When Is the Best Time for You to Do This?

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“Life’s short,” my grandfather would say. “You’re only here for a visit.”

He didn’t say it to me. I was too young when he passed away. He said it to my dad, who just turned 79.

My grandfather would also ask my dad when he was starting out in business, “Do you know when the best time is to plant a tree?”

And that got passed down to me.

I never liked that one.

“Yesterday,” I’d respond, feeling the pressure of not doing whatever it was I was supposed to do yesterday.

“That’s right. Do you know when the next best day is to plant a tree?”

“Today,” I’d say, feeling like, what’s the point now? It’s too late.

“My father always said, ‘Don’t waste time. You’re only here for a visit.’”

…

Harnessing time. Interest on interest. Compounding money. Putting one foot in front of the other. Being the early bird. Getting the worm. Planting trees and letting them grow. It’s not as easy as it sounds. In fact, it can feel downright mean.

It’s hard seeing it all through when day after day you’re just trying to survive, eating a bowl of Cheerios in water.

You’re investing in yourself.

…

Then, one day, you wake up and say, “Self, I’ve got a boatload of money. What am I going to do with it?” That’s when you realize life is short, you can’t make it all back if you lose it—you don’t have that kind of time. You need help.

…

I was talking with a prospective client yesterday. He said, “Survival Guy, I’ve got investments all over the place. You name it. Real estate, investment accounts, a farm. Now I need help.”

“I went to a major firm’s website,” he said. “This chat bot box pops up. Says I’m number 29 in line. I call your company, and I’m talking with the Survival Guy.”

“Look,” he said. “I don’t need to chat on the line. I need help, and I’ve been reading your father-in-law’s and now your stuff for a long time. How do we get started?”

Action Line: Is that an improvement? Chatting with a bot about your life’s savings? Some services are worth the price of admission. You know when the best time to call Your Survival Guy was. Let’s talk.

P.S. Put your good-for-nothing cash to work. I like the Fidelity Treasury Money Market (FZFXX) as a core money market.

Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.