Wednesday Reads: Three Weeks

A round up of interesting or cool stuff I’ve read.

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Three weeks.

Three weeks until my current contract finishes and I can just breathe.

Not that I’m counting down the days or anything. Wouldn’t dream of it.

…

Ok, that’s a lie.

I talk so often about how many working days I have left that my wife could tell you without having to pause to think about it.

To say I am looking forward to a break would be a colossal understatement.

Which is funny, because, in truth, these past few weeks haven’t been particularly busy. My manager stopped giving me new stuff to do a while ago. I’m just wrapping up my parts in this final project.

But even though I have had days recently where I’m just twiddling my thumbs, it’s not the same as actually being off work. I’ve still had to be logged on, still had to think about the work in question, be prepared to answer an email, or jump on for an impromptu Zoom meeting.

Which all makes focussing on something that isn’t this job much more difficult than it would be if my time was completely my own.

Funny how the last year has flown by, but the next three weeks seem to stretch out to infinity. Isn’t that always the way when you’re hyper focussed on an end point?

I know, when future me looks back on life, that these remaining few weeks will just be a tiny blip. They probably won’t even register.

But that does not help present me, haha.

 

Interesting links that caught my eye this week:

• More To That – A Reflection on Being Asian
  One of the best things I’ve read this past week. Lawrence recalls several memories and experiences that help inform his thoughts on being Asian whilst living in the US. It’s not difficult to extrapolate and assume that anyone who is “different” has a similar story.

 

• Indeedably – Perspective
  A personal, powerful read from Indeedably. Perspectives and desires can change over time. How do you reconcile differences that have grown over the years? Can you?

 

• The Rational Walk – Berkshire’s CEO Succession: A Brief Look at Incentives
  Berkshire Hathaway recently announced Buffet’s likely successor as CEO. This is an interesting look at how Buffet’s pay differs from most other CEOs, and suggests why that (probably) can’t (or shouldn’t) continue when Greg Abel takes over.

 

• IT Investor – Gresham House Energy Storage: Batteries Included
  Man, the IT Investor always writes such detailed posts on various investment trusts that I’ve never heard of. I may like to keep it simple and just stick with an index fund, but I always like reading these deep dives and can appreciate the amount of work that must go into them. This was especially interesting to me, as the trust itself focuses on energy storage (as if the name didn’t give it away!), which is a growing area of importance.

 

• Sparkle Bee – Divorced from Work
  A reflection on how being “married” to your job takes its toll elsewhere in life.

 

• Of Dollars and Data – 4 Investing Lessons from David Swensen
  “Of all the lessons I learned from Swensen’s life, one of them is in stark contrast to his teachings. Though Swensen taught us to invest as if we would live forever, unfortunately, his own life was cut short. For a man of his wealth, status, and education level to die at 67 is a grim reminder that the future is promised to no one. Swensen’s belief that we should invest for the long run is a good one, but it doesn’t work forever. Sadly, our time horizon can be much shorter than we think.”

 

• Monevator – Are bonds a good investment in 2021?
  As someone who occasionally wonders if I should have some sort of allocation in bonds, this was a good read. Will I actually act on it and buy some bonds in the near future? Honestly, unlikely. Will I regret my decision in a few years time? …. Probably!

 

• The Evidence Based Investor – Be the Change — A Motto for a New Generation of Advisers
  I enjoyed this (fairly short) interview with Rohan Sivajot, founder of NextGen Planners. As someone who wants to become a financial planner, I like the general message that they promote, and have found some of their podcasts interesting.

 

• Banker on FIRE – How To Get Ahead In Life
  Some great thoughts on how to get ahead. I think the best, but most difficult, piece of advice given is to be consistent. It’s obvious, but easier said than done!

 

• Home in the Green – Feeling Overwhelmed at Work on the Route to Financial Independence
  It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by your life, goals, and ambitions, especially when work takes over and doesn’t leave much room for anything else. This post contains some excellent advice if you find yourself in this frame of mind.

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Thanks for reading. Hope you’re all having a great week!