonition, I’ll be one happy dude ;)

But enough about me… Below are my favorite reads (and watches) from the week, and all of them give some dose of knowledge or entertainment or a little bit of both! My apologies in advance if you’re following All-Star Money and already seen half of these… I’ll continue to share non-$$$ articles in these newsletters as well, but now that I’m curating full-time there will probably be some overlap so I don’t burn myself out ;) They’ll always be stuff I love though, so hopefully you find them just as enjoyable!

Peace, love, and blessings ☮️ 💙🙌

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Favorite reads this week:

Money is Stored Energy via Monevator — “I think of money as stored energy. You work, beg, borrow, steal, or otherwise obtain money. You put it aside – store it. Later you discharge the power and make something happen.”

7 Ways We Misprice Purchases via Data Driven Investor — “Think of the number zero before considering any purchase — that’s the amount you will spend if you opt not to make the purchase at all. Doing so will prime your brain not to overestimate prices.”

The Power of Low Expectations via Get Rich Slowly — “Just as you can increase your saving rate by improving income and/or lowering expenses, you can deliberately increase your happiness by improving your circumstances and/or lowering your expectations.”

Ergodicity: The Coolest Idea You’ve Never Heard of via The Best Interest — “I have a 100-sided die. I’ll roll the die and you pick a number. If it lands on any other number than your number, then you win $1000. But if it lands on your number, then Mike Tyson punches you in the face and takes your money.”

Why “Can I Afford It?” is a Terrible Filter via Becoming Minimalist — We often find ourselves debating a purchase because we’ve considered what benefit the purchase will bring into our lives. But rarely do we take the time to honestly evaluate what benefits might arise if we said no.

The Effect of “Mental Subtraction” by VIA Institute on Character — “How often do you take time to “smell the roses” in your life? This means thinking about all of the people, things and experiences that make you happy and feeling a sense of appreciation for how they impact you. Want to know a great way to do this? Imagine your life without it.”

Favorite video this week:

Turkish Garbage Collectors Make a Library Out of Trash via YouTube — Shout out to J.D. Roth of Apex Money for finding this gem!! What a cool way to literally turn trash into treasure!! :)

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// Pic up top by Augusto Ordonez via Pixabay
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G’afternoon friends!!

Hope you’re having a good start to the almost-weekend! :) Lots of great reads to share with you today, but before we get to those I just wanted to THANK YOU for all the kind words and encouragement this week. The launch of All-Star went off really well, and it’s been great to have something to be excited about again!

So thank you!! And if you missed it, you can learn more about the new site on this interview I just did with the other J from Budgets Are Sexy:

J. Money Is Alive!And He Launched a New Curation Site… All-Star Money!

We also cover:

• How semi-retirement has been
• Whether I miss blogging or not
• The state of the personal finance blogosphere
• My current net worth (!)
• And a bunch of new habits I picked up in my ever persistent quest of self-improvement :) Like cutting down my coffee intake to only *one* cup a day! (Gasp!)

If you’ve missed me around these parts, I think you’ll enjoy it :) I tried to be as raw as possible…

In other news, I’ve added up some more collections to PF Swagger! My curation site of the best *merch* in personal finance, lol… (Are you sensing a theme yet??)

If you’re ever in the need for kick ass shirts or stickers that show off your love of finance, I hope you’ll check it out and support the small businesses in our community 🙏 🙏

Here are some of the latest additions:

And those are all my updates! If anything new or exciting is going down in your world, hit reply as I’d love to hear about it!

In the meantime, below are my favorite reads I’ve come across lately, both financial and otherwise. Hopefully you find a gem or two that inspires you :)

Your online fiend forever,

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Favorite articles around the web:

The Joy of a Legacy Letter via Humble Dollar — “A couple of times a year, I reread Mom’s legacy letter, written 14 years ago. Her wisdom and advice still speak to me today. How many times do you think I have revisited my mother’s legal will? Never.”

How I Get Paid to Drink Coffee! via Studenomics — “My goal in life is to get paid to drink coffee and I found a way to make this happen. I recently launched a coffee crawl as an official experience on the Airbnb platform. Tourists (and anyone in general) can sign up to do my coffee tour to drink coffee with me at unique shops in my community.”

Dear Daughter, Don’t be a Fruit Cup Girl via New Orleans Mom — “My mom wanted her three girls to be independent, confident, and definitely not reliant on good ‘ol Johnny to open our fruit cup. Fruit Cup Girl became an adjective in our house growing up. She would call us out for not stepping up to the plate. Helplessness was not allowed. The simple line, “Don’t be a fruit cup girl,” is what she would say.”

Souvenir Yourself via Medium — “This post is intended to advise those shopping for themselves while traveling and is comprised of examples that make me smile and remember a fun adventure or locale when I encounter them. They are all designed to fit any budget, and ultimately act as a form of sustainability. ”

And then lastly, and don’t ever forget it…

“You don’t need to do anything at all – not today, not next year, not in your lifetime – in order to have value as a human being. You’re amazing and worthy simply because you’re here.” – Financial Superstar

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*Cat doodle up top by cundrastudio

I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaack! :)

And guess what??

My new project finally launched!! ZOMG!!!

Introducing All-Star Money: where we scan over 1,500 personal finance blogs a day and feature our Top 3 favorites on it – from budgeting to financial independence to investing to everyday decisions to best maximize your life, and your money.

It’s like 2017 all over again – just in prettier wrapping! :)

And if you want to get them as you’re having your coffee every morning, sign up to the daily newsletter! –> allstarmoney.com/newsletter

(If you’re wondering what happened to “Soapbox,” we re-branded halfway through which is why we were so delayed in getting the project out. But it’s much cooler to be an All-Star, right?! :))

Here’s a screenshot of the site with today’s articles featured:

Check it out and let me know what you think!! And if you’re a blogger, be sure to submit your best work over for us to review –> allstarmoney.com/submit

It’s so surreal being back at this after so many years off… I remember launching Rockstar Finance back in the day and so many people either laughing at it or not even “getting” it. And 8 years later curation is not only still a “thing” but continues to prove how valuable it is for the community!

So needless to say, I’m delighted to be back :) Yes to have a project again to work on, but also just to be home with my family once more and spreading the inspiration. There’s SO MUCH good stuff from bloggers big and small out there that never gets seen! So what a privilege to be able to put them front and center to the world!

And gotta give credit to my partners at The Motley Fool too for believing in it and seeing the beauty. It’s one thing to like an idea, but a whole other to fully support it (and me!!) to make the mission happen. So thank you SO much, Fools!! And for doing all the boring stuff so I can concentrate on the fun parts!! ;)

So I’m back, and I’m ready to party!! Thanks to everyone who’s stuck around! :) I’ll try and be better about putting out these newsletters regularly…

XOXO,

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Thank you for all your support this year!

Especially as I transitioned from blogging into semi-retirement/free-to-do-as-i-want-now-but-feels-so-weird-territory! One of the scariest moves I’ve ever made, but which went 10x smoother because of you all :)

And going forward, you’ll be hearing a LOT more from me as we head into 2021 and we (FINALLY!!!) launch our new curation project with The Fool! Among other fun – and philanthropic – things up my sleeves.

But until then, stay safe, stay happy, and of course keep staying on top of that $$$!!! Thanks for being such a big part of my world! :)

XOXO,

PS: I’ve added up two more collections on PF Swagger: stickers and shirts from Playing With FIRE (check out the “My Other Vehicle is a 401(k)” shirt! Lol), and stickers, mugs, and shirts from Bitches Get Riches. Maybe there’s a perfect – nerdy – gift for someone there who shares your love of finance? ;)

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Morning everyone!

How’s life/love/money going over there?

A lot of people have asked when my next project is going live (curation site w/ The Motley Fool), and while it continues to change, I am happy to report that we should be back on track now and will have a solid date for you soon :) Turns out it’s a whole other world launching something with a company vs by yourself, haha, but we’re getting there! And just been laying low in the meantime and trying to be the best daddy/husband/home schooler I can be… A full-time job in itself ;)

I miss you guys though!! What have you been up to??! Hit reply and tell me all your juicy secrets!!

Here are some of my favorite reads from around the community lately… Be back again soon! XOXO,

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Favorite articles around the web:

The Billionaire Who Wanted To Die Broke… Is Now Officially Broke via Forbes – “It took decades, but Chuck Feeney, the former billionaire cofounder of retail giant Duty Free Shoppers has finally given all his money away to charity. He has nothing left now—and he couldn’t be happier.”

A Remembrance of Forrest Fenn via Medium — “I am the person who found Forrest’s famed treasure. The moment it happened was not the triumphant Hollywood ending some surely envisioned… This treasure hunt was the most frustrating experience of my life.”

The 30-Day Minimalism Game via The Minimalists — “Here’s how it works. Find a friend, family member, or coworker who’s willing to minimize their stuff with you next month. Each person gets rid of one thing on the first day of the month. Two things on the second. Three things on the third. So forth and so on… Whoever keeps it going the longest wins.”

Why I Don’t Own a Car via Medium — “When I daydream about buying a car, I imagine ways to reduce costs. I’ve considered working as a courier or an Uber driver as a side hustle. After doing some cost analysis; I’d have to spend almost a day a week working to pay for the car. I’d prefer to kick myself in the nuts.”

Loop (A new way to shop) — “Loop enables consumers to shop for brands in durable packaging that is reused until the end of its life, creating a circular system designed to put an end to disposable single-use packaging.”

The ‘Batman Effect’: How having an alter ego empowers you via BBC — “Thinking of yourself as a separate entity can reduce anxiety, while also kicking up some major benefits for your confidence and determination.”

Minnesota man shatters Guinness World Record with his 42′ mohawk hairdo via Pioneer Press — “I’m 6-foot-1-inch tall, and my mohawk is pushing 4 feet now. Doors aren’t over 7 feet tall, ceilings 9 feet, and cars are impossible to get into, so I’m limited to where and how I move around when I’m all done up…” (I concur with how hard it is to be in cars – even with wussy hawks like mine! ;))

Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia Partner Up as Acorns Investors, Families to Receive $7 Investment via People.com — “There are so many people feeling as I did when I was struggling with just $7 bucks in my pocket; anxious and uncertain about my life and future,” says Johnson… “To me, $7 bucks represents a defining moment in my life, it represents possibility, hope and a new beginning.”

68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice via The Technium — “It’s my birthday. I’m 68. I feel like pulling up a rocking chair and dispensing advice to the young ‘uns. Here are 68 pithy bits of unsolicited advice which I offer as my birthday present to all of you.”

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