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Stealth Wealth, Empty Fridges, & The Toothfairy Index 🧚

March 07, 2023

Happy Tuesday, HTM family!

4 quick facts for you this morning...

  • Fact 1: You are smart

  • Fact 2: You can do it!

  • Fact 3: You belong

  • Fact 4: You are enough

Not sure who needs to hear this right now, but you can (and will!) do amazing things in life. You deserve goodness, and don't let anyone else (especially yourself) tell you otherwise.

OK, on to the money stuff! 👇👇👇

TO DO

Clean Out Your Fridge & Pantry 🥑🥫🥡

When was the last time you had an *empty* pantry and fridge? I'm talking about ZERO food in the house..?

A pantry challenge is when you eat everything you have before heading to the store to buy new stuff. It gets you thinking creatively about odd ingredients, reduces food waste, and "resets" your meal strategy.

This month: Try stretching your food reserves. I dare you. 🫵

LIFESTYLE

Practicing "Stealth Wealth" 🥷

I know a guy who wears a plain gold wedding band... or so it seems to the public! What nobody knows is there are actually 4 tiny little "secret diamonds" moulded into the inside of the ring (the part that touches his finger).

He explained to me once, "I wanted a fancy and meaningful ring, but didn't want to show off to people. So I asked the jeweler to put the diamonds on the inside".

What is stealth wealth? It's when someone possesses significant wealth, but never displays it publicly through their lifestyle, possessions, or on social media. It's the opposite of conspicuous consumption -- buying stuff because you like it, not just to impress others.

Why you should practice it...Being stealthy with your money keeps you humble, avoids jealousy and criticism, and protects you from social pressures. But most importantly it enforces the habit of living for yourself, not others! Doesn't matter how much money you make or save, you are doing it for YOU.

Ways to live in stealth wealth mode:

  • Live in a house and neighborhood you enjoy, not one that just "looks fancy".

  • Purchase stuff because YOU like it. Name brands are nice, but your true motives should be value, comfort, and sustainability.

  • As your salary increases, keep your expenses the same. Everything doesn't need to be upgraded just because you make more money.

  • Think and act practically. A Toyota gets you from "point a" to "point b" the same way a Bentley does.

Overall, stealth wealth is a way to enjoy your riches and freedom while keeping a low profile and avoiding unwanted attention.

More resources:

TOGETHER WITH CIT BANK

Did you know the average checking account fee in the US is $12.08 per month!? 🤯 That's $145 per year!!!

If you haven't switched to a no-fee online bank yet, check out CIT Bank. Their eChecking Accounts are free to open with no monthly fees, and so are their Savings Connect accounts that currently pay 4.05% interest!

You should be making money off of your bank — not the other way around. 😉

INFLATION

Not All Things Cost More...

This chart from Visual Capitalist is a classic, showing the breakdown of how major services have inflated (or deflated) in cost over the past 22 years. 👇

A few thoughts:

  • Average prices across everything rose about +74% since year 2000 (breaks down to 2.43% as the average inflation rate for the past 23 years). Yes, we're feeling a big pinch right now, there's no denying that. But when we "zoom out" things don't seem too bad. 🤷‍♂️

  • So cool to see some categories getting cheaper over the years as technology and manufacturing continues to advance. I might go out and buy a new flat screen this weekend. 🤣

  • As for the highly inflated stuff like healthcare, childcare, and college, there's little impact that we can have on the macro level. But on a personal, micro level there are definitely some creative ways to save money and reduce the impact. Saving money in college, health-sharing plans, negotiating bills down, & ideas on cheaper childcare are just a few!

Related stuff:

ICYMI

Other Top Stories...

IRS Payment Plans 📝Got a bigger than expected tax bill? The IRS offers long term and short term payment plans. Some fees might apply, but it could be better than going into high interest debt if you can't pay the bill off right away!

Rent Data 🏙️The median rent in the USA is ~$1,942 per month. But here are 10 cities where the median rent is under $1,300/m. **spoiler alert, cheapest ones are OKC, Louisville KY, Birmingham AL, and Rochester NY**

Soft Skills 🧑‍💻Apparently these are the 10 most in-demand skills employers want to see on your resume right now. Good reminder that technical skills only get you so far, so if you're job hunting be prepared to talk about your leadership, teamwork, and management skills too!

FHA Loans 💵The White House announced last week that it is going to reduce mortgage insurance fees, starting Feb 20th. The average homebuyer will save ~$800 a year! While not a mammoth savings, anything helps in this market.

Last Year's IRA 🪣Just a friendly reminder: The deadline to put money into *last year's* IRA bucket is April 18th. If you didn't max out your 2022 IRA contributions, we recommend doing that before making 2023 contributions. (a quick refresher on Roth vs. Traditional IRAs!)

FRIENDS OF HTM

Katy Wolk-Stanley, The Non-Consumer Advocate

Katy's famous motto is: “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!” Every day, thousands of people visit her blog The Non-Consumer Advocate where she promotes minimalism and frugal living.

She's also a thrifting rockstar! (pic above is an action shot of Katy at Goodwill!) If you want to learn more about living on less and buying everything second-hand in life, check out Katy's blog.

Psst. 🤫 We just interviewed Katy, so look out for that episode dropping soon! 🎤

Have a great week ahead. Keep being awesome. Keep being YOU!

Best friends out 🍻