Life is a Carnival

Kurt Cobain killed himself in 1994. I was 15 and I remember exactly where I was when I heard, in Sam Ash by Kings Plaza in Brooklyn. I'm 45 now so do the math. And back in 1994, The Band was already classic rock, old people's music from a different lifetime, a different era...but their peak was way closer to 1994 than 1994 is to where we are here in 2023. And time and aging and death comes for us all; it's what we do before that inevitable eventuality that will matter, not the assets we accumulate.

If you are like me, you add a music station to your music player of choice ( Spotify , I am available for sponsorship opportunities) when one of the greats passes away - just over the last few years that means a full Hall of Fame slate - Prince and Aretha and MJ and Petty and Bowie and Chris and the Cranberries and Fountains of Wayne and Tribe

We can see how much time goes by and how much we lost when they passed; and we should also see how much we gained while they were here. The joy that was created. The memories they and their art created for us. That's legacy. And that's why I made this week a total Band fest . So this can take 5 minutes to read. Or it could take you back to where you first heard these songs, the sights and smells associated with it. But most importantly, the people. It's always about the people.

Enjoy. Believe it or not, life is a carnival . And you may never leave

I was asked an excellent question at Andrew Yeung 's (excellent) tech party last week by Daniel Pyrathon - what's the biggest financial mistake that people make?

Financial mistakes certainly do happen, and we all have some bad habits .

There's so much emotion and shame around financial situations. Saying keep emotions out of financial decision making would be like saying the Kardashians should get out of the tabloids. People we make choices. some turn out right some turn out wrong. There's enough shame and embarrassment around money; shaming them because they spent too much on coffee or sneakers isn't going to 'fix' anything because there's nothing to fix. We have things to improve and even if you are broke you are not broken.

What goes wrong are experiences and opportunities to learn.

A lot of mistakes aren't really mistakes, they're outcomes of the world around us in its current state - the financial system is splintered and confusing, and each person's decision making is a reflection of how and where they were raised, educated, the experiences we have each had.

With all this shame it's no surprise when you hear how much fraud happens, we're primed to be taken advantage of.

Love this conversation:

More Morgan Housel

More from Kyla Scanlon

Hey, ya know who'd got their mind on their money and their money on their mind and is now producing content on linkedin? Who has a better story to tell or tells a story better than Snoop Dogg ?

No offense Snoop but this was the best dog post, maybe just the best post of the month from Jodie Lamb

I mean

More Douglas A. Boneparth, CFP? too -

So much of what he mentions is reflected in Nicole Casperson 's must listen talk with Plenty founder Emily Luk, CPA, CFA

At every stage in our lives, we need to have these conversations - raise awareness and lower the chances and likelihood of getting scammed or wasting money unnecessarily:

Lots of terms need redefining; retirement first among them. This is an excellent conversation between two professionals at the top of the game Andy Wang and Ric Edelman, CBDA

There's multiple songs I'd like to hear Andy cover with his ukelele but I'm hoping for this one, please and thank you

A big part of the conversation is around the impact of technology and innovation on health and creating longevity even greater than the leaps we have seen in the past half century. And when I see an article like this from Dr. Miriam A. Knoll, MD , it's hard to not be bullish on the future. And this is just one area where technology will change our lives.

And yet

This kind of stuff is still happening -

Seriously the perfect song..

And this BS too:

And this bullshit too - most founded, least (by far) funded but getting tripped up -

but Arian Simone and the Fearless Fund are not helpless, not at all

And Taylor Swift needs to make an appearance here as well, not just for her music and talent - everything she's doing will be studied for generations, from Randi Braun

There was one more post that was heartbreaking - the comments in this Carin Warner piece about bereavement - there is need for so much more Empathy

Just being a bit of a mentch can be a real advantage when it comes to retaining good people, who knew...

Learning keeps you young and in the game from HiBob - Are we in an Unretirement Age?

May you stay forever young...

This is just a banger

I know this has been long and at this point I wouldn't be surprised if noone's reading this anymore (prove me wrong) but I have one more beat for you to step to.

Since it's the 50th birthday of Hip Hop today - one of the most influential pieces of music is the sample from Impeach the President - you've heard it countless times even if you never realized it -

Enjoy the day, enjoy the weekend, remember to choose your words carefully and

Secure the bag