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Hello 2023!

It’s Jim and I realize it’s Tuesday (having missed yesterday!) and my apologies – we were traveling back from a vacation and the first Apex of the year will have to be today!

If you missed J.D.’s post from last year, he’s taking a break and stepping away from Apex and, likely, stepping back from writing about money. I’ve known J.D. for over a decade and in that time, he’s always been writing and usually about money. Sometimes our lives move past what we’re doing in the moment and it takes a lot to realize that. If you want to keep in touch with him, check out his personal blog.

Sometimes breaks are good and I wish J.D. the best!

Envy Is the Cancer of the Soul [More to That] – “People like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, or Bill Gates will be in that green area. Their wealth is at an incomprehensible level in John’s mind, so instead of being envious of them, he will buy their biographies and seek to learn from them. The people that have taken John’s desire and achieved many multiples of it will feel like distant mentors as opposed to close rivals.” It’s an interesting look at something we all feel and try to control – envy.

Some Holiday Thoughts on Effort, Results, and Control [My Money Blog] – “There is so much we can’t control. I couldn’t choose the country where I was born. I couldn’t choose my parents. I couldn’t choose my genes. I couldn’t choose my gender or race or sexual orientation or decade that I was born. I couldn’t choose to have working eyes, ears, or nervous system.”

Don’t Turn Your Hobby Into a Side Hustle [Bloomberg / Washington Post] – “During a holiday dinner party, the host suggested we each share a significant moment from the year. As one woman shared how her pottery class had allowed her to explore her creative side, another cheekily said, “Oh, you could totally open up an Etsy shop and sell your work.” Before she even finished the sentence, I exclaimed, “No! Don’t monetize your hobby!”