Investments: Investing In Your Life

When I think about investments, I try to think in terms of the most return for my Dollars and Time.

I capitalized both those words, because they are our two biggest assets that we spend. So ideally, when I invest one, it doesn't get paid in the other. But there's a truth here: if you are struggling, you have to use the one asset to gain the other.

So, jobs matter. Education matters. Everyone's different. I came in at a time that allowed me to use my mind to offset my physical problems. Thirty years in IT, and I'm still a one-handed typist. This is very much a different time. AI is already affecting a lot of jobs. That will only grow. In mid-2026, here's my list of the top 10 hot jobs — see the link below. I pray you can find your path.

Top 10 Jobs With a Future
(Mid-2026)

Sound Conventional Advice

Now, we can talk about conventional investing. Here is sound conventional advice as a bottom level for investment education. Most people have probably heard something similar.

Here are five core investing principles:

Start early and stay consistent. Compound growth rewards time more than timing. Regular contributions (even small ones) often beat occasional large ones.
Diversify broadly. Spread money across asset types, sectors, and regions so no single failure sinks you. Low-cost index funds are a common way to get instant diversification.
Keep costs low. Fees and expense ratios quietly erode returns over decades. A 1% annual fee can cost you a large chunk of your final portfolio.
Match investments to your time horizon and risk tolerance. Money you need soon shouldn't sit in volatile assets; long-term money can ride out swings. Know how much loss you can stomach without panic-selling.
Avoid emotional decisions. Don't chase hype or flee during crashes. A boring, automated "set it and forget it" approach usually outperforms active reacting.

A few extra fundamentals worth mentioning: build an emergency fund and pay off high-interest debt before investing, and take advantage of tax-advantaged accounts (like a 401(k) or IRA) where available.

One caveat: I'm not a financial advisor, and this is general information rather than personalized advice. Your specific situation (income, goals, taxes, debts) matters, so consider consulting a professional for decisions involving significant money.

More to come…

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