Steven

that that that led you to there and we all have that's not a criticism because i have bits of my past that influence how i manage money today too so just recognizing that there's no one right answer in math two plus two is four for me and you there is a right answer money's not like that we're all just kind of trying to figure out what works given the lens that we see the world through

I think about a thing. When I was in my early 20s at this point, and I met, there was a coworker of mine, and he was, I don't know, 10 years older than me. And he had $25,000 of credit card debt, which I could not fathom at the time. That was such an incomprehensible amount of credit card debt that he was paying 17% interest on.

I think about a thing. When I was in my early 20s at this point, and I met, there was a coworker of mine, and he was, I don't know, 10 years older than me. And he had $25,000 of credit card debt, which I could not fathom at the time. That was such an incomprehensible amount of credit card debt that he was paying 17% interest on.

And at the time, I just thought – and all the debt came from trips that he had taken. He traveled Europe and traveled through Asia and had a great time doing it, but he put it all on his credit card. At the time, I remember thinking, you idiot. Do you understand what this is going to do to your future? And then he died when he was about 32. Wow.

And at the time, I just thought – and all the debt came from trips that he had taken. He traveled Europe and traveled through Asia and had a great time doing it, but he put it all on his credit card. At the time, I remember thinking, you idiot. Do you understand what this is going to do to your future? And then he died when he was about 32. Wow.

And then I remember thinking like, I'm so glad you took those trips. I'm so glad you went into that credit card debt because the truth was at age 32, he had seen more and done more than most people would at age 62. And so I think about that a lot of like it's always a balance. And the truth is that you and I don't know are we going to live until we're 110 or die tomorrow. Nobody knows, of course.

And then I remember thinking like, I'm so glad you took those trips. I'm so glad you went into that credit card debt because the truth was at age 32, he had seen more and done more than most people would at age 62. And so I think about that a lot of like it's always a balance. And the truth is that you and I don't know are we going to live until we're 110 or die tomorrow. Nobody knows, of course.

Right. One thing I think a lot about as a parent is that I've been a big saver my entire life. Since I got my first job at age 16, I've saved the majority of what I made in every job that I've ever been in.

Right. One thing I think a lot about as a parent is that I've been a big saver my entire life. Since I got my first job at age 16, I've saved the majority of what I made in every job that I've ever been in.

And it would be easy to look at someone like me and say, Morgan, if you were on your deathbed tomorrow, you'd probably regret the vacations you didn't take and the dinners you didn't have, right? You'd regret that. My answer is absolutely not. Because if I was on my deathbed tonight, I would take so much joy knowing that my wife and kids are going to be okay because of what I saved.

And it would be easy to look at someone like me and say, Morgan, if you were on your deathbed tomorrow, you'd probably regret the vacations you didn't take and the dinners you didn't have, right? You'd regret that. My answer is absolutely not. Because if I was on my deathbed tonight, I would take so much joy knowing that my wife and kids are going to be okay because of what I saved.

That would be the worst situation I would be in is on my deathbed and looking at my wife and kids and knowing you guys are screwed. I'm leaving you dead. you know? And so, but that might change as I get older. And so when my kids are hopefully financially self-sufficient, will I still think that?

That would be the worst situation I would be in is on my deathbed and looking at my wife and kids and knowing you guys are screwed. I'm leaving you dead. you know? And so, but that might change as I get older. And so when my kids are hopefully financially self-sufficient, will I still think that?

You know, will I still have that need to be like, I need to work and save to provide for my young kids. That's not going to last forever. So it'll change throughout your life.

You know, will I still have that need to be like, I need to work and save to provide for my young kids. That's not going to last forever. So it'll change throughout your life.

There's no worse nightmare than that. I think there's an opposite of that, which is in several of the books and studies that have been done on dying, there are quite a few people who have very peaceful deaths, people who know they're going to die of terminal illness, and they're pretty much at ease with it. And when you dig into like, what is those people's psychology?

There's no worse nightmare than that. I think there's an opposite of that, which is in several of the books and studies that have been done on dying, there are quite a few people who have very peaceful deaths, people who know they're going to die of terminal illness, and they're pretty much at ease with it. And when you dig into like, what is those people's psychology?

How do you know you're going to die in six months and you're kind of at ease with it? One of the big factors is knowing that your family is going to be okay without you because they are sufficient and they don't rely on you for wisdom and advice as much as they can take care of themselves.

How do you know you're going to die in six months and you're kind of at ease with it? One of the big factors is knowing that your family is going to be okay without you because they are sufficient and they don't rely on you for wisdom and advice as much as they can take care of themselves.

But the opposite, if you're on your deathbed and you're like, my children, my spouse is going to have a real hard time without me. That's the most painful thing you can imagine.