OT - What have I learned in 50 years

Investment Analysis Clubs Saul’s Investing Discussions
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I last posted this nine years ago or so, so I thought I’d give it another try.

"I was recently looking through my 50th Anniversary college yearbook, in which I had answered the question: What have you learned in the fifty years since graduation? This was my response, if any one is interested…

What have I learned in the fifty years since graduation? It’s probably too late to really benefit my classmates, and the younger people who might actually benefit probably won’t read this, but here goes:

The one asset you have that is priceless is your youth. Money doesn’t compare. It’s incomparably better to be thirty and have fifty thousand dollars than to be seventy and have five million. It may be nice to have the five million, but there is nothing you can do with it that will give you the pleasure of being thirty. Therefore, profit from every day and don’t waste a single one.

The second most important asset is your health. Therefore, don’t wait to retire until you have lost your youth and health and are too old and tired to enjoy starting a new life. No one on his or her deathbed ever says, “I wish I had spent more time in the office.”

True happiness consists in being content with what you have , not in getting what you think you want. It’s incredibly important to think about this seriously and at length and understand it. You will not suddenly become happy in getting a new car, a bigger house, a new piece of jewelry, or whatever. After three months that new car will just become “my car” and it will just become routine, etc. Try to be happy with what you have now, even if you are trying to improve it !

Having a good relationship is tremendously important. Relationships are never perfect, but in a good one you should have a feeling of satisfaction. If you feel tense, put down, or attacked most of the time, it’s time to leave. It’s the same for jobs. There is an inertial tendency to stay in a bad relationship or a bad job and to subconsciously think, “In my next time around, I’ll be happy and live the way I want.” There is no next time. Don’t waste five, ten, or fifteen years. You don’t get them back to live again. Do it differently now, this time.

I hope that you are all reasonably content and in as good a state of health as can be expected.

Best,

Saul

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Thanks Saul for sharing your wisdom. There is so much to pick up from what you have written. Time, Money, Health, Happiness, Relationships are complicated matters and are so intertwined with each other. Sometimes, we confuse what is important and why we are doing what we are doing.

I have thought about this topic a lot and continue to ponder on this. In fact, I feel so passionately about this that I have made a video on it. It’s a point in time view of where I am in my journey but it is very similar to the lines on which you laid out your thoughts.

Here is a link if anyone is interested:

It’s long but if you wanted to the cliff notes version, it goes something like this - There are 5 things worth focusing on in life. They are Health, Wealth, Self Improvement, Relationships and giving back to the world in your own way.

Wishing everyone a happy and fulfilling life!

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Thanks so much Ryshab for your contribution and your kind words.
Saul

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Thank you for sharing your invaluable wisdom with us, not just in this post but throughout the entire board. Your reflections on the importance of youth, health, and relationships resonate deeply with me. We spend considerable time analyzing and discussing strategies to enhance our wealth, and it is crucial to keep perspective on why we are building these assets. Your reminder to value our time and relationships, and to find contentment in the present, is a very important message! This perspective should also help us hold the course when our portfolios take a hit because, ultimately, the most important things in our lives are not the current size of the portfolio. So why lose sleep over it? :smile:

Wishing you continued good health and happiness!

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Thanks Sailing for your kind comments.
Saul

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Saul, I was one of your admirers before you created this board. I remember your post about Westport Fuel Systems. I was struck by your simple, yet devastating logic. That post earned you far more angry replies than positive ones.

You continue to be one of the most clear headed and intelligent individuals I’ve ever had the honor of knowing on a fairly personal level, though we’ve never actually met. It has come to pass by virtue of the “interwebs” as Dubbya dubbed it.

I first read this particular post when you first posted it about nine years ago. At the time I was not quite 70. Nevertheless, it struck me as a profound and frank expression with which I wholeheartedly agreed, but would not have been able to write myself. Now, I am well into my 70s and if anything, your words impress me even more than they did nine years ago.

Reading your words reminds me of the things in my life that I regret, mostly the time I have squandered in pursuit of things of little value. But they also remind of the many things for which I am grateful. Having made your acquaintance is high on the list.

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Wow, Brittlerock, that is so nice. I really appreciate that you, and the others who have written, have taken the time to express your appreciations.
Best,
Saul

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