9. How Financial Stress Deleted My Common Sense (and Made Gambling Look Like a Solution) Money stress hijacks your brain. Here’s how money worries pushed me into irrational decisions, and the lessons I’ll never forget.

This story is about a part of my life I'm not very proud of. Severe financial stress once made me look for unwise ways to make money, fast. I genuinely hope you've never been there, but this is how I landed up in a downwards gambling spiral, and how I eventually got out.

12. The Real Value of Teenage Jobs: From Low-Wage Learning To High-Income Careers A reluctant shelf-stacking job at 16 taught me the skills that would eventually earn me more in a year than I made in three years there. Here's how low-wage work compounds into high-income careers.

Do you also think back with nostalgia on your first teenage job? I certainly do, had fun and made many friends. I also found that it taught me many critical soft skills that have compounded throughout my career. Does this resonate? Read all about it in my latest story!

6. A Billionaire Paid For My Curry and Taught Me a Lesson in Success, Money and Humility Dinner with a billionaire taught me that wealth doesn’t change who you are. True success is carrying money lightly, with humility and clarity.

Can you imagine having more zeros in your bank account than most people have in their phone number? I once had an accidental dinner with one of those fortunate people, and walked away with a simple yet powerful lesson about success and humility.

11. I Skipped a €150 Festival While Having Thousands in Savings, and Felt Like a Complete Idiot One book killed my obsession with status symbols and changed how I see wealth, but I had to learn the hard way that building wealth without living is just a different kind of broke.

Building wealth is great, there's no doubt about that. But if it comes at the expense of enjoying certain parts of life, you're probably just another kind of broke. I had to find this one out the hard way myself, by saying no to fun and deeply regretting it after.

1. Adopting My Parents’ Saving and Spending Mindset Got Me Debt-Free Through University Growing up with saving and thoughtful spending as the default helped me graduate debt-free. The real inheritance? A mindset of freedom, preparation, calm and consistency.

I want my stories to stand the test of time, which is why they're being improved and refined even after publication. The first story, one that means a lot to me, has been rewritten to better tell the full story. What financial example did your parents set?

5. From Speeding on the Highway in a Porsche, to Unexpected Lessons in Financial Freedom A Porsche ride taught me that true financial freedom isn’t luxury, it’s the calm to shrug off small setbacks without losing peace of mind.

Have you ever wanted to be in a position where a speeding ticket is a mild irritation instead of an impactful event that ripples through your entire budget? I once observed one up close, in the back of a Porsche, and it taught me a great lesson on financial freedom.

11. I Skipped a €150 Festival While Having Thousands in Savings, and Felt Like a Complete Idiot One book killed my obsession with status symbols and changed how I see wealth, but I had to learn the hard way that building wealth without living is just a different kind of broke.

Ever had one of those moments where you didn't make an expense, and had massive regret afterwards? I once prioritized building wealth over fun with my own friends, and it cost me. New story out now:

Gotta love Google Analytics, and how cool is this? Barely two and a half months in, and the audience of the blog is already worldwide!

5. From Speeding on the Highway in a Porsche, to Unexpected Lessons in Financial Freedom A Porsche ride taught me that true financial freedom isn’t luxury, it’s the calm to shrug off small setbacks without losing peace of mind.

Ever had a speeding ticket that disrupted your monthly budget? I once sat in the back of a Porsche, speeding on the highway, without the owner remotely caring about one.

I condone breaking traffic laws, but I certainly got a masterclass in financial freedom that day:

Great article (as always) Michelle! Thoughtful and genuine giving, but not at the expense of yourself and your relationship with the other, is absolutely more difficult than it sounds.

10. The Toys That Broke and The Dinners That Lasted: Why Experiences Beat Possessions From Action Man crashes to 250,000km Toyotas, here's why I've learned to prioritize experiences over things, and functional durability over status.

Ever had a tequila shot with a scorpion in it at breakfast? Probably not, but it accidentally happened to me simply because I prioritize experiences over stuff.

This post from last week explores how my preference for experiences over material possessions gradually emerged:

This absolutely is one, and it will usually give you a diverse diet as well haha!

I like the content on your profile, new follower here 😁

Awesome! Let's hope many will follow.

Special Post: The Why, How and What of The Fillennial How a chat with a friend turned into The Fillennial, and what building it taught me (and maybe you).

What inspired creating my blog? A simple conversation with a friend, actually.

When the blog finally reached a stable state, I immediately wrote down how it started. Nice to reread for myself of course, but there are also some great product-building lessons in it for you:

2. The Career Advantages I Didn't Earn (and Why They Still Help Me Every Day) Acknowledging privilege isn’t about guilt or bragging, it’s about context. I tick all the boxes, but it’s attitude and work ethic that decide the finish line.

My social background heavily shapes what I write about money, so you deserve a clear picture to help you understand where it comes from.

This post on privilege (a topic most finance content ignores) does exactly that, and has become one of my top 3 most read stories:

10. The Toys That Broke and The Dinners That Lasted: Why Experiences Beat Possessions From Action Man crashes to 250,000km Toyotas, here's why I've learned to prioritize experiences over things, and functional durability over status.

Did your toys always end up in the corner of the room as well, to never be played with again? I realized it was the start of a gradual transition towards prioritizing spending on stuff that really matters: Experiences, and the stories they give me. New story out now:

Thanks Steven! And indeed, really nice to see people being interested in these stories.

How have things been for you lately?

Thanks MQ, always great to hear from you!

The Fillennial is live for less than two months, and the numbers have blown me away:

300+ visitors from all over the world (US, Europe, China, New Zealand, and more)

75-80% engagement rate on the stories, meaning you're actually taking time to read them

From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Great book, and a bunch of helpful mental models not seen before!

Couldn't agree more, these skills work in any context!

Glad I found your profile and blog, Gary. It's got some nice personal takes on traditional personal finance topics!

Can I ask how you taught your own kids, if you have them, about money?

New follower here! 😁

I really enjoy that combination of making money and using it in a meaningful way for others, Anthony. Might I ask what you current philanthropic activities look like?

Can I ask a question out of curiosity about your profession: How do you find these people?

They come from different walks of life with very unique stories, so getting them all together in one article seems like quite the effort!

I'm really happy to hear the story resonates! I couldn't find anything on this experience online, but at the same time also didn't believe I was the only one to have it.

Your reply means more than you think, Tom. It's validating I'm on the right track with this, thank you!

4. Your First Year of Investing isn't About Returns, it's About Paying Learning Money My first year of investing was full of red numbers, emotional dips, and late-night portfolio checks. But it also taught me the lessons that still guide me today: patience, preparation, and the value of “learning money”.

Ever checked your portfolio obsessively when you started investing? Even when markets were closed? Then this one's for you. Turned out my first year wasn't about making money. It was about staying consistent despite the emotions that came with volatility.

I really liked this article and the humble takes of these individuals on how they've been building their life around what makes them happy and at peace.

Nothing short of inspiring, thanks for this Frances!

Always good to make sure there is a thought behind the actions! How has your strategy changed over time, Thom?

Glad you like it!

Good to see you back here Josh, and actually quite enjoyed this supermarket stock trip!

Had Beyond Meat in my own portfolio a few years ago when I was in the early stages of investing, and am glad I got rid of it due to the stress it gave haha!