Author: Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

☆°▪︎ BETTER DAYS (THAN TODAY) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Today,

I

turned

back

.

t

h

e

.

age

.

o

f

.

days . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

turned

back

.

t

h

e

.

age

.

o

f

.

days . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

o

–

–

–

the

page

–

–

where

summers

–

–

never

fade . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ to

.

t

h

e

.

page

–

–

where

everything

.

w

a

s

.

fresh

.

a

n

d

.

new . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

still

bloomed

.

i

n

.

our

youth . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ everything

.

w

a

s

.

fresh

.

a

n

d

.

new . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

still

bloomed

.

i

n

.

our

youth . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

n

–

–

–

the

page

–

–

where

summers

–

–

never

fade . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ on

.

t

h

e

.

page

–

–

where

summers

–

–

never

fade . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

.

j

o

y

.

inside

–

–

r~e~a~c~h~e~d

into

–

–

the

skies,

–

–

when

I

saw

.

t

h

e

.

smile

–

–

within

.

y

o

u

r

.

eyes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

saw

.

t

h

e

.

smile

–

–

within

.

y

o

u

r

.

eyes,

–

–

dancing

.

w

i

t

h

.

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

danced

–

–

with

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

danced

–

–

with

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

danced

–

–

with

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

all

hours

.

o

f

.

the

daytime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ all

hours

.

o

f

.

the

daytime,

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

into

.

t

h

e

.

night . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

the

.

j

o

y

.

inside

–

–

r~e~a~c~h~e~d

into

–

–

the

skies,

–

–

when

yours

–

–

touched

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ when

yours

–

–

touched

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

that

moment

.

i

n

.

time . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ a

moment

.

i

n

.

time,

–

–

cherished

.

a

n

d

.

saved

.

f

o

r

.

all

–

–

future

days . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ for

all

–

–

future

days . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

f

–

–

–

only

.

t

o

.

say . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

we

had

–

–

better

days,

–

–

where

summers

–

–

never

fade . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

We

had

–

–

better

days . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

We

had

–

–

better

days . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

We

had

–

–

better

days . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

than

today.

Reflection: This poem is largely associated with the melancholy reflection on a present-day, fading romance that was once so vibrant in the days of youth. The sufferer ponders what might have changed over the years and whether anything could possibly bring things back – but finds some comfort in the memory that there were better days and in the hope that tomorrow might be better than today.

I wrote most of this poem by listening to the wonderful song “I’ll Be Over You” by Toto which I played in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem and inspire the writing of the poem. So, if you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.


☆°▪︎ BLIND IN THE DAYLIGHT (THE WHYS, WHENS, AND WHYS) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Movement

.

i

s

.

tight

–

–

all

.

t

h

e

.

while . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ all

.

t

h

e

.

while . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

the

mind

.

i

s

.

occupied . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

with

all

.

o

f

.

the

whys,

.

a

n

d

.

whens,

.

a

n

d

.

whys . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

whys,

.

a

n

d

.

whens,

.

a

n

d

.

whys . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

occupy

.

m

y

.

mind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

make

.

m

y

.

movement

tight . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

They

occupy

.

m

y

.

mind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

They

occupy

.

m

y

.

mind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

They

occupy

.

m

y

.

mind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

make

.

m

y

.

movement

tight . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

whys,

.

a

n

d

.

whens,

.

a

n

d

.

whys . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

whys,

.

a

n

d

.

whens,

.

a

n

d

.

whys . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

whys,

.

a

n

d

.

whens,

.

a

n

d

.

whys . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

life . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

like

w~h~e~n:

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ when

did

–

–

time

become

.

s

o

.

short,

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

the

miles

.

s

o

.

wide . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

when

did

.

t

h

e

.

valleys

become

.

s

o

.

deep,

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

the

mountains

.

s

o

.

high . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

whys,

.

a

n

d

.

whens,

.

a

n

d

.

whys . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

whys,

.

a

n

d

.

whens,

.

a

n

d

.

whys . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

life . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

like

w~h~y:

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ why

do

–

–

eyes

become

.

s

o

.

blind

.

i

n

.

the

daylight . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

why

do

.

w

e

.

mine

every

paradise

.

w

i

t

h

.

lies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ we

mine

–

–

every

paradise

.

w

i

t

h

.

lies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

move

.

o

u

r

.

battle

lines

.

s

o

.

far

.

f

r

o

m

.

the

fight . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ we

move

.

o

u

r

.

battle

lines

.

s

o

.

far

.

f

r

o

m

.

the

fight . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

time

–

–

becomes

short,

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

the

miles

wide . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

valleys

–

–

become

deep,

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

the

mountains

high . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

eyes

become

–

–

blind

.

i

n

.

the

daylight,

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

every

paradise

.

i

s

.

mined

.

w

i

t

h

.

lies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Movement

.

i

s

.

tight

–

–

all

.

t

h

e

.

while . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ all

.

t

h

e

.

while . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

the

mind

.

i

s

.

occupied . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

with

all

.

o

f

.

the

whys,

.

a

n

d

.

whens,

.

a

n

d

.

whys . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

whys,

.

a

n

d

.

whens,

.

a

n

d

.

whys . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

life.

Reflection: This is a reflective poem.

☆°▪︎ STONE PRIDE ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

They

only

–

–

beat

.

a

n

d

.

strike . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

beat

.

a

n

d

.

strike . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

till

tears

–

–

fill

.

y

o

u

r

.

eyes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

They

beat

.

a

n

d

.

strike . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

beat

.

a

n

d

.

strike . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

stone

pride

–

–

does

.

n

o

t

.

cry.

Reflection:  This was a popular personal struggle-themed poem that I wrote back in May of 2024. I heard the lyric “They only hit until you cry” in Suzanne Vega’s song “Luka” and this was such a powerful lyric that it inspired me to write this short, simple poem.

A SIMPLE LESSON IN FINANCE: WHY INVESTING INVIGORATES AND DEBT DEVASTATES YOUR FINANCES

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Here’s a simple lesson in finance for those who might need it: Investing money substantially increases your finances overall while carrying debt does much worse than the opposite. And the difference is astounding.

A simple common expression used to demonstrate how investments grow over time is called “the rule of 72.” The average interest rate expressed as a whole number times the number of years required to double an initial investment equals 72. Let’s take a look at how this simple rule can impact your finances. Let’s start with investing first.

Imagine you invested $10,000 earning 8% interest (8% is a reasonable figure given that the long-term average earned in the stock market has historically been about 7.5% – it has been much higher in recent years but at some point it could revert back to its long-term average). This means, using the rule of 72, that your $10,000 initial investment will become $20,000 in 9 years (8 x 9 = 72), $40,000 in 18 years, $80,000 in 27 years, and $160,000 in 36 years. And that is all from just making a single, one-time, initial investment of $10,000 at the beginning. I want you all to stop and think about that for a moment: Your $10,000 grew to $160,000 by doing nothing else. This is how compound interest works and how you make your money work for you – instead of against you.

Most people will do much better than the above because they will continue adding to their investments over time – and as long as they do not remove money from their investment (a mistake many people make by the way), then the power of compound interest will continue working in their favor.

The above example also illustrates why starting saving and investing at an early age is very important. And if you want to learn how to how to invest well and create a brighter future with minimal effort, please read this: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/how-to-invest-well-and-create-a-brighter-future-with-minimal-effort/

Now, let’s take a look at the opposite side of things to see how debt can devastate your finances. Imagine you had the same $10,000 as credit card debt at a 24% interest rate (24% is a little high by today’s standards – credit card rates presently average about 21% – but are higher for people with lower credit scores) but using 24% simplifies calculations and makes it much easier to compare both sides of the story between investing and debt.

Using the above figures mean, using the same rule of 72, that for your $10,000 in initial debt, you will end up paying $20,000 in 3 years (24 x 3 = 72), $40,000 in 6 years, $80,000 in 9 years, $160,000 in 12 years, $320,000 in 15 years, and $640,000 in 18 years if you didn’t make any payments at all (Note: this is not realistic since most people make at least the minimum payments – which largely reflect the payments on interest only – I’m just trying to demonstrate how much more quickly and deeply debt impacts your finances as compared to investing your money). And that is all just from having an initial debt of $10,000. I want you all to stop and give this some serious thought: Your $10,000 of initial debt grew to $640,000 in only 18 years. This is how debt can quickly, deeply, and easily devastate your finances.

Most people would do much worse than the above because they won’t stop at the initial debt – but will continue adding to their debts over time up until reaching their credit limits – which means the power of compound interest continues working against them.

Let’s now compare the two: In 18 years, your $10,000 investment grew to $40,000 but your $10,000 in debt became $640,000 over the same period of time. This illustrates why so many people get so far behind in their finances, and the simple but very important lesson in finance is this: Make your money work for you over the longer term instead of working against you by living with a strong sense of financial discipline – eliminating debt and investing your money instead. I have no objection to people having credit cards and such to help build up their credit scores and such but get into the practice of paying them off every month so you don’t have to pay interest or fees. If you do this and invest in your future, then you will create a brighter future for yourself and others in your life for the years and decades to come. So, do this if you can.

Again, the above isn’t truly accurate on the debt side of things because it reflects the overall impact if you made no payments at all – I have not factored in the fact that when you make the minimum payments on credit card debt, you are usually paying the interest. So, the interest portion of that debt isn’t working against you the way the much larger debt portion is. However, the interest only payments tend to be quite large (and provide no benefit since they typically pay little to nothing down on the debt portion) and, between that and the debt overall, it would still have a devastating effect on your finances as a whole in a short amount of time and would have required a more complicated calculation to get more precise numbers. I’m really just trying to illustrate the basic concepts of investing versus debt using simple calculations so that people can easily understand why debt can be so devastating in a short amount of time and why the power of compound interest works in their favor on the investment side of things. Also, rest assured the credit card companies will cut you off long before you reach such excessive numbers in terms of your debt to them for their own, financial well-being. However, the impact to your finances would be substantial.

You can read more about my finance and investing tips here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/category/financial-planning-management-and-investing-related-posts/

You can learn about my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/.

And, lastly, you can read about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities

I wish you much finance and investing success for 2024 (and beyond!).

#selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #mindfulness #peace #joy #positivethinking #balance #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

☆°▪︎ THE RELENTLESS ROAD (OF HOPE) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I

woke

.

u

p

.

alone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

far

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

home . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

woke

.

u

p

.

far

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

home . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

alone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

miles

–

–

ahead

stretched

.

l

o

n

g

e

r

.

along

.

t

h

e

.

road

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

the

breath

.

o

f

.

time

began

.

t

o

.

s ~ l ~ o ~ w . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ yes,

there

were

.

l

o

n

g

e

r

.

miles

.

t

o

.

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

all

along

–

–

that

road . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

where

.

t

h

e

.

breath

.

o

f

.

time

began

.

t

o

.

s ~ l ~ o ~ w . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ where

.

t

h

e

.

breath

.

o

f

.

time

began

.

t

o

.

s ~ l ~ o ~ w . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

because

blow

.

a

f

t

e

r

.

blow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

h

e

–

–

–

shadows

swallow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

shadows

swallow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

you’re

.

d

o

w

n

.

so

deep . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ when

you’re

.

d

o

w

n

.

so

low . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

shadows

swallow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

shadows

swallow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

s

o

–

–

–

blow,

.

a

f

t

e

r

.

blow,

.

a

f

t

e

r

.

blow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

you

have

.

t

o

.

fight

.

f

o

r

.

every

mile

.

o

f

.

that

relentless

road . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Blow,

.

a

f

t

e

r

.

blow,

.

a

f

t

e

r

.

blow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

you

have

.

t

o

.

hope

–

–

even

when

–

–

time

begins

.

t

o

.

s ~ l ~ o ~ w . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ you

have

.

t

o

.

fight

.

f

o

r

.

every

mile

.

o

f

.

that

road . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

hope

when

–

–

time

begins

.

t

o

.

s ~ l ~ o ~ w . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

o

–

–

–

find

.

y

o

u

r

.

way

.

b

a

c

k

.

home . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

o

–

–

–

find

.

y

o

u

r

.

way

.

b

a

c

k

.

home . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

blow,

.

a

f

t

e

r

.

blow,

.

a

f

t

e

r

.

blow.

Reflection:  This was a popular inspiration/hope-themed poem I wrote back in April of 2024. Sometimes, when I travel, I reconnect with various music artists of the past. For some reason, Bruce Springsteen kept coming up on the Portugal trip I took in early-to-mid 2024. Much of his music has an honest reflective but melancholy vibe to it. That’s part of what I have loved about his music. This poem came to me while listening to some of his music. I wrote it sort of as a tribute to Bruce while playing some of his songs in the background at low volume. The primary ones that I played to inspire the writing of this poem were: “Downbound Train” and “One Step Up.” I played these songs in the background at low volume to create the “moodset” for the poem. If you listen to these songs at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ THE SEEMING ETERNITY (OF SPRING) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

The

peaceful

ease

.

o

f

.

those

dancing

dreams

–

–

that

made

.

u

s

.

feel

.

s

o

.

effortlessly

free . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

would

sing

.

s

o

.

sweet

.

a

n

d

.

serene

.

f

o

r

.

all

the

days

–

–

that

would

seed

.

a

n

d

.

breed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

breed

.

a

n

d

.

seed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

h

e

–

–

–

seeming

eternity . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

seeming

eternity . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

spring . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

would

sing . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

would

sing . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

would

sing . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

the

seeming

eternity

.

o

f

.

spring . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

seeming

eternity

.

o

f

.

spring . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

now

sinking

carelessly . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ now

sinking

carelessly . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

beneath

.

t

h

e

.

storming

seas . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ beneath

.

t

h

e

.

storming

seas . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

reali~

tease.

Reflection: 

This is a reflection-themed poem largely associated with the melancholy of looking back on a past that once seemed so carefree, dreamy, vibrant, and free. The contemplator views his/her present life with a sense of dread that it is so filled with day-to-day tasks, work, and responsibilities that there is little or no time for fun, freedom, and dreams – and he/she wonders if that will ever change.

While on a trip to Portugal, I was listening to various musicians I hadn’t heard in a while. One of those was Bruce Springsteen. I had forgotten how moving his music and lyrics were. So, I thought I’d try to write something as a tribute to him while playing some of his songs in the background at low volume. The primary ones were: “Jungleland,” “Backstreets,” “Downbound Train,” “My Hometown,” “Point Blank,” “The River,” “One Step Up,” “Thunder Road,” and “Atlantic City.” I played these songs in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem and inspire the writing of the poem. So, if you listen to one or more of these songs at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

HOW TO INVEST WELL AND CREATE A BRIGHTER FUTURE WITH MINIMAL EFFORT

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been traveling through Portugal and have met some very nice people. And once they find out I’m a life coach, many of them have become very interested in any financial advice I can provide to help them create a brighter future. So, this inspired me to write the “Joe Brennan 6-Step Process to Financial Success” with minimal effort:

1. Get into the practice of automatically saving a minimum of 20% of everything you earn – wages, gifts, tips, whatever and open an online brokerage trading/investing account to place your money in such that it earns a decent interest rate (I earn about 5% interest via my Fidelity standard trading account). The reason this is important is because you don’t want to fall behind inflation when saving money. A lot of banks pay much less interest than online brokerage trading/investment accounts do. The 20%+ automatic savings is important because it forces financial discipline – resulting in a greater ability to accumulate financial wealth and achieve financial freedom much sooner than would be experienced otherwise. In fact, if you have kids and get them into this practice at a very young age, then this would serve to not only benefit them, but you as well since you won’t have to worry so much about their finances and they won’t have to rely on you as much in the years and decades to come. The earlier you start saving, the less of your overall income percentage wise you would need to save over the years of your life. I generally recommend 20% for people who start at the age of 20 and increase it by 1% per year if they start later than age 20. So, if you start at age 24 you need to save 24%, if you start at age 31 you need to save 31%, and if you start at age 41 you need to save 41% for the rest of your life. So, the earlier you start, the less of your overall income you have to save percentage wise over the years of your life. So, if you start at age 20, you can save 20% for the rest of your life and be in good shape financially speaking – but if you start at age 34, you’ll need to save 34% for the rest of your life. So, the earlier you start, the better. And the percentages above include any matching funds or financial incentives your employer might provide (some employers provide up to 5% or so of matching funds and such for retirement plans).

2. Track one of the major stock market indexes representative of the overall stock market. In the United States, I like to track the S&P 500 index [SPY is an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 Index]. When the major index falls 10% or more (I’m a very low risk investor so I will wait for a 25% drop), check the other major indexes and see which one has fallen the most. In the United States, frequently the Russell 2000 index (IWM is an ETF that tracks this index) falls much more than the S&P 500 index – especially, when a recession is expected. A 5% drop in the S&P 500 index generally happens about three times a year, a 10% drop generally happens about once a year, and a 20%+ drop generally happens about twice every five years. A lot of times major stock indexes will decline more once they drop 20% (defined as a bear market). However, the recovery is often swift. So, you want to be fully invested fairly soon after that happens. Otherwise, you can miss out on substantial gains. Just for some points of reference: a 25% drop results in a 33% gain once the index or ETF gets back to breakeven, a 33% drop results a 50% gain once the index or ETF gets back to breakeven, and a 50% drop results a 100% gain once the index or ETF gets back to breakeven. So, waiting for a drop before putting money to work can be greatly beneficial while being fully invested when a drop happens can substantially hurt your finances. This is why avoiding investing at the top can be an important factor for your overall, financial well-being (e.g., if you experience a 33% drop, you need a 50% gain just to get back to even, and if you experience a 50% drop, you need a 100% gain just to get back to even).

3. Move your accumulated savings to date into the ETF you have selected in Step 2. As long as this ETF continues falling or rises somewhat, keep putting your new savings into the ETF.

4. Once your ETF gains to the point to where it approaches the all-time high (or if you are a higher risk investor, you might wait for additional gains before selling or not sell at all), stop putting your new savings into the ETF and just keep it in your online brokerage trading/investing account earning the standard interest rate.

5. Only pull money from this account when gains are experienced and only for that which invests in your future such as a down payment for a house, educational expenses likely to lead to a higher paying job, rental properties as an investment, a new business you want for yourself, or after reaching your long-term financial freedom or retirement goal.

6. Repeat steps 1-5 for any new savings accumulated.

The above is a simplified process which might be helpful for some of you. If you are in your mid-thirties or so (or even less – the younger you are, the better you will likely do over time), then this process should get you where you need to be in your life financially speaking. However, there is never a guarantee, and you might want to adjust this process. If you elect to take a higher risk approach, then you can earn substantial gains if you wait things out – although you might experience substantial losses in the near term. If you elect to take a lower risk approach, then you may not experience substantial losses in the near term but will probably not make as much in gains over the longer term. For example, a higher risk investor might start moving savings after only a 10%-15% drop in the major index and stop investing new savings once the ETF hits its all-time high (or above) while a lower risk investor might start moving savings after a 20% drop or more in the major index and stop investing once the ETF gains to the point that where it is about 5%-10% from the all-time high.

The above process guarantees that you never invest at the market top. It also ensures that you invest early enough in bear markets so that you will hopefully, eventually, earn substantial gains.

The reason the above process should work well for many people is that in the first few years of investing, the amount saved matters much more than the actual gains or losses experienced in the stock market. So, people can just save and wait for a substantial stock market drop to invest and will probably do pretty well over time. Once savings have been accumulated for a few years or so, then the gains and losses experienced matter increasingly more over time and a lower risk investment approach will probably be more appropriate.

The above process is not perfect, but give it a try, make adjustments over time, and if you need help with any of this just ask.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/.

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities

I wish you much investing success for 2024 (and beyond!).

selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #mindfulness #peace #joy #positivethinking #balance #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

☆°▪︎ BLINDED BY THE SMILE ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Tonight,

I

wear

–

–

the

smile

–

–

that

lies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

smile

–

–

that

hides

.

a

n

d

.

denies

.

t

h

e

.

darkness

–

–

behind

.

t

h

e

.

light . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

bitter

–

–

behind

.

t

h

e

.

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

rye

–

–

behind

.

t

h

e

.

rhyme . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

you

.

w

i

l

l

.

bite . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

you

.

w

i

l

l

.

buy . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ you

.

w

i

l

l

.

bite

.

a

n

d

.

buy . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

blinded

.

b

y

.

the

wine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ blinded

.

b

y

.

the

promise

.

o

f

.

daylight . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

tonight,

I

wear

–

–

the

smile

–

–

that

lies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

smile

–

–

that

hides

.

a

n

d

.

denies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

smile.

Reflection: This is a personal struggle-themed poem written largely a reflection on those who routinely hide the pain and struggles they might be going through because they fear judgment or rejection. It’s sad that so many would rather suffer, and struggle alone – creating distance instead of risking allowing others to get close to them or to do or say something which might be helpful and depriving these potential helpers the joy of being a friend and doing something they could feel good about.

I wrote most of this poem by listening to the wonderful song “Disarm” by The Smashing Pumpkins which I played in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem and inspire the writing of the poem. So, if you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ THE FALL OF WINTERTIME ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I

still

–

–

recall

the

.

f

a

l

l

.

of

wintertime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

it

.

w

a

s

.

the

.

f

a

l

l

.

of

wintertime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

.

y

o

u

r

.

eyes

–

–

burned

.

s

o

.

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ when

.

y

o

u

r

.

eyes

–

–

burned

.

s

o

.

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

with

a

smile . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

another

guy . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Your

eyes

–

–

burned

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Your

eyes

–

–

burned

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Your

eyes

–

–

burned

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

with

a

smile . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

another

guy . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

still

–

–

recall

the

.

f

a

l

l

.

of

wintertime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

still

–

–

recall

the

.

f

a

l

l

.

of

wintertime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

still

–

–

recall

the

.

f

a

l

l

.

of

wintertime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

that

.

w

a

s

.

the

.

l

a

s

t

.

time . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ yes,

that

.

w

a

s

.

the

.

l

a

s

t

.

time . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

saw

–

–

your

eyes

–

–

burn

.

s

o

.

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

with

a

smile.

Reflection:  This was a popular melancholy-themed poem written back in March of 2024 about a fading romance and the sinking feelings that can come with it. I wrote most of this poem by listening to the wonderful, haunting gem of a song “Your Worst Song is Your Greatest Hit” by The Reds, the Pinks and Purples which I played in the background to create the “moodset” and inspire the writing of the poem. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ BURIED IN THE DEEP (A PEACE WITHIN REACH) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

It

.

w

a

s

.

hard

.

t

o

.

tell

you . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

everything

that

.

w

a

s

.

badly

burned

.

a

n

d

.

buried

.

i

n

.

the

deep . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

.

w

a

s

.

hard

.

t

o

.

tell

you . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

now,

I

.

c

a

n

.

see

.

a

n

d

.

feel

a

peace

–

–

within

reach . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

.

c

a

n

.

see

.

a

n

d

.

feel

a

peace

–

–

within

reach . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

beneath

the

seas

–

–

where

anxiety

sleeps . . . 

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

I

can

.

n

o

w

.

believe . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

can

.

n

o

w

.

believe . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

the

dream . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

can

.

n

o

w

.

believe . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

the

dream . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

while

.

i

t

.

still

–

–

newly

breathes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ while

.

i

t

.

still

–

–

newly

breathes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ while

.

i

t

.

still

–

–

newly

breathes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

before

.

i

t

.

begins

.

t

o

.

bleed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

.

w

a

s

.

hard

.

t

o

.

tell

you . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

everything

that

.

w

a

s

.

badly

burned

.

a

n

d

.

buried

.

i

n

.

the

deep . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

.

w

a

s

.

hard

–

t

o

–

tell

you . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

now,

I

.

c

a

n

.

see

.

a

n

d

.

feel

a

peace

–

–

within

reach.

Reflection: This was an inspirational/hope-themed poem which largely reflects the rush of hope and relief a sufferer secretly carrying a heavy burden can experience when he/she is finally able to find someone to share it with. I wrote most of this poem by listening to the wonderful song “Hard to Tell You” by Warpaint which I played in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem and inspire the writing of the poem. So, if you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.