'Financial Independence' is the one guaranteed path for middle-class people to get wealthy
Save 50% of your income, invest in low-cost index funds and you'll reach Financial Independence in about 15 years
Massive game changer for millions who thought they couldn't get ahead
1/ Tax thread for the NFT community on sales of NFTs:
This is a framework for those subject to the US tax system & not specific tax or financial advice. I'm a CPA but I'm not YOURS & the rules are evolving constantly.
So, here's my personal framework for the sale of NFTs:
'Power of incentives' lesson for my kids:
1. Ask a barber if you need a haircut. What do you think he'll say?
2. If you are paid by the hour to mow a lawn, will you go fast or slow?
3. If someone gives you advice that goes against their best interests, TRUST THEM FOREVER
One of the best parenting decisions we ever made was to start our kids playing adult board games with us when they were about 6 years old. We never let them win.
Now my 11 year old routinely crushes us in the most strategic of games and the 14 year old mops the floor with us.
The best financial decision we made was to leave Long Island and move to Richmond, VA. Four bedroom house in the best part of town and the mortgage was $1,265 a month
That made it possible to save 50%+ of our income, become millionaires in our 30s & reach Financial Independence
Warren Buffett's instructions in his will:
"My advice to the trustee could not be more simple: Put 10% of the cash in short-term government bonds and 90% in a very low-cost S&P 500 index fund. (I suggest Vanguard’s.)"
Good enough for Warren, good enough for me and you
If you continue working after reaching Financial Independence, you're picking that job over literally everything else in the world you could otherwise do with your time. Okay if you TRULY love every second of it, but you only get 90 years on this planet, so choose very wisely.
If you save 50%+ of your income, you can basically screw everything else up and still fall ass backwards into Financial Independence
Savings rate cures nearly everything financially!
Your goal is financial independence.
You just don't know it yet.
But what the hell is "financial independence", how do you know when you're 'there' and what's so great about it?
1/ a thread on FI...
What's your quirkiest thought on living a good life?
Mine:
I will never take a red-eye flight again
I value sleep too much and the pain isn't worth the benefit. There's always another flight option
Life is just better after a good night of sleep
Brain works better, I'm happier & less irritable
Thankfully the days of the "I'll sleep when I'm dead" BS are behind us and we're realizing sleep is the biggest determining factor in high performance
Prioritize it at all costs
The entire point of Financial Independence is to allow you to be rich in every way, not just to increase your net worth.
Rich in spirit, relationships, community, mentality, freedom, health.
If it's just about becoming wealthy for you, you're wasting your time.
Just crushed a 42 inch box jump at Crossfit & feeling really proud right now
Anyone who tells you your body is guaranteed to break down in your 40s is flat wrong
I've seen big improvements in strength, mobility and explosiveness by just showing up day after day and working hard
When you buy a stock you are buying a small ownership piece of the company.
Never forget this. You aren't gambling, and it shouldn't be short-term. You are an owner of the company.
Better yet, a total stock market index fund makes you an owner of thousands of companies at once
20/ I hope this thread helped give you some clarity on how to move forward with the tax situation on sales of NFTs.
There will always be nuance with new things like burning one NFT for another, etc but if you document well, even in the 0.5% chance you get audited, you'll be fine
What's your favorite part of pursuing financial independence?
Mine was always feeling like I was truly winning at the game of life. Same upper middle class lifestyle as everyone around me, just optimized a few big things (cars, house, food) and was able to save 50%+ of my income
Fitness is something I have zero problem spending lots of money on.
The old me would have balked at $150+ per month for Crossfit.
The new "valuist" in me gladly spends this money.
What's an area of your life you splurge on gleefully?
You don't need to own a home to become wealthy, no matter what you hear about the "American dream"
You know what you actually need to do to become wealthy?
Save money
As much as you can while still living a wonderful life
Invest with a long term mindset
Rinse & repeat
A 50% savings rate cures all financially
You are bulletproof with a 50%+ savings rate
We're all looking for more power and autonomy in our lives.
Saving money isn't deprivation. It's freedom.
3/ When I buy an NFT I have a spreadsheet (Excel or Google Sheets) where I list the date and purchase price of the NFT in Eth.
That's known as my "basis" in the asset.
Then when I sell it, I write down the date, sales price and any commissions/fees I pay, as those are deducted.
2/ I'm treating an NFT like any other asset I own that's subject to capital gains tax like stocks & mutual funds, collectibles, etc.
The steps I'm taking to document are really simple:
Lean into your kids' passions with everything you have -- it'll bring you so much closer to them and they'll truly feel heard.
I've listened to my 15 year old daughter talk about roller coasters for hundreds of hours and I know more about coasters than any non-enthusiast on
7/ But it's your fault for not documenting.
Here's an example sale:
Purchase price (basis): 1 Eth
Sales Price: 10 Eth
Less: Commissions & fees: 1 Eth
So you netted 9 Eth from the sale, but that's NOT the gain you pay tax on.
The gain is 8 Eth (9 net less 1 Eth basis)
There's a real simple formula for getting ahead in life:
Read
As much and as often as you can.
From every source and genre you can find.
And update your thinking when you come across new information. It's amazing how well this works.
Rinse and repeat
12/ The most important thing to understand with capital gains tax is that you are NOT PAYING TAX just because the asset you hold went up.
This is an "unrealized" gain.
The taxable event is triggered when you sell.
This is critical to remember!
6/ I know it's a pain, but just like anything in life, if you do it the right way from the beginning (or starting now!) it's so much easier than at tax time having to go back and document every sale and comb through records.
You'll be grumbling at your CPA & the government then
Had a great chat with Scott Trench, the CEO of BiggerPockets, yesterday and I'm curious if you got a 30-year mortgage around 3% over the past few years, do you mentally consider yourself "locked in" where you wouldn't consider buying a new home because of current ~6% rates?
HSA is like magic: tax free going in, tax free growth and tax free withdrawals for medical purposes
The key is to save your paid medical receipts for decades, let that HSA compound, and have a lifetime backlog of receipts to use for withdrawal when you want to pull the money out
Financial Independence is such a flex because it's the one reliable way to get wealthy on a middle-class income, even when everyone says you can't.
No trust fund, Ivy League degree or hedge fund job required.
Just save your money, be intentional and invest for the long-term.
5/ Those rates are for most taxpayers something like 12%, 22% or 24% depending on your taxable income and can be higher if you make a ton of money.
The key is just documenting and since we have Etherscan & Opensea records, it's actually pretty easy.
Saving money and pursuing Financial Independence has absolutely nothing to do with hating your job or running away from anything.
It's about running towards a life of possibility and options with a freedom to choose what you do with your 16 precious waking hours every day.
4/ The dates are important for US tax as anything held over a year is considered "Long Term" and you get beneficial tax rates (most likely 15% (or even 0%!) based on your income).
If held under a year it is "Short Term" & taxed essentially as ordinary income at regular tax rates
Emergency fund brainstorm:
Help me think of an emergency you would need cash to pay for on the spot & couldn't use a credit card.
Short of ransom, I can't. Any home, car, medical exp can go on a card.
You can move money from a brokerage account in 1-2 days to pay the card.
Here's the best 10 minute upgrade to my day.
'Yoga Nidra' meditation has been my go to for 3+ years and it was amazing
@hubermanlab
listed it as his go-to NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) protocol.
Lay down for 10 minutes, put this on and thank me later!
Investing is not gambling. You're not "playing the market."
You're building wealth over decades.
When you buy a stock or mutual fund, your planned hold time ideally is forever.
I genuinely hate owning stuff
I look around my house and see a graveyard of needless purchases
And we're pretty optimized, but stuff is everywhere
Even "good" things I love like my garage gym and infrared sauna just feel needless
Urge to purge is great right now
If no amount of evidence would help change your mind, you don't have an opinion, you have a religion.
Don't trap your identity in a mental box of your own making
Instead, constantly reevaluate, seek new info & be happy when your thinking changes because you've learned something
Tough to beat a morning walk for an easy level up on health. Morning sunlight, some cold exposure (27 degrees out today so I added a hat and gloves, simple). Quiet neighborhood and since my family is still sleeping nobody was looking for me. Perfection.
"Most people don't live life intensely enough."
This quote hit home from
@thesamparr
on My First Million pod today.
Really looking to do new sh*t and explore in 2023. Been too timid and safe for far too long.
Now to brainstorm...
8/ And again, long vs. short term matters a lot
If you wanted to be amazing with your documentation, you would mark down the USD price in Eth at purchase and sale times as well, since ultimately that is very likely going to factor in here (still developing).
When you think about reaching Financial Independence, does it scare you to actually sell assets and draw down on your nest egg?
Would living off the dividends of your index funds make it more palatable since it seems more like "income" than selling assets?
Want an easy way to help your child financially?
Add them to your oldest credit card as an 'authorized user'
They'll get a card (which you'll store in a sock drawer) and it will start establishing a credit history for them
Your good credit history will passively benefit them
Scared you can't ever retire? Think you need $10 million to get there?
Financial Independence (FI) is such a simple equation and it's based on what YOUR life costs, which you control directly.
Annual expenses x 25 = FI
So if your life costs $60k, you need $1.5 million.
Saving money is NOT deprivation
It gives you power
Imagine how much less stressful life is when you have $10,000 saved up for the first time
Or having F-U Money and getting to decide where and when you want to work
Or reaching Financial Independence and being free forever
Every $100 you reduce your recurring expenses each month is $30,000 less you need to reach Financial Independence. $30k!
Those two $600 monthly car leases sitting in the driveway you can "afford" the payments on perpetually?
That's $360,000 more you need to reach FI.
@Darin_T80
Great story! But damn a boss like that who would dare be embarrassed about any of your life choices is exactly why we pursue Financial Independence and have FU money, to tell him where to shove his embarrassment...
My wife just got her first strict pull-up after many months of extra work at the gym! This was an end of 2023 goal she got done in January!
Wise words from Laura, "You don't realize what you can accomplish if you really work at it & keep showing up"
So incredibly proud of her!
13/ In summary: Document as much as you can, remember you get special tax treatment on assets held over a year, you get to deduct the commissions & fees from the sale price and you aren't taxed on unrealized gains (assets not yet sold)
The average car payment hit $777 last month, an all-time high
No big deal, you can "afford" the payments, right?
If you just roll into a new car every 5 years with the same $777 payment, it's going to cost you about $1,900,000 over your driving lifetime.
Nearly $2 million
1/
Truth: As net worth increases, your need for an emergency fund decreases
It feels safe to have a lot of money sitting around doing nothing waiting for an "emergency"
But I want my money invested and any emergency can go on a credit card until I pay it off in full that month
$1,300,000 lost
That's the price you pay for a 1% AUM fee to an advisor who puts you in a fund with 1% expense ratio when you invest $100,000 and let it compound for 40 years at an 8% annual return
Match the market = $2.4M net worth
vs
6% return with advisor = $1.1M net worth
Spent the morning cleaning up our storage area and I'm so glad the younger version of me considered these priceless keepsakes
If you're looking for me I'll be on the couch for the foreseeable future!
15/ Everything in this thread gives you a mental framework on the US tax system for capital gains of any type, not just NFTs.
Some of what I wrote will shift as we get guidance, but if you document everything and know you have to pay tax on the gain, you're way ahead of the game
Success in personal finance is pretty simple.
Everyone is looking for 'get rich quick' but the only reliable way is 'get rich slowly'
Spend less than you make, invest in low-cost index funds (or real estate if that's your thing) and keep increasing your income
Rinse and repeat
My financial goals: Long-term wealth accumulation, multiple income streams, business building and avoiding speculation, with simplicity at the core of everything.
Complexity in finance gets other people rich. Simplicity lowers stress and increases the odds of your own success.
If your child has a passion, really lean into it - they will feel so seen!
My daughter is a roller coaster enthusiast & we've spent hundreds of hours talking coasters, have 5 parks lined up for 2023, she bought Cedar Fair stock & met with the GM of our local park for 90+ minutes
Everyone you meet is the star of their own movie
They care and think about you far less than you fear, so don't be crippled by embarrassment or self-doubt
You're just an extra in their movie
Live life to the fullest, it's not a dress rehearsal for your own movie
18 hours into my first ever extended (4 day) fast. After watching Limitless episode with Dr. Peter Attia and Chris Hemsworth, a group of us from a mastermind decided to go for it as a way to start 2023. Excited and nervous but I know there's great value in doing hard things.
11/ In that case there may be a taxable event triggered ($3300 gain) but we don't know.
Conjecture, but there's a case to be made that your "basis" for that NFT in USD is $300 in that case.
Using that example there still wouldn't be a taxable event until the sale of the NFT
16/ That means you need to make sure you have the USD available to pay the government the tax you owe them.
You don't want to be stupid and be forced to liquidate some future purchase because you have to pay tax.
Again, you'll grumble, but it'll be your fault.
14/ Caveats are that this is evolving, it's still unclear how the "sale" of Eth to purchase the NFT is treated (taxable event or your basis in USD) and if you need the price of Eth the exact second you bought and sold.
We'll get guidance on that.
@tomgara
We just finished up season 45 and were planning on going back to the beginning just to see how the strategy had evolved but the cultural evolution will be fascinating as well! I remember seeing that one guy get destroyed for something "durag" related when it seemed he meant no
Saw a lot of tweets yesterday like "I'm down $52,000 today" or "my net worth dropped $34k today"
I had no clue what they were talking about.
Why? I care ZERO about what any market is doing day to day.
When your time horizon is forever, short-term is nearly meaningless.
If you haven't started yet, there's no better day than today, July 4th, as the first day of your Financial Independence journey.
Start with one tiny change to your financial life to put yourself a better position.
Everything starts with that first action.
Taxes are the best money I spend all year.
2 kids in public school, libraries, national parks, police, firefighters, military, safe & clean water, air and food, roads, etc. etc.
We live in a society so we don't have to do this all alone.
So often the Financial Independence movement gets labelled as cheap (or worse), but I save money so we can buy back our time and purchase things we truly value, no matter the cost.
Example: I'm taking my daughter to DC tonight to her 1st concert to see Olivia Rodrigo
1/
Never be too proud to ask extremely simplistic questions, to have a 'white belt mentality' at life, always chipping away, moving towards understanding and eventually mastery.
An absolute superpower: being a nice human to everyone you meet.
Have some empathy, connect with people and you'll be astonished at how wonderful the world is generally and people are specifically.
Nothing pays more dividends (in every way) than being genuinely nice & helpful.
Each year from 0 to 18 is ~5% of the time you will EVER spend with your child
Life isn't a dress rehearsal, there's no redo button. Use the time wisely.
9/ An open question right now is whether there's a taxable event on the "sale" of Eth when you use Eth to buy the NFT originally.
I don't have the expertise on that right now as there's no great answer.
But an example:
@AdamNev93
love to see that amazing return (and balance)! Add in the free return from a possible employer match that's in there and you're rocking it even more
Unbelievably powerful life hack is the site Camel Camel Camel.
Price tracking & email alerts on every product on Amazon!
Put in the URL or Amazon ASIN, see price history (which can be +- 50%!), set a target price and they email you when it gets there.
Massive savings to be had
17/ One consideration is to make "estimated tax payments" during the year if you think you'll otherwise spend that money you owe.
You'll be screwed come tax time in that case.
The Federal govt has a site called EFTPS where you can make quarterly electronic estimated payments
@zedzilla5000
@pudgy_penguins
You make decisions with the best information you have at the time. Plain and simple.
Did you feel that was the best decision at the time? Yes, that's why you sold.
Anything else is just "resulting."
That's not how decisions are made. Move forward.
18/ you can get a rough estimate of what you owe by knowing if it's short or long term (let's be honest, most are short term under a year!) and what income tax bracket you're in based on your income.
Here's a good reference for tax brackets:
Regular personal finance advice fails because nobody wants to deprive themselves today for some retirement when they are old
Financial Independence changes the game and makes saving money purposeful:
You're saving money to reclaim decades of your life
10/ If you buy 1 Eth for $3600 USD and you immediately go and buy an NFT with that Eth, even if there's some taxable event triggered, there's no gain since the price stayed the same.
The issue is if you bought 1 Eth years ago for let's say $300 and the current price is $3600
I genuinely disliked my job as an accountant, BUT as an entrepreneur, having knowledge of debits & credits, financial stmts, & especially taxation is critical.
It's the secret weapon in my talent stack
Many free or low cost classes exist online - you need to take Acct & Tax 101
Cutting Starbucks isn't going to make you wealthy, but make no mistake, if you're currently saving $0 or going further in debt every month, you need to take SOME action to make your financial life better.
Learn some skills, get a new certification, cut expenses. Take action
I feel better after 100% of workouts
Better outlook, feel better, just better.
Even when I have to drag myself to the gym & feel like being anywhere else. I always feel better after.
To paraphrase my friend
@mrmoneymustache
, lifting heavy things does a human good in every way
Such a beautiful video and reminds me so much of
@PeterAttiaMD
'centenarian decathlon.' This is why you want to be able to goblet squat a heavy kettlebell now so you can brace and pick up your great grandkids when you're 85+. THIS is a great reason to exercise (among hundreds)
Warren Buffett on being greedy when others are fearful:
"Every decade or so, dark clouds will fill the economic skies, and they will briefly rain gold. When downpours of that sort occur, it’s imperative that we rush outdoors carrying washtubs, not teaspoons. And that we will do"
'Everything is negotiable'
Your salary: Negotiable
Medical bills: Negotiable
Renewals on annual bills: Negotiable
But you have to step outside your comfort zone to negotiate
Start from a win-win mentality, and be a genuinely nice human and you'll be amazed how far you get
Been a long time since I've had a good travel rewards redemption, but recently booked 5 nights at the Atlantis in the Bahamas for a family spring break. Cash price was $4500 but I was able to use Marriott points that I'd had sitting around since the Starwood days! Big win
We get so bogged down in what's "best" with our money (is it real estate, index funds, crypto, dividend stocks, etc) when what matters most is this:
Save money. Save as much as you can while still living a great life
With a 50% savings rate, financial independence is inevitable
Thoughts the last two hours while raking leaves: This single activity alone wastes of millions of person hours each year, and yet...
I get an odd, almost perverse satisfaction from the accomplishment of clearing every last leaf.
Still a total waste, but at least there's that...
Trying to give something away via Facebook Marketplace is an interesting look at humanity..
"Free king mattress" gets 5 replies. 1st 'on his way' in minutes. Never showed up
Next four all no shows
I don't have a takeaway yet, just fascinating (would love mattress gone though!)
One of my biggest positive shifts occurred when I realized my anxiety was my brain making up fictional future scenarios but that they were causing me pain in the present moment
Our brains are always trying to keep us safe, even where it isn't helpful. Thank it and move forward.
Playing a board game with my younger daughter and my older daughter overhears us and yells in from the other room:
"Don't take it easy on her, she'll never feel good about herself if she wins!"
My work as a parent: Complete ✅
What were your best purchases, both big and small, in the past few years?
Mine:
Small: Blackout curtains (shades) & daily contacts for dry eyes. Both game changers
Big: Hot tub. Couldn't pull the trigger on this for years, but finally did and love it. Use easily 4x per week
NFT conversation overheard at the chiropractor's office today:
Patient: "Have you heard of NFTs?"
Doc: "Nope, what are they?"
Patient: "You can buy pictures of monkeys and own them."
Doc: "sounds like someone has too much money"
It's very, very early!
Can you ever fully trust someone who is late all the time?
This is one of the most "acceptable" character flaws we put up with, yet so easy to fix with a shred of effort and thought for others
For me it's a bright line test akin to 'do you put your shopping cart back?'
19/ So much easier mentally to just pay it quarterly instead of having this axe hanging over your head where you're forced to liquidate with April 15th looming next year (or future years)
And obviously there's state tax, and most states have electronic estimates as well.
@StepvhenH
@punk6529
Huge fan of 6529 -- I'm including his astonishing tweet thread "On How Short Life Is" in the FI Weekly newsletter tomorrow actually. Putting the finishing touches on now...
1/ On How Short Life Is
A few years ago, I was walking around in a blizzard in SoHo (New York). It was late, midnight, and it was beautiful.
Some friends, about 15 blocks away, called: "come over?"
It was late, it was cold, was tired, thought "maybe not worth it" but then...