Today is Tuesday, money nerds, and you’re at Apex Money. As always, we’ve collected some interesting stories for you from the world of personal finance. Today’s stories are about building good financial habits. Let’s dive in.
Save like a pessimist. Invest like an optimist. [Collaborative Fund] — “Optimism and pessimism can coexist. If you look hard enough you’ll see them next to each other in virtually every successful company and successful career. They seem like opposites, but they work together to keep everything in balance.”
The power of financial habits. [Morningstar] — “When it comes to building a habit, the more complex the desired behavior is, the harder it can be. For our finances, using a simple but effective rule of thumb can be a solution. In our recent research, we began sifting through the many rules of thumb in the media to identify the rules that financially well-off people tend to use.”
In praise of long feedback loops. [Bookbear Express] — “Long feedback loops, by their very nature, cannot be pleasurable in the way short feedback loops are. Basically: the thrill will disappear. And that’s okay.” I needed to read this today. It’s important.
To finish up today, here’s a video from a Japanese calligrapher on YouTube. It’s simply 5-1/2 minutes of him drawing the English alphabet in print and in cursive. From that description, you’ll know whether that’ll bore you or if you’ll find it mesmerizing (as I did).
My cursive skills have decayed with time. I can’t even remember how to draw some letters. And if I’m rushing, my printing isn’t very good either. But if I put my mind to it, I can print quite well. It’s a legacy of having taken a couple of drafting classes in high school. Mr. Romero started by teaching us how to print properly, and I’ve always been grateful for that.
(Oh, and because it’s tangentially related, here’s a recent Fioneers article about how to make money with calligraphy.)
Okay, that’s a wrap for Tuesday. I’ll be back tomorrow with more of the best from the world of personal finance. Join me, won’t you?