Hey Reader

I’m writing this from a coffee shop.

The F.I.R.E. movement, which stands for Financial Independence Retire Early, would have something to say about that. The philosophy is built around aggressive saving and cutting expenses to the bone so you can retire decades earlier than most. And one of its most common pieces of advice is simple. Stop buying coffee out. Make it at home.

Technically they’re not wrong. But they’re missing something important.

If you work from home for example, it means sitting in front of a screen five days a week in the same four walls. The coffee shop isn’t really about the coffee. It’s the change of scenery, the energy of being around other people, the mental reset that makes the rest of the day more productive. Two or three times a week that expense is worth every dollar. And it doesn’t have to be the $8 frappuccino. A regular coffee or tea does the job.

The same logic applies to lunch. Once or twice a week, not steak and lobster, just a $10 sandwich or a $12 burger. That $20 to $30 a week buys variety and a real break from the mental load of planning every meal around a family of four.

And then there are trips. A couple of family vacations a year, some stay-cations mixed in. Those experiences and the memories being built for our daughters are worth more than almost anything else that money could go toward. Using points and miles makes it work smarter without cutting it out entirely.

None of this is reckless. It’s intentional. And that distinction matters more than most personal finance content is willing to admit.

The idea that you’re poor because you buy coffee or go out to lunch oversimplifies a complicated reality. Bad systems, stagnant wages, and generational wealth gaps play a much bigger role than your lunch bill.

And here’s something the cut your expenses crowd rarely talks about. If that same person could find a way to increase their income by even $10k to $20k a year that would do more for their financial situation than eliminating every luxury on the list. The focus on cutting almost always ignores the power of earning more.

That said financial literacy still matters. Being intentional with your money still matters. There’s a reason millionaire athletes go broke and a teacher can change their life with intentionality. The point isn’t to spend freely and hope for the best. It’s that you don’t have to be miserable about it.

And that’s the whole point. Look at your income, understand your financial situation, and build a plan around it. Give your money a job. When every dollar has a purpose your spending doesn’t spiral. And if there’s a cash flow imbalance at some point it takes honesty to redirect some of what’s going to dinners or travel into savings or the market.

You can’t spend without a plan and then wonder why there’s nothing left over. But you also don’t have to live like a monk to build wealth.

There’s a balance. Find yours.

— Stock Savvy Dad
​Invest smarter, build wealth, be a savvy dad.