Brain Food #667
The true currency of wealth
Thoughts of the day
Following another short absence while being on the go (and getting used to being on the go) Brain Food returns for the final stretch of the year.
Lately, I found myself having various conversations about money, something that could be either a byproduct of age, or a byproduct of what enters our consciousness as a result of what is publicly shared.
We are inundated with articles about the ridiculous, otherworldly wealth of others. Our planet is not enough for the world’s richest men, who are now opting for space. A quick look at our phone does not fail to remind us of how little we have in comparison to someone else - at least in material goods.
Charlie Munger, one of the most successful investors of all time, reveals the true reasons to make money:
“I did not intend to get rich. I just wanted to get independent.”
Wealth can be infinite, but there is one thing that isn’t: time.
And so, the true currency of wealth changes.
It is a widely accepted truth that money does not buy happiness. The main good that money can buy is freedom. Perhaps true wealth comes in the form of having just enough money to ‘buy’ your independence, by subsequently exchanging enough of your time to feel that you are doing what you need to do. If you are able to do this, you may have more than you think already.
Thank you for reading today’s Brain Food. Brain Food is a short daily newsletter that aims to make you think every day, without taking up too much of your time. If you know someone who would like it, why not forward it to them? Brain Food is, after all, alive thanks to you, its readers.