Smart money management for Everyone
Design Life to Feel Like a Vacation
Let’s talk about assets. You’re likely familiar with the term, it’s what you own that holds value. Your savings, your investments, perhaps a property. We spend years, often decades, carefully building this portfolio. We track its performance, diversify its holdings, and plan for its long-term growth. This is wise and responsible.
But I want to talk about your most precious, non-renewable asset. It’s not your money. It’s your time, and more specifically, the life you experience within that time.
Many of my clients come to me with impressive financial statements but a deep-seated feeling of being bankrupt in their daily lives. They’ve been so focused on the final balance that they’ve neglected the quality of the journey. They’ve saved diligently for a two-week vacation, a brief escape from a life that feels like a constant grind.
The goal shouldn't be to afford an escape; the goal should be to afford a life you don't need to escape from.
Conduct a Life Audit
The first step in any sound financial plan is a clear assessment of your current cash flow. Where is the money coming in, and where is it going out? We need to do the same with your energy.
For one week, I want you to track your time not in hours, but in emotional and energetic currency.
What activities are major expenditures? (e.g., the draining commute, the stressful meeting, the mindless scrolling that leaves you feeling empty).
What activities provide a genuine return? (e.g., a conversation that lifts you up, a hobby that makes you lose track of time, a walk that clears your head).
You cannot manage what you do not measure. This audit is about data. You’ll quickly see the "leaks" in your energetic budget and identify the activities that yield the highest personal dividend.
Rebalance Your Portfolio: Allocating for Joy and Rest
In finance, a balanced portfolio spreads risk and opportunity across different asset classes. Your life portfolio needs the same strategic allocation. Most people are grossly over-invested in the "Obligation" and "Productivity" asset classes and severely under-invested in "Rest" and "Joy." This is a high-risk strategy that leads to burnout.
It’s time to rebalance.
The Rest Asset Class: This is your fixed-income equivalent, the stable, non-negotiable foundation of your portfolio. Schedule rest like you would a mandatory bill payment. This could be 20 minutes of quiet with a book, a firm cut-off time for work emails, or protecting your eight hours of sleep. The return on investment (ROI) is immense: better decision-making, improved health, and greater patience.
The Joy Asset Class: This is your growth investment, the part of the portfolio with the highest potential for long-term appreciation. This is the money you spend on a hobby, the time you block for a weekly game with your children, or the investment in learning a new skill for fun, not for career advancement. The ROI? A sense of aliveness that compounds daily.
A client, who is a successful entrepreneur, was all work and no play. We literally added a "Joy" line item to his budget. He initially struggled to spend it. He started with small things, a better sound system for his home, then guitar lessons. He recently told me that the return on that "investment" has done more for his overall outlook than any stock pick.
The Power of Compounding Small Changes
In finance, compounding is the magic that turns small, consistent investments into significant wealth over time. The same principle applies to your life quality.
A grand, one-time gesture, a lavish holiday, is like winning a lottery. It feels great but doesn't change your long-term financial health. Instead, focus on the small, daily deposits into your quality-of-life account.
Deposit 1: Leave the office for your lunch break. Just 30 minutes outside can compound into a more productive afternoon.
Deposit 2: Listen to an inspiring audiobook during your commute. Over a year, this compounds into a vast expansion of knowledge and perspective.
Deposit 3: Create a relaxing evening ritual. This compounds into better sleep and lower stress levels.
These micro-investments seem insignificant alone, but their returns compound exponentially. They build the foundation of a life that feels sustainable and rich, day in and day out.
It’s Your Most Important Financial Plan.
Designing this life is the most crucial financial plan you will ever make. What is the point of a robust retirement portfolio if you’ve spent forty years miserable? What is the value of wealth if you have no time or energy to enjoy it?
Think of it as changing the allocation of your most valuable resources, your time, your attention, and your energy, so that your daily life yields a higher return on happiness. It’s about being as strategic and intentional with your lived experience as you are with your finances.
You May Ask
As a financial advisor, shouldn't you just be focused on my money?
My primary duty is to your overall well-being, and your financial health is a single component of that. A stressed, unhappy person makes poor financial decisions. A content, balanced person is better equipped to build and preserve wealth sustainably. Your personal joy is an asset; your burnout is a liability.
This sounds expensive. I need to save for my future.
This is about reallocating existing resources, not necessarily spending more. It might mean reallocating time from scrolling to reading, or a small portion of your entertainment budget from expensive dinners out to a class that brings you genuine fulfillment. Often, the most valuable deposits cost very little in monetary terms.
I’m too busy building my career to focus on this now.
This is the most common and costly mistake. Think of it as preventative maintenance. Investing in your well-being now prevents a major "crash" later, like burnout or health issues, which is far more damaging to your career and finances. Consistent, small investments in rest make you more, not less, productive.
How do I measure the ROI on something like "joy"?
You measure it in tangible outcomes. Are you sleeping better? Are you less irritable with your family? Are you more focused at work? Do you feel a greater sense of contentment on a regular Tuesday? These are not fluffy concepts; they are key performance indicators for your life.
Where is the first place I should invest?
Start with the audit. For one week, just observe where your time and energy go. You can’t make a smart investment without first understanding your current financial statement or in this case, life, statement.
Securing Your Future Happiness
In the world of finance, we talk about achieving financial freedom. But true freedom is the ability to live life on your own terms, with a spirit of abundance and peace, every single day.
Building that life requires the same discipline and foresight as building a investment portfolio. It requires regular audits, strategic rebalancing, and a steadfast belief in the power of compounding small, consistent actions.
So, let’s build a comprehensive plan, one that grows your bank account and your soul. Let’s design a life so rich in experience that every day feels like a dividend. Because the ultimate mark of wealth isn’t just what you have in the bank; it’s the joy you have in your heart.
