Tired of trading your time for money? Join me every Sunday and 650+ healthcare professionals, share tips and insights on how I am quitting the rat race by 40 years old. I cover the basics of personal finance distilled into simple and basic steps, that you can use to improve your financial situation and live a more fulfilling life.
π Why a chicken dinner costs more than a TV (and how to beat the trap)
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Reader, We are officially in the single-digit countdown. Katie and I are exactly one week away from hopping on a plane and kicking off our long-awaited honeymoon in Chile π¨π± before heading to Panamaπ΅π¦ Because we will be away for the holidays, we spent yesterday doing some early Easter celebrations with both of sets of parents and families. It was amazing to unplug, eat way too much food (ohh the scalloped potatoes and chicken korma), and celebrate before the travel chaos begins. Speaking of travel chaos, weβve been busy prepping for the trip, but weβre also managing one last Airbnb guest before we leave. I checked the numbers this morning, and we have already crossed $2,000 in Airbnb revenue this quarter! That is significantly higher than in previous years, and it's a massive win that will more than offset the cost of this honeymoon (that depends on how much shopping Building side income streams isn't just about having extra spending money anymore. As you are about to see in today's deep dive, owning assets is becoming the only way to survive the modern economy. Letβs talk about the bizarre reality of 2026 pricing, the Canadian debt trap, and the ultimate mathematical gameplan. πΊ The Bizarre Reality of 2026 PricesWe all know inflation is a problem, but itβs not impacting everything equally. In fact, we are living in a bizarre economic split where the things we want are getting cheaper, but the things we need are skyrocketing. Take a look at these recent charts mapping price changes since the year 2000: 1. The "Fancy Chicken" vs. The Flat Screen: You can walk into Costco today and buy a massive 65-inch 4K TV for a few hundred bucks. Tech manufacturing has become incredibly efficient. But feeding your family a high-quality protein dinner? That line is going straight up. 2. The Roof vs. The Camera The cost of residential real estate has fundamentally detached from reality. Meanwhile, the cost of consumer cameras has plummeted (mostly because they are now just built into our phones). 3. The Dentist vs. The Toy Store Healthcare costs, including basic dental hygiene, are climbing rapidly, while the plastic toys we buy our kids are cheaper than ever. The modern economy is designed to distract you with cheap entertainment (TVs, toys, tech) while quietly pricing you out of survival needs (housing, food, healthcare). π³ The Canadian Debt TrapSo, how is the average family coping with the fact that housing and food are outpacing their salaries? They are financing it. Canadian household debt just hit a record $2.6 trillion. As you can see in the chart above, for every $100 the average Canadian earns, they owe $174 in mortgages, credit cards, and auto loans. We are nearly #1 in the world for household debt, trailing only Norway and the Netherlands. When you combine rising essential costs with massive debt servicing, wealth building feels impossible. But it isn't. You just have to change the timeline. π± Don't Wait Until You're 20..lol..But Seriously, Don't WaitIf you want to beat the debt trap and the rising cost of living, you need your money to work harder than you do. I recently read a fantastic op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled, "So You Want to Be a Millionaire? Don't Wait Until You're 20."β The premise is brilliant and mathematically flawless: Time is the ultimate cheat code. If a teenager puts a few thousand dollars from a summer job into a Roth IRA (or a TFSA in Canada once they turn 18) and invests it in a basic S&P 500 index fund, they almost guarantee themselves a multi-million dollar retirement without ever having to become a high-earner. Compound interest does the heavy lifting. The tragedy is that most of us don't start paying attention to our finances until we are 30, drowning in student debt, and trying to buy those skyrocketing houses. If you have teenagers, teach them to invest now. If you didn't start at 18, that's okay. The second best time to start aggressively buying income-producing assets (whether that's index funds, or an Airbnb property like Katie and I use) is today. You have to own assets that inflate with the economy, rather than just paying the inflated prices. π A Humorous Aside (Shrinking Wall Street)To wrap up the market news on a lighter note, let's look at a completely different kind of chart... Apparently, weight-loss drugs like Ozempic are officially hitting the financial sector. Michael Andrews Bespoke, a high-end Manhattan tailor, released data showing a massive spike in Wall Street bankers bringing their expensive suits in to be "taken in" by two inches or more! If only we could trim our household debt as fast as Wall Street is trimming its waistlines π₯ My Portfolio of 8 Years Was Absolutely ROASTEDI recently had my own verified portfolio on Blossom put to the test. Let's just say... it wasn't pretty. But it was incredibly valuable. I put my money where my mouth is and linked my brokerage to the Blossom app (Canadaβs first social investing app). I recently had their AI put my portfolio of 8+ years through a "Portfolio Roast." It called out my "conviction" in no uncertain terms. The AI stated that because of my Bitcoin and Tesla tilt, I am essentially running a high-volatility "momentum lab," lacking a broadly diversified ETF core. I break down the full, unsexy math in the main article. But the lesson is simple: Simplicity wins. My own portfolio was called out for being too "fancy." The Nevada Model is unsexy, but mathematical superiority is unsexier. So, why should YOU be excited that I got roasted? Because while my portfolio is getting heat, the Blossom March Challenge is just heating up! We are officially halfway through (two weeks in), and the prizes are massive. Blossom is giving away 1 of 5 Apple Prizes to their Ambassadors.
Here is the deal: I am personally hoping to win that Macbook Pro for Katie. HOWEVER, if I win any of the other prizes, the AirPods, the iPad, or the Mac Mini, I am giving it away to one of YOU, my newsletter subscribers. Yes, an iPad or new AirPods could be yours just for signing up and helping me win. So, if you want to help me crush this challenge, win some free tech for yourself, and see exactly why the AI roasted my Bitcoin and Tesla positions... π Click the link below to download the app (it's free!), follow my portfolio, and help us both win. Just make sure to follow me @financiallyfulfilledpro and I'll mark your name down :) π§ THE WELLTHY PRACTICE RETREAT (April 25-26, 2026)I am incredibly excited to announce that I will be speaking at The Wellthy Practice Retreat next month! If you are a practitioner looking to seamlessly integrate your health, your business, and your wealth, this is the room you need to be in. It is a 2-Day Virtual Retreat happening live online, and I will be breaking down some of my top financial strategies specifically tailored for clinic owners and healthcare pros. Because you are a subscriber, I have a special discounted rate for you!
βπ Click Here to Grab Your Ticket and Learn Moreβ Resources to Automate Your Boring (But Highly Profitable) Wealth1. Automate Your Investments π π¨π¦ For Canadians: Wealthsimple is my absolute favorite platform for setting up recurring, low-cost ETF investments. It is the easiest way to embrace the "Nevada Model" of investing. 2. Maximize Your Income (The Job Comparison Calculator) π¨ You can't invest if you are leaving money on the table at work. If you are thinking about switching clinics, use my brand new Job Comparison Calculator to see exactly which offer makes the most mathematical sense for your family. Do you have any "complex" financial products sitting in your portfolio right now? Hit reply and let me know, I read every single one. β@financiallyfulfilledpro and Certified Financial Counsellor CFCβ’ Do you get value from these weekly emails?β |
βNavigating Finances as Healthcare Professional
Tired of trading your time for money? Join me every Sunday and 650+ healthcare professionals, share tips and insights on how I am quitting the rat race by 40 years old. I cover the basics of personal finance distilled into simple and basic steps, that you can use to improve your financial situation and live a more fulfilling life.
Reader, I am officially breaking my own rules today. Usually, this newsletter is packed with charts, market data, and deep-dive financial concepts. But today, I am writing to you from a couch in an Airbnb in the Casablanca Valley of Chile, sipping local wine, and reflecting on our first few days of this long-awaited honeymoon. Not to worry, this writing session is Katie-approved but I'll keep it short because she's eyeing me right now π I want to give you a transparent look at exactly what we...
Reader, Things are moving incredibly fast in the Valadares household right now. We are officially just two weeks away from our long-awaited honeymoon to Chile π¨π± and Panamaπ΅π¦ ! Iβll be frank, this is likely the most expensive trip I have ever taken. Yes, even more expensive than the golf trips! But because we plan our finances around our values, weβve been preparing for this for a long time. (Keep an eye out, I have a brand new Travel Budget incoming, soon to show you exactly how we funded it...
Reader if you woke up today feeling a little more groggy than usual, you aren't alone. Last night, we officially "sprung forward" for Daylight Saving Time. We collectively lost an hour of sleep (not for you folks in Hawaii, Arizona, certain parts of BC and Saskatchewan), and it happens so automatically that we just wake up and accept the new reality. It got me thinking about how easily things can vanish without us noticing. Today, we lost an hour of sleep. But in the healthcare industry,...