guiding principles for enduring happiness

  1. Focus on your health
  2. Be out and about
  3. Continue to learn
  4. Pursue financial independence
    1. Avoid the Wealth Effect; if you are happy with what you have now, live the same lifestyle even if your wealth increases. That is, your real spending should never increase despite real growth in earnings and investments above your original spending rate. This behavior leads to greater persistent happiness with peace of mind by eliminating Hedonic Adaptation for which a higher risk of financial ruin with only a fleeting uptick in pleasure can result from higher consumption.
    2. Follow the broader market; beating it is extremely unlikely.
    3. Reduce systemic and non-systemic risk of ruin with diversification.
    4. Automate low-cost investing; do not micromanage which diminishes the other principles and leads to market timing that undermines item b.

Actions that follow from the above principles:


  • Kayak (1 and 2)
  • Travel (2, 3 and 4)
  • Love (1 and 3)
  • Volunteer (2 and 4)
  • Actualize AAM (4)