6:30 am Pacific Time.
Every weekday at 6:30 am (Toronto and New York stock markets fire up at 9:30 Eastern time) I log onto QTrade and check the share prices of stocks in my own accounts, my wife’s accounts, and each of my kids’ accounts.
It’s a numbers’ obsession. It’s a money obsession.
When markets wake up feeling depressed and downcast and I see my lifetime cache of dollars slowly circling the drain in a downward spiral (like a good part of last year), I catch a lonely grey sensation, rub my eyes and forehead, and remind myself that stock markets are bi-polar … doom and gloom one moment, sexy exhilaration the next.
Yes Larry, This Too Shall Pass.
And then, on other mornings, I sip from my steaming cup of latte – the frothiness on the surface forming happy little animal clouds – and jump up and down inside when everything is floating upwards (like this year so far), the $$ in my accounts gliding up the x and y axes of the graph like a jet roaring upwards and away from the runway at 250 kph.
Yup, on these good days, I silently kiss myself for the wonderful assessments I’ve made of the various companies that comprise these portfolios. I feel like a clone of Warren Buffett. (Then I remind myself: A fool is wise in his own eyes. King Solomon)
It’s energizing and exciting. It’s Happy Money.
Or it can be.
Let’s face it, we need money only slightly less than we need oxygen and sleep and sex.
Happiness gets a boost in my world when there’s an increase in money… and … when there’s an increase in time.
OK, we all know that time will never increase, which is why it is so valuable for those of us mortals (everyone) that will revert to dust in too short a time frame.
Which brings me to today’s book tip (more valuable than any hot stock tip I might offer):
Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending… (Elizabeth Dunn/Michael Norton)
My eldest daughter, a pretty smart cookie, went to a talk by the book’s female author in Vancouver and suggested I take a look at the book.
The bottom line message the authors send our way is to spend money on things that will actually bring us more joy in our lives.
- Buy Experiences
- Make it a Treat
- Buy Time
- Pay Now, Consume Later
- Invest in Others
I won’t go into great detail about the contents here, because I’m gonna use my time to enjoy the experience of playing my guitar.
A couple of small examples that might send you on your way to happy money?
I savour the flavour and texture of a morning latte… hot, sweet and frothy. Caffeine wet dream.
But I know if I quaff this sensual treat every day it loses its delicious lustre. I become desensitized to its yumminess.
So… I consciously decide to regularly go for a day or two and sip milky tea or regular coffee instead – both enjoyable in their own right, but not so sumptuous.
When I return once again to a creamy latte, I’m transformed and delighted (Aside: this is why daily sex can be a bad choice too! … just sayin’).
Another example. When I travel, I avoid last minute bookings even though the money savings can be substantial. A healthy dose of the joy in travelling comes in the form of anticipation … the daydreamy visions and expectations that float through my head as I conjure the people, the sights, the scents and tastes costs me nothing and yet adds exponentially to the overall enjoyment of the upcoming journey.
Money is a passport to time. Money gives me the freedom to help others and explore regions of personal passion, like music and nature, running, cooking, and even for this Number’s Guy… investing in the stock market.
6:30 am is one small part of my weird but Happy Money time.
Man On The Fringe 
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