🎁 All that really matters

Hey hey, happy Monday!

Can you believe it’s already December 16th? I can’t (and don’t remind me, I have so much shopping to do).

I know you’re busy in this holiday season, too. So…this will be the last OptimistiCallie post of 2025. I’m taking a winter break and you should too.

Swipe out of that social media account. Turn off the TV. Break away from the screens. Spend some time with your loved ones.

Take some time to pause and reflect on all that really matters.

But before you go, smash the button below to share OptimistiCallie with a friend 😊

I’m not going to do the whole New Years’ resolutions thing with you.

It’s so overdone – and frankly, largely useless. About 80% of us fall short of our resolutions. You can dream up a better existence for yourself all you want, but for most, it’s a futile exercise.

Investing isn’t all that different in the goals department. Many of us open a brokerage account with the goal of finding the next Apple or Nvidia before anyone else does. We see the S&P 500 or Dow Jones’ moves and think it’s our life’s mission to beat the benchmarks – just like we strive for A’s in school or top spots in Soulcycle.

No offense if this is you. You’re investing! You’re already doing better than about 40% of Americans, per Gallup figures. But finding that golden ticket is a hard enough feat for professional investors. We (including me) can only win this way by sheer luck. OK, maybe a little skill if you’re an undiscovered Buffett protégé.

The stock market can be an incredible machine for building wealth. But if the way you’re going about it is through astronomical yearly portfolio goals, you’re probably setting yourself up for failure.

Instead of making resolutions, let’s promise ourselves that we’ll focus on what actually matters in the pursuit of wealth – and a better life.

Time.

Good things take time.

It’s a phrase I’ve heard over and over again in different stages of my career. And as an impatient person, I despise hearing those four grating words.

But it’s true. Good things really do take time. As you mature, you learn to look beyond your immediate concerns when making decisions. Your knowledge compounds over years of lived experience, and suddenly, you start wondering why your grandkids treat you like a wise old owl.

Time can be a thief, but it can also deliver outcomes you never thought possible through the magic of compounding.

Investing works the same way. Compounding can take your portfolio to levels you can’t even fathom—literally, because our brains think linearly, not exponentially.

If you’re investing to build a nest egg for retirement, you’ll likely need millions of dollars in the bank. Let’s say $2 million, or about $67,000 per year for 30 years. Reaching the $2 million mark may seem unfathomable when you’re starting with zero, but it takes just 40 years of investing $1,000 a month at a (realistic) 6% annual return. Put it in that context, and your idea of wealth may be more within reach than you think, if you start early.

Wait 10 years, and you’d have to invest $2,000 a month to reach $2 million. Another 10 years, and you’d have to invest $4,300 a month.

If you’re reading this, you probably have time on your side. You’re not a professional Wall Street portfolio manager who needs to make a specific return to earn a living. You can let time work for you, you wise young owl.

Consistency.

Building wealth is easiest when you put in the work.

I’m not talking about waking up at the crack of dawn to drag yourself to the gym or studying to graduate at the top of your class. It’s simpler than that. Periodic investing—even just once a month—over and over again can add up over time (and remember, good things take time).

Here’s the math. A $100 investment once a month can grow to more than $16,000 over 10 years at a 6% return. With numbers like that, who wouldn’t take a few minutes to set aside some money?

Consistency doesn’t just require action, though. It requires willpower – accepting failure when you’ve done all you can to stay consistent.

Sure, you can set the loudest alarm to wake you up at 6 a.m. so you can hit the gym before work every day. But what about when it’s snowing, or you’ve had a long night with a sick kid? That alarm won’t magically get you out of bed.

Stocks don’t just go straight up. They endure uncomfortable—and sometimes catastrophic—losses. From 2000 to 2013, the S&P 500—an index of America’s 500 biggest publicly traded companies—was essentially flat, hampered by two 50% drops. Not only that, but America went through two economic crises, a tragic terrorist attack, an overseas war, bank failures, and a housing market meltdown.

In these times, you had to wake up, punch the clock, and take action when that action wasn’t paying off. Over and over again for years on end.

The consistent investor’s actions eventually did pay off. The S&P 500 has climbed significantly since the peak in 2000. At this point, you could’ve made as much as 10 times your investment if you held your nose and bought in at the lowest point of those 13 years.

But it sure as hell wasn’t easy.

Paranoia.

Paranoia is part of the human condition.

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, our biggest threat was survival. We were at risk of being mauled by a mammoth, not dropping our AirPods in a subway grate. Life is hard in different ways now, but our brains stopped evolving 200,000 years ago. Now, our minds are constantly scanning for that mammoth that will never come. We live in a sea of negativity, and even the tiniest threats trigger an outsized fight-or-flight response.

Paranoia is a natural inclination in investing too. You can’t expect a healthy return without accepting some risk. No free lunches here, baby, and you bet your brain will let you know it.

A touch of paranoia can be useful in this respect. It helps you hone your skills and stay aware of your vulnerabilities so you can do your best to stay invested and consistent.

But there’s a fine line between healthy paranoia and destructive pessimism.

Paranoia keeps you looking over your shoulder, while pessimism discourages you from even starting the race.

And unfortunately, investors fall into the trap of pessimism all too often. Social media’s algorithm-driven posts amplify the most sensational news, which appeals to our risk-sensitive brains. You get the dopamine hit, but you never get off the couch.

The allure of pessimism comes across in the Conference Board’s monthly consumer survey—one of the most highly regarded studies on how Americans feel about the economy and stock market.

Since the survey started in 1987, there have been just three months in which over half of respondents thought stocks would rise over the following year. On average, 65% of people surveyed thought stocks would drop. And they’ve largely been wrong: The S&P 500 has risen about 80% of the time over 12-month periods since 1987.

Imagine how many people avoided investing because they thought prices were about to crash.

Choose healthy paranoia, not pessimism.

Sanity.

Listen up, folks. This one’s important.

Nothing—and I mean truly nothing—matters more than your sanity.

No investment, no matter how flashy or lauded, is worth losing sleep over. I don’t care how much money you could make or how much clout you can gain.

This might be heresy coming from me, a market expert who makes a living helping people get wealthy over time. But I’m telling you this, weary human to another weary human: If you’re sacrificing your well-being, this isn’t it.

Good, sustainable, consistent investing plans prioritize your well-being, not your bank account.

Don’t be the person who gives up the world for a few extra dollars. Get rich on your own terms.

Truthfully, I’m working on this one myself.

After nearly six months of weekly writing just for OptimistiCallie (and a lot of incredible fun and opportunity professionally), I’m pooped.

Beyond happy, but pooped.

Thanks for making this a great year, fam.

Happy holidays to you and yours from the OptimistiCallie team.

Callie

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