Eating Poison

I came home from work yesterday with a budding headache that only got worse. Two Tylenols, my usual foolproof headache remedy, did nothing to help. I rode the exercise bike for half an hour which helped a little bit.

Why did I feel terrible? I got lunch from McDonald's. Nothing crazy: a crispy chicken sandwich, medium fries, and medium Sprite. It's a good thing the McRib is gone- on Nov 18 I had one of those gut bombs for lunch, and actually had to go to bed around 6:30pm because I was so tired.

I'm coming around to the realization that sugar is poison, but I don't think of McDonald's food as being particularly sugary, other than its drinks and (of course) its desserts. So it must have something else in it that's awful. Maybe the buns, or whatever meat that was once some animal- I literally don't know if McRib is alleged to be pork or beef. 

What I do know is I don't get sick off of Chick Fil-A's chicken sandwich, fries, lemonade, or even its shakes. I'll keep getting coffee at Mickey D's and maybe an occasional Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit, but I guess I can't eat their sandwiches. It's like taking poison.

The Ten Ds of Personal Finance

I recently wrote a short book about personal finance. I have been amazed to learn how little financial literacy most people have, even highly educated intelligent people.

https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Ds-Personal-Finance-financial-ebook/dp/B09M92HQL8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1637705878&sr=8-1

My hope is that this book will find an audience and help people take control of their own finances. I outline ten rules to follow and support them with examples and personal stories, with heavy dad humor woven throughout.

In giving a lot of thought to the things that prevent us from achieving financial independence, I realized how modern society works against us. With the weather getting colder, I've been watching a lot of shows on Hulu. Half of the ads seem to be for sports betting. In the last year, online sports gambling has seen widespread growth, and is even integrated in network broadcasts.

The average American has neither the disposable income nor the understanding of probability or statistics to start betting on football outcomes, yet it's now perfectly legal in most if not all states. The companies who will profit from online gambling used the same logic that is always used in favor of legalizing other gambling like lottery referendums and casinos as well as marijuana: tax revenue!

Not only is sports betting legal, companies are heavily promoting it. The result will be increased tax revenue which states will quickly find a way to spend, and millions more citizens spending money they can't afford to spend on another stupid habit. Just like smoking, Starbucks, energy drinks, supplements, and any of the myriad other ways to waste hundreds of dollars per month, sports gambling is one more obstacle that stands between people and financial freedom.

What is financial freedom, or financial independence? Put simply, it's not having to work. If you want to work until sixty-five or seventy, be my guest. If you do work you enjoy, or enjoy the people at your job, keep doing it as long as you want. But we should all strive to not have to work. To do that, you must save, of course, but you must also avoid the myriad ways that corporations, media, and our consumer culture work together to convince you to spend money on stuff you don't need: time shares, extra cars, sugary coffee drinks, new clothes, a new car every 3 years...like I said, it's a near infinite list.

This book will help tell you how to retire at a normal age like sixty, if not sooner. Give it a tumble.