What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0153

7601.  Treasury inflation protected securities (“TIPS”) refer to a treasury security that is indexed to inflation in order to protect investors from the negative effects of inflation.  TIPS are considered an extremely low-risk investment because they are backed by the U.S. government and because the par value rises with inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, while the interest rate remains fixed;

7602.  Interest on TIPS is paid semiannually;

7603.  TIPS can be purchased directly from the government through the TreasuryDirect system (TreauryDirect.gov) in $100.00 increments with a minimum investment of $100.00 and are available with 5-, 10-, and 30-year maturities;

7604.  Because the semiannual inflation adjustments of a TIPS bond are considered taxable income by the IRS, even though investors don’t see that money until they sell the bond or it reaches maturity, some investors prefer to get TIPS through a TIPS mutual fund, an exchange traded fund or to only hold them in tax-deferred retirement accounts to avoid tax complications;

7605.  Purchasing TIPS directly allows investors to avoid the management fees associated with mutual funds;

7606.  TIPS are also valuable because they are exempt from state and local income taxes;

7607.  TIPS usually carry interest rates lower than other government or corporate securities so they are not necessarily optimal for income investors;

7608.  The advantage of TIPS is mainly inflation protection, but, if inflation is minimal or nonexistent, their utility decreases;

7609.  Another risk associated with TIPS is a higher tax bill.  The adjustments of principal are considered income for tax purposes although investors do not receive the adjustments, but instead receive the coupons that result from them.  Thus, investors may be subject to tax on “phantom income” with the gain in principal outweighing the coupons received;

7610.  Seeing the market’s trends and following them are easy, but realizing when things are building too high and protecting yourself from the collapse are how you keep all the money you make (in the markets);

7611.  Follow trends, but always go in with an exit plan;

7612.  Fear is understandable.  Taking risks, making changes, it’s all scary.  It’s alright to feel afraid.  What’s not alright is letting your fear overwhelm you to the point that you don’t take action.  That’s when fear goes from being natural to being a roadblock standing in your way of true freedom;

7613.  Cynicism is another form of fear.  It’s a distrust that prevents you from having the confidence to move forward.  This distrust could be of yourself and can manifest in overwhelming self-doubt.  It could be paranoia about the markets or questioning a solid deal and backing out of an investment at the last minute.  You have to learn to distinguish between a genuine concern and an overblown fear.  If you are financially literate and have done your homework, you have to trust in your ability.  You can’t let others talk you out of what you know is right and you can’t talk yourself out of trusting in your knowledge;

7614.  Busy people are often the laziest people of all.  People easily become “too busy” to take care of the important things like their health, their family and their money.  They go to their job and work all day and are too exhausted when they get home to do anything else.  When they aren’t busy with work or family, they’re often busy watching TV, playing golf or shopping.  Yet deep down they know they are avoiding something important;

7615.  The most common form of laziness is laziness by staying busy;

7616.  Many people use arrogance to try to hide their own ignorance.  They bluster through, overcompensating with confidence to hide the fact that they don’t know what they’re doing.  Instead of humbly acknowledging where they need to change, they blame other people and circumstances for their own failures;

7617.  People are not looking for advice.  They’re looking to be seen, heard and validated in their perspective;

7618.  Most people assume people go to therapy to get advice or to change.  They don’t.  What most people are looking for is what we’re all looking for and, typically, didn’t get in our childhood: to be seen and heard.  Adults are just wounded children who have aged;

7619.  I can say (that) I’ve been on a chartered flight;

7620.  Chartered flights are pretty much like any/every other flight.  The only difference is everyone is going to the same place for the same reason;

7621.  In the world of stocks, many investors keep an eye on the Shiller PE index, a price earnings ratio based on average inflation-adjusted earnings from the previous 10 years.  The median Shiller PE Ratio has historically been around 16-17.  It’s a good barometer of what value we should be targeting.  A PE of 16 means that it costs us about $16.00 for every $1.00 of earnings we receive from that stock;

7622.  Looking back in time, we can see that there have only been a few times that the PE Ratio for the S&P 500 has been above 16-17.  Before the crash of 1929, prices almost doubled and people were paying up to $30.00 for every dollar of earnings from the S&P 500.  And, during the dot-com boom, people were paying hundreds of dollars for companies that had zero earnings;

7623.  As the dot-com bubble showed, when investors were paying $44.00 for $1.00 of earnings, they eventually said it wasn’t worth it anymore.  That’s when the big crash occurred;

7624.  Bowling is an NCAA Championship sport;

7625.  I can say (that) I’ve been to a NCAA (men’s) Final Four (basketball) game;

7626.  U.S. Bank Stadium (the (in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is impressive . . . and massive.  They did a good job designing it;

7627.  I can say (that) I’ve watched a NCAA (men’s) Final Four (basketball) game with Bo Jackson, Mark Dantonio (the head football coach at Michigan State University) and Steve Mariucci (the former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions);

7628.  I can also say (that) I’ve watched a NCAA (men’s) Final Four (basketball) game with Ralph Sampson (the former center for the University of Virginia’s men’s basketball team and the NBA’s Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Washington Bullets);

7629.  I can say (that) I’ve watched a NCAA (men’s) Final Four (basketball) game with Cory Alexander (the former point guard for the University of Virginia’s men’s basketball team and the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Bobcats);

7630.  I can also say (that) I’ve watched a NCAA (men’s) Final Four (basketball) game with Chris Long (the former defensive end for the St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles) and Heath Miller (the former tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers) . . . and John Grisham (the author);

7631.  You can’t ice Kyle Guy (the shooting guard for the University of Virginia’s men’s basketball team);

7632.  I can say (that) I’ve watched a NCAA (men’s) Final Four (basketball) game with Patrick Mahomes (the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs);

7633.  Patrick Mahomes’s girlfriend (i.e., Brittany Matthews) is rather attractive;

7634.  I can say (that) I’ve watched a college basketball game with 72,710 people;

7635.  Most of the shops at the “Mall of America” (in Bloomington, Minnesota) are chain stores;

7636.  I can say (that) I’ve been to a (NCAA) national championship game for (men’s) college basketball;

7637.  I can say (that) I’ve watched a NCAA (men’s basketball) title game with Ralph Sampson, Joe Harris, Malcolm Brogdon, Devon Hall, Justin Anderson and Roger Mason, Jr. . . . as well as Mamadi Diane, Willie Dersch, Sean Singletary, Evan Nolte, Sammy Zeglinski, Caid Kirven, Thomas Rogers, Will Sherrill and Rob Vozenilek (i.e., former University of Virginia men’s basketball players);

7638.  I can say (that) I’ve watched a (NCAA men’s college basketball) national championship game with 72,061 people;

7639.  A Tony Bennett-coached team can win a national championship (after all);

7640.  I can say (that) I saw the University of Virginia’s (men’s) basketball team win a (NCAA) national championship;

7641.  What do you call one of the official team hotels closing the hotel bar at midnight on the night of the national championship game?  The answer is: Stupid/Moronic;

7642.  The University of Virginia won a (NCAA) men’s basketball national championship in 2019, (exactly) 200 years after it was founded;

7643.  The 2019 (NCAA men’s basketball) national championship (game) was the first title game in college hoops history to have both teams make at least 10 3-pointers;

7644.  What’s meant to be yours is already making its way to you.  What was never yours is starting to flee from you.  With time, it will all make sense.  For now, bear the confusion and focus on living fully in the present.  Don’t let your whole life be “I’ll be happy when . . . .”  Be happy now;

7645.  We value things more because we have them;

7646.  Instead of asking, “How much do I value this item?” ask, “If I did not own this item, how much would I pay to obtain this item?”

7647.  Good now is better than perfect later;

7648.  Your lack of planning does not constitute my emergency;

7649.  If something is unsustainable then foundationally it cannot be right;

7650.  To attain knowledge, add things every day.  To attain wisdom, subtract things every day;

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7551.  The thing that you’re most afraid of doing is often the thing you need to do the most;

7552.  Remind yourself that the scariest moment is always right before you start that split second before you hurl yourself out of the plane, walk out on the stage or sign your name on the dotted line;

7553.  Courage is about taking action in spite of that fear;

7554.  What if instead of it being between winning and losing there was only winning and learning?

7555.  Things that won’t create fulfillment: 1.  Having a child; 2.  Marriage; 3.  Financial success; 4.  Getting a degree; 5.  Getting a promotion; and 6.  Buying a home;

7556.  Desperate to feel happiness, people seek everything they can outside themselves . . . the next job, the next relationship, that new home.  They rearrange their lives over and over again only to feel disappointment when the changes they make don’t give them what they thought they would.  Fulfillment is an inside job.  Nothing outside of self can create it . . . no person, no thing;

7557.  From birth, we condition children to “do” . . . to get that job, meet that person, buy that house.  With all of it wrapped up in the idea that these things will bring you fulfillment.  When they don’t, there’s so much confusion and disappointment;

7558.  Fulfillment is a practice.  It’s something we choose for ourselves, but, first, we have to find out who “we” are.  What makes us feel light?  What’s our true passion?  How can we serve others?  All of this is underneath the conditioning that we have to unravel. . . . How do you start?  It’s simple, but it’s difficult . . . 5 minutes of silent reflection every (single) day work through the resistance;

7559.  Brie Larson and Allison Brie are two different people;

7560.  You can’t pull someone down unless you feel (you’re) below them;

7561.  We do not have to be the byproduct of the world around us.  The world around can be the byproduct of our own free will;

7562.  Signs of an overactive ego: 1.  Constant comparison to others; 2.  Defensiveness; 3.  Emotional reactivity around people you view as “wrong;” 4.  Blaming others for your life situation; 5.  Inability to see things from the perspective of another; 6.  Extreme sensitivity to criticism; 7.  Always wanting the “last word;” and 8.  Inability to have relationships with people who have a different world view;

7563.  The ego is a false construction of identity to protect us.  It’s created in childhood and it’s so tightly woven into who “we” think we are that most people are unaware they have an ego.  Because the ego is developed in childhood, an unhealthy ego tends to display as child-like behavior;

7564.  There’s nothing wrong with having an ego;

7565.  How to develop a healthy ego: 1.  Observe yourself being “yourself.”  Warning: It’s uncomfortable.  Observe yourself interacting with friends, strangers and family.  Observe the way you text friends and speak about yourself.  The first step to developing an ego is to view it; 2.  Practice acceptance with being misunderstood.  The ego is at its most protective when we feel we are not seen or heard.  You can practice this with situations at work or with friends.  Our ego makes us believe that not being understood is the worst thing that could possibly happen to us.  This is not reality.  In the process, we learn that people are projecting the internal and it’s not our job to shift that; 3.  Listen/read/watch the “other” side of your viewpoint and practice emotional regulation.  A tell-tale sign of an overactive ego is becoming emotional at ideas or concepts that differ from your own and then labeling these people as “wrong,” “idiots” or “bad” while labeling yourself as “right.”  The ego doesn’t make room for multiple realities;

7566.  Separate yourself from your ego.  Recognize it.  Don’t fight it.  Your highest self is waiting;

7567.  I can say (that) I’ve travelled by train in the U.S.;

7568.  Traveling by train (specifically Amtrak) is pretty nice . . . (it’s way) better than (taking) the bus;

7569.  The biggest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge;

7570.  Period/menstrual sex . . . check . . . thank god for condoms;

7571.  I never thought I’d be wiping blood from my pubic hair;

7572.  Elizabeth doesn’t like (getting) her pussy smacked . . . , but she does like (getting) her inner thighs smacked;

7573.  I can say (that) I’ve mopped walls;

7574.  I can say (that) I’ve ripped up carpet and carpet padding;

7575.  I can say (that) I’ve power washed a house (specifically the vinyl siding and porch);

7576.  It (just) seems wrong to be covering/protecting new grass using/with their dead relatives (i.e., hay);

7577.  I can say (that) I’ve planted a backyard;

7578.  Cleaning wood balusters is like giving a handjob;

7579.  We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance;

7580.  Characteristics of a partner that values growth: 1.  Spends time investing in themselves (i.e., reading, working out, creating, playing a sport, traveling, etc.); 2.  Their words align with their actions (i.e., integrity); 3.  When they hear something new, they’re open/receptive; 4.  Values their independence and, therefore, your own; 5.  Has aligned with or is seeking alignment to purpose; 6.  Prioritizes their own happiness; 7.  Trusts themselves which translates into trusting you; and 8.  Comfortable and confident being alone;

7581.  Steps to create a future-self: 1.  Get past your mind in one small way daily; 2.  Become aware of the content you consume and edit it accordingly; 3.  Move your body for 5-10 minutes daily; 4.  Become aware of your subconscious programming by journaling, meditation and conscious observation; 5.  Find a community of like-minded people on a healing journey; 6.  Create boundaries with those who are resistant to your evolution; and 7.  Take small steps daily acting as your future-self would;

7582.  “Spumoni” is molded gelato made with different layers of colors and flavors.  It usually has three flavors with a fruit/nut layer in the middle;

7583.  90% of the joy you get from an event is the anticipation of it;

7584.  If your compassion doesn’t include yourself, it’s incomplete;

7585.  Master the art of empathy, but never forget to include yourself in the list of those you care for most;

7586.  Your ability to find peace is contingent on how many realities you can accept outside your own;

7587.  The more you can see beyond perception, beyond your ego, beyond the pain of your inner child and beyond your conditioning, the more peace you’ll have;

7588.  The top five regrets of the dying: 1.  I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself not the life others expected of me; 2.  I wish I hadn’t worked so hard; 3.  I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings; 4.  I wish I’d stayed in touch with my friends; and 5.  I wish that I’d let myself be happier;

7589.  The more you push your comfort zone the bigger it grows and the bigger your comfort zone gets the more opportunities you’ll have in life;

7590.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly;

7591.  Lessons of a late friend (not someone I personally knew): 1.  Most shit don’t matter. – The stuff you spend hours worrying about or getting excited over often doesn’t really matter.  Focus instead on the deeper things that will really count toward a happy life; 2.  Let go of the past. – Regrets and bitterness hold you back.  The past cannot be changed.  Life only ever moves forward; 3.  Everyone dies with a “To Do” list. – Don’t make work your life unless it’s something you truly enjoy.  Everyone dies with a “To Do” list.  Don’t glamorize being busy; 4.  Assholes exist. – Forget trying to make everyone happy.  The world is full of asses.  Don’t waste your time trying to understand them or please them; 5.  Stop waiting. – It’s so easy to delay doing something just because we’re waiting for the situation to be perfect.  It will never be perfect.  Do it now anyway; and 6.  Know you’re fucking awesome! – It’s so easy to forget how amazing you are.  You’re always uniquely you no matter how hard you try not to be.  Accept it, love yourself and go live it large;

7592.  (Technically) I can say (that) I’ve delivered pizza (from Pizza Hut);

7593.  As with traditional life insurance policies, modified endowment contract (“MEC”) death benefits are not subject to taxation;

7594.  A life insurance policy is considered a MEC contract by the I.R.S. if it meets three criteria.  First, the policy is entered into on or after June 20, 1988.  Second, it must meet the statutory definition of a life insurance policy.  Third, the policy must fail to meet the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988 (TAMRA) 7-pay test;

7595.  The TAMRA 7-pay test determines whether the total amount of premiums paid into a life insurance policy, within the first seven years, is more than what was required to have the policy considered paid up in seven years.  Policies become a MEC when the premiums paid to the policy are more than what was needed to be paid within that 7-year time frame;

7596.  Unlike traditional life insurance policies, taxes on gains are regular income for MEC withdrawals under last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) accounting;

7597.  The cost basis within the MEC and withdrawals are not subject to taxation;

7598.  The tax-free death benefit makes MECs useful for estate planning purposes;

7599.  MEC policy owners, who do not take withdrawals, can pass on a significant sum of money to their beneficiaries;

7600.  Do not confuse a joint life annuity with a joint-and-survivor annuity.  A joint life annuity ceases payments after the death of the first annuitant, whereas, the joint-and-survivor annuity continues to pay benefits until the second annuitant dies;

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7501.  People are (generally) talking to themselves when (they’re) talking to others.  Until we’re conscious, we’re human projectors.  The emotions and beliefs we’ve suppressed come out all day long. . . . It becomes difficult to be offended or take things personally when you realize interactions are reflections, reflections of our beliefs.  People speak to past versions of themselves all day long;

7502.  Situations to get past your mind: 1.  Cold showers; 2.  3 minute body scan check in; 3.  10 minute walk; 4.  Wake up 15 minutes early; 5.  Workouts; and 6.  Brave the cold purposely;

7503.  The chatter that says “tomorrow” or “I don’t want to” is the subconscious.  It always wants to keep us in the familiar . . . in the comfortable.  Comfort feels safe to the brain, but comfort blocs growth;

7504.  If you want to break through the resistance you have to intentionally set up situations where you get past your mind.  Create small situations where the mind is saying “no way” and you commit to conscious choice.  Repeat this daily and you’ll form a new relationship with your thoughts;

7505.  A dividend yield of 5% of the stock’s price signals a great stock at a great price;

7506.  A dividend yield of less than 3% of the stock price means the stock is priced too high and will probably fall in value;

7507.  Apparently, I’m high vibration;

7508.  A profound shift happens when we stop asking, “Why did they do that?” and start asking, “Why did I do that?”

7509.  90% of serotonin is made in the gut. . . . Food creates mood;

7510.  The original intent was that Social Security would account for about half of your retirement income;

7511.  If you’re collecting an ex-spousal, Social Security benefit and you remarry that benefit goes away;

7512.  If you remarry someone, who is 10 or 20 years younger than you, you might not qualify for spousal Social Security benefits for a while;

7513.  If your ex-spouse passes away, you will step up to their full benefit amount;

7514.  The stories we tell about ourselves become our reality regardless if they are true;

7515.  Behavior/emotional payoff: 1.  Complaining/gossiping about others – connection & belonging; 2.  Overcommitting – validation of “being needed;” 3.  Judging those around you – distraction from lack of self-worth; 4.  Staying in an unhealthy relationship – familiarity (e.g., repeating trauma cycles); and 5.  Blaming others for circumstances – relief from shame;

7516.  Every time you make a choice ask yourself, “How is this serving me?”  Ask it enough and you’ll start to see patterns.  When you start to see patterns, you’ll gain self-awareness;

7517.  80% of medical bills have at least one error;

7518.  Always ask for an itemized bill so you can determine whether you’ve been overcharged for a service;

7519.  You can look up the fair market price for healthcare you receive at Healthcare Bluebook (HealthcareBluebook.com);

7520.  It isn’t our accomplishments that make us happy.  Rather, it’s our happiness that fuels our accomplishments;

7521.  Until age 7, the brain is in a theta state (i.e., state of hypnosis).  This is where the subconscious mind is created;

7522.  Change is so difficult because we are running on programming we did not consciously choose;

7523.  We are on autopilot running on subconscious programming we didn’t create.  We’re in the “now,” but our minds are in the past habitually reacting as we learned during those first 7 years.  Cycles are repeated and repeated;

7524.  The theta brain state (7Hz to 8 Hz) is where “reality” is created.  As children, we are in this state for quick learning.  They have to figure out how to “be” in the world . . . language, beliefs, social norms, family structure, system, ethics, morals, etc.  All of these are chosen for us.  Almost every single belief you hold came from this time period including the belief about who “you” are;

7525.  You’re an adult.  You’ve left the theta brain state.  Every time you’re not present (i.e., about 95% of the time), you’re running on the subconscious.  You don’t like many things about your life.  You want to change.  You’re unaware of the thoughts, patterns and behaviors within your subconscious.  You start a new habit.  There’s major mental resistance.  The subconscious beliefs flood in.  The narratives are your “reality” because you’ve never separated yourself from them.  One week later your new habit is gone and so is the sense of shame that comes from self-betrayal;

7526.  The conscious mind wants change, but the subconscious mind feels change as a threat to life;

7527.  The first step in change is creating consciousness which means being present . . . observing “you,” your thoughts, your triggers and your reactions.  This is the most difficult space and why few people have self-awareness: it’s painful;

7528.  Reprogramming the mind takes commitment and patience.  The more work around this you do, the more it will feel like an inner battle.  It is an inner battle to return to the unconditioned, authentic self;

7529.  So much suffering today comes from the belief that we are responsible for the emotions of others.  We believe this because it was what we were taught.  We are raised by caregivers who don’t know how to process their own emotions so they can’t make space for our own;

7530.  We view people trying to make another person “feel better” or “be happy.”  As children, we watch someone get angry then blame another person for their anger.  The message is clear, but subtle: emotions of others are your responsibility.  This is why people cannot keep boundaries.  When someone reacts strongly against your boundaries (e.g., gets upset, makes judgments, etc.), we struggle to sit with the emotions.  We falsely believe we caused the emotional reaction and that it’s our responsibility to fix the reaction.  The only responsibility we have is our own emotional state and no one else’s;

7531.  Yes, our emotional state will affect those around us, but how they respond and react is their own;

7532.  Your emotional energy state is your own.  You’re responsible for the energy you bring to every situation.  How a person perceives you is beyond your control.  His/her filter is based on his/her own subconscious memory.  It has nothing to do with you;

7533.  Ask yourself, “Does this action help to create the person I want to become?”  Yes – repeat.  No – Good thing this means nothing and I have the next moment to make a new choice;

7534.  When we do something that doesn’t serve us, we create stories around what that means.  We say things to ourselves that make us cycle into shame.  The same thing that happened in our childhood, we do to ourselves as adults.  We qualify our behavior, create a meaning and then label it “good” or “bad.”  In this headspace we spiral into shame.  Then we miss the next opportunity in the present moment to make a decision that serves our highest self;

7535.  What healing really is: showing up, showing up, not showing up, showing up, showing up, not showing up, not showing up, showing up;

7536.  When you don’t show up, breathe: it means nothing;

7537.  When you do (show up), recognize the victory and keep moving;

7538.  The day will come when you show up for yourself more than when you don’t.  But only if you let go of your own stories around what your actions mean;

7539.  You will never be criticized by someone who is doing more than you.  You will only be criticized by someone doing less;

7540.  Every time you owe someone money, you become an employee of their money.  That is, if you take out a 30-year loan, you’ve instantly become a 30-year employee.  Unfortunately, they do not give you a gold watch when the debt is retired;

7541.  Good debt is debt that someone else pays off for you and bad debt is debt that you pay for with your own sweat and blood;

7542.  Regardless of whether you borrow money for a liability or an asset, to a banker, either one is an asset.  People who first borrow money to buy assets usually end up with more money to buy liabilities.  People who only buy liabilities often have no money left over to buy assets;

7543.  If you want to be rich, you must give your banker what he wants.  First, your banker wants to see your financial statements.  Second, a banker wants to lend you money to buy real estate.  Just know what your banker wants and you’ll find it easier to become rich;

7544.  If you want a (little) crunch for your chili and you don’t have any tortilla chips or Fritos, try corn flakes;

7545.  How to work through triggers: 1.  Breathe.  Feel your heart rate, shaky hands and any other change in body chemistry.  Practice observing; 2.  Ask, “What was my core feeling here (e.g., I felt abandoned.  I felt unheard.  I felt unconsidered.)?” and 3.  Choose a new response.  Rewire pathways of the brain.  Be silent.  Write down emotions.  Walk away from the situation;

7546.  A trigger is a reaction in the present to an emotional wound from the past;

7547.  Being triggered is the mind and body attempting to release and heal.  When we’re triggered, we’re in the subconscious.  If we stay here, we will react habitually and the wound will remain.  We will blame a person or a situation unaware that we’re reacting to our past;

7548.  Even the act of acknowledging a trigger and focusing inwards is a major step towards healing;

7549.  Working through triggers heals.  Use them to guide you.  The more conscious you are to your triggers, the more choice you have in reaction.  With repetition, you’ll rewire the pathways of the brain.  Eventually, you’ll reach the ability to respond rather than react;

7550.  Triggers are teachers;