With mortgage rates and housing prices still high, Your Survival Guy is happy to have zero debt. That’s how I like to live.
Here’s a word or two about my money. For one, I eat my own cooking. I don’t hope for my money to do something for me. I don’t bet on markets. I don’t gamble. I don’t use leverage. I don’t look at prices. I basically look at my account here and there, see the income coming in, and that’s it.
Sometimes, my portfolio is higher than the last time I looked, and sometimes, it’s not. I have a consistent investment plan in place, one I’ve had my entire adult life. It’s simple. I save a third, spend a third, and pay taxes with a third. I don’t have any debt. I own my house.
Yes, I know I could have held my mortgage at super-low rates and let inflation help with the payments, but that’s not me. That’s a game I don’t want to be involved with because it’s not a guarantee it will play out that way. And I don’t like chance.
I want to be the owner. So, I paid off the bank. Now, being an owner provides me with a tremendous amount of peace of mind and comfort. It allows me to have a clear mind. And that’s something you can’t put a price tag on. Actually, you can.
You can put a price tag on your economic independence. You’ll feel great about the control you have. You’ll face tough markets as a shepherd of your money, not a sheep. And yes, focus on income rather than prices.
Prices are fickle. Income is math.
A lot of how I think about money is doing what needs to be done to make me, not anyone else, happy. To make me comfortable. And to be able to sleep well at night. Because doing productive things with money can bring happiness. Just like doing unproductive things can bring sorrow.
Action Line: I believe in you. Keep it simple. Make things happen. Be happy. Let’s have a word or two when you’re ready.
