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The boring stuff that actually builds wealth: how compounding works, how to put money in, and what not to do with it.

1. 

   Step 1 · Oct 24, 2026

   Why Everything Changes After Your First $100K Invested

   Why the first $100K is the hardest, and what changes after it.

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   Did you catch it? 3 questions

   1. In the model of investing $10,000 a year at 7%, about how much of the first $100,000 comes straight out of your own pocket?

   About $23,000 About $77,000 About $50,000 About $100,000

   2. Why does a 10% market drop feel so much worse once you have $100,000 invested?

   It's $10,000, about a whole year of contributions in the example Bigger accounts drop by a larger percentage Bigger accounts can't recover from drops You have to pay a fee every time the market drops

   3. In the SEC example of $100,000 growing at 4% for 20 years, roughly how much less do you end up with paying a 1% annual fee instead of a 0.25% fee?

   About $1,000 About $7,500 About $29,000 About $50,000

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2. 

   Step 2 · Oct 5, 2026

   Buy the Dip vs Dollar Cost Averaging: A 20-Year Test

   Waiting for a dip versus investing every month, tested over 20 years.

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   Did you catch it? 3 questions

   1. An investment costs $100, rises to $150, then crashes 20%. Where does that leave the price?

   Back at $100, the original price At $120, still 20% more than the original price At $130, only 30% above the original price At $80, below the original price

   2. In Schwab's test of investing $2,000 a year from 2005 through 2024, what was the biggest takeaway?

   Perfect timing crushed every other approach, so timing is what matters most Spreading money into monthly buys beat investing right away Perfect timing won, but by much less than the gap between investing in stocks and staying in cash Staying in Treasury bills was the safest way to come out ahead

   3. In Vanguard's research measured after 1 year, how often did investing a lump sum right away beat splitting it into three monthly investments?

   68% of the historical comparisons 32% of the historical comparisons About half the time Every single time

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3. 

   Step 3 · Oct 31, 2026

   VOO Is 21% Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft. Is It Secretly an AI Bet?

   What you actually own when you buy an S&P 500 index fund.

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   Did you catch it? 3 questions

   1. Why does VOO end up holding so much Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft?

   Vanguard decided to make a big bet on AI The S&P 500 sizes each company by its total stock market value, so bigger companies get more of your money Every company in the index gets the same slice Tech companies pay to get a bigger spot in the fund

   2. Over the 10 years through June 2026, how did the regular S&P 500 fund SPY compare with the equal weight fund RSP?

   SPY was up about 251% and RSP was up about 207% RSP was up about 251% and SPY was up about 207% They finished about even Both funds lost money

   3. Why doesn't owning both VOO and QQQ automatically make you more diversified?

   QQQ only holds small companies VOO and QQQ hold completely different stocks Both funds are heavy in the same big tech companies, so you can end up buying the same stocks twice Owning two funds always doubles your fees

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4. 

   Step 4 · Oct 9, 2026

   Stop Copying Buffett’s Stocks. Copy His Strategy.

   Buffett's strategy is more useful than his stock list.

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   Did you catch it? 3 questions

   1. When it comes to your circle of competence, what matters most?

   Making your circle as large as possible Having an opinion on every stock and sector Knowing exactly where your boundary is Only investing in the same companies Buffett owns

   2. What's the retail investor lesson from Berkshire holding about $369 billion in cash and Treasury bills?

   Sit on cash until the next big crash Avoid becoming a forced seller when the market falls Use margin so you always have money ready to invest Cash is a reliable way to earn strong returns

   3. What does "make every dollar compete" mean for your next investing dollar?

   Compare buying a new stock with other options, like adding to your best understood holding, paying down expensive debt, an index fund or holding cash Put every new dollar into whatever stock is most popular right now Spread each dollar evenly across as many stocks as you can Always buy back the stock you sold most recently

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5. 

   Step 5 · Oct 25, 2026

   Is Day Trading Worth It? I Did the Math on the Hourly Pay

   The hourly pay of day trading, once you do the math.

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   Did you catch it? 3 questions

   1. In the example, a trader makes $1,000 on a $10,000 account while trading the full market session for 250 days (1,625 hours). What did that work pay per hour before taxes?

   About $10 an hour About 62 cents an hour About $6.20 an hour About $25 an hour

   2. Even if your broker charges zero commission, why can every trade still cost you money?

   Brokers secretly charge a fee on every share You owe tax on every trade, even losing ones Prices always drop right after you buy The buying price (ask) can be higher than the selling price (bid), so crossing that gap costs you

   3. What does the often-repeated 97% figure about day traders actually describe?

   The chance that any day trader loses their entire account The share of all US stock day traders who lose money People trading Brazilian stock index futures who kept going for at least 300 days and lost money Customers of one trading course who lost money

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6. 

   Step 6 · Oct 26, 2026

   Should I Sell My Stocks Now? Ask These 6 Questions First.

   Six questions to ask before you sell anything.

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   Did you catch it? 3 questions

   1. Why is selling out of fear such a hard bet to win?

   You have to be right twice: sell before the drop and buy back in before the recovery Brokers charge a penalty for selling during a drop The market always recovers the very next day You can only buy back in after a full year

   2. In a regular taxable account, how is a gain on a stock you held for 1 year or less taxed?

   It isn't taxed at all At the lower long-term capital gains rates As ordinary income, the same as your paycheck Only when you withdraw it in retirement

   3. You chose 80% stocks and 20% bonds, but a long run-up turned it into 90% and 10%. Selling enough stock to get back to 80% is called what?

   Tax loss harvesting A wash sale Dollar cost averaging Rebalancing

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Keep going

• Compound growth calculator
• Dollar-cost averaging, in plain English
• Index funds, in plain English
• Next path: Taxes and the Roth

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