After taking the plunge, here it is, my first post!

I’ve always liked the idea of starting a finance blog. My average week includes hours of reading, talking, and thinking about the topic, so I thought to myself “what not?” For simplicity, here are the five main reasons my original thought turned into the creation of Money Calibration:

It’s Kind of an Obsession

I’ll admit it, I’m hyper focused on personal finance, investing, and trying to optimize money. I started saving when I was 8 and started investing when I was 18 although not much at the time. Since the financial crisis a decade ago, I’ve been fascinated with the nuts and bolts of it. I’ve become “the money guy” in my circle of friends. I love providing my thoughts on the subject, but only when asked of course (don’t want to be “that guy”). I have a lot of thoughts, ideas and opinions floating around in my head and blogging will provide an opportunity to organize and document them.

Let’s be Rational

The impact of both good and bad financial decisions will have profound effects on someone’s financial health over time. Those decisions compound on one another. What might seem like a small decision now can be big magnified over time. This applies to someone making $40,000 a year and someone making $400,000 a year. A lot of people need a guiding light on how to optimize their income, savings, and investments to get the best bang for their hard-earned buck. I will say that everyone’s situation is different. A lot of “good” financial decisions are behavioral, very personal, even emotional, and nuanced. Yet much of the advice online is pitched as black and white. I want to take a more nuanced and rational approach. I’ll also say that access to hiring for high quality financial direction is often reserved for those with sizable assets, enough to pay for that good advice. I want to help those who don’t have that kind of access.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Simply Google “retirement savings crisis”, “less than $1,000 in Savings” and you’ll see that many individuals and families are ill prepared for retirement or an unexpected financial event. Many are not currently secure financially, never mind saving for something in the future. People might have to rely on social security, but it doesn’t look secure in its current form for future generations. Although it all might sound like doom and gloom, you don’t have to be another statistic if the right steps are taken. Let’s make the goal not just to survive, let’s thrive!!

COVID-19 Exposure

The current COVID-19 pandemic has led to a historic economic slowdown, unemployment, and other consequences. There certainly has been government response and support but this crisis has exposed the need for financial independence. The average American’s finances would be devastated with several months without a paycheck. I want to make sure those who were not prepared for COVID are prepared for the next downturn or unexpected job loss. Let’s fine tune our finances to create more financial flexibility, diversified income streams and less reliance on that steady paycheck.

Ya, that’s just plain bad financial advice!

Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of bad, biased, and unrealistic advice out there. Put everything in gold! Put everything in real estate! All you have to do to be financially secure is earn $200,000 a year, live in a van down by the river, and eat ramen noodles. To retire in 10 years is just that easy! I’m sorry, but I’m not going to do that nor suggest anyone does that. Life shouldn’t be about extremes, nor should your finances. There is also a lot of biased advice out there, and especially from those trying to sell a product. No one has a crystal ball of what’s going to happen next, those who are acting like they do are lying to themselves and you. There are so many options out there that people don’t know who to listen to or trust!

Hopefully you will find my future posts helpful!