My personal life & business column — a mix of life moments, investing insights, and reflections on long-term wealth building.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Abraham Lincoln
In investing, we never know when Mr. Market will slip into a downturn. That’s exactly why we need to be ready. Our axe has to be sharp—because when the moment comes, we may only have a short window to act.
So what does it actually mean to be prepared?
First, sharpen your mindset. You need to truly understand your strategy and believe in it enough to stick with it—even when it feels like it’s not working. Study market history and human behavior, because fear, bubbles, and panic are not exceptions—they are part of the system.
Next, build your watchlist. Identify great companies and analyze them before things go south. The best opportunities never wait for you to “look into it later.”
And finally, prepare financially. If you want to take advantage of Mr. Market’s mood swings, you need liquidity. Cash—or strong, reliable cash flow—gives you the ability to act when others hesitate.
The truth is, you never know when the opportunity to chop down a great tree will come—or how much time you’ll have. But there’s no reason you can’t start sharpening your axe today.
At the end of the day, no one cares about your wealth more than you do. This is your money, your future, your life. Your passive income is a direct result of your actions—and a reflection of your discipline.
Investing is like building your own small business. But unlike most businesses, this one is designed to give you freedom. It’s something you can shape the way you want, on your own terms.
You are in control of this path. And with the right strategy and the right mindset—you’ll get there.
Enjoy your Sunday coffee ☕
With respect for your well-being, Max
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You’ve mentioned in prior posts about the importance of legacy to you. If you ran with your investment path to your perceived max age, you’d create a large amount of wealth. How do you exchange some of this implicit target to achieve your preferred living standard from now to your max age? Dynamically program it?