joy

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025! A FEW HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2024!

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Happy New Year everyone! 2024 was a pretty good year for me. The three best surprises for me this year were the following:

a. Indie 617 Boston streaming radio station: I’m a big fan of indie pop music and usually listen to WPRK in Winter Park – however they frequently play off-genre music that I don’t like as much, so discovering Indie 617 Boston was an excellent find. I found this streaming radio station while road-tripping on the west coast. Two of my favorite songs of the year were burning up the airwaves on this radio station over the summer (and beyond): Neverender by Justice and Tame Impala (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47YNsf-7Y7c) and Starburster by DC Fontaines (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHocVRUlvkk). Other favorite indie pop tracks for me this year were Image by Magdalena Bay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfcWOPpmw14) and Sadie by Goth Babe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhS52bvzkec). I discovered each of these songs via Indie 617 Boston.

b. Seville Spain, Portugal (especially Porto, Sintra, and Lagos, Sintra), Seattle WA, Eureka CA, and Astoria OR. These were such wonderful places to visit.

c. High performing stocks I owned this year: COIN (126% gain), VMEO (64% gain), and GNK (51% gain).

In addition to the wonderful surprises above, I ended up exceeding each of the goals I had set for myself at the beginning of the year. One of my longstanding goals was to populate my life coaching website (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/) in such a way that it largely reflects my life work (outside of work) as a legacy/leave behind. This life work matters much more to me than anything I did that was job-related over the years. And now it is all in one place – my website.

I started out 20+ years ago focusing on self-help and happiness, and coaching in/writing about those areas. I later realized that since I was also a finance/investing expert, that I should coach in and write about those areas as well and populate my website with that information.

My latest goal for this year was to expand my website further by focusing on the creative aspects in terms of my poetry and such. My 2024 year-end goal was to digitize my first book of poetry, “A Farewell to Reason,” since the hard copy was out of print. Not only did I achieve that, but I also published the second book of poetry that I wanted to publish back in 2004 but never did: “Burning . . .  Burning Blue,” and have populated the poetry section of my website with not only the top poems I have written over the past 33 years but also all 370 poems I have written over those years and color-coded them by mood/interest (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/poetry/).

Here are the year’s highlights (by the numbers):

16: The number of times I provided special gifts to people for “Make a Friend Smile Day.” That’s the special occasion I created 20+ years ago as the perfect excuse to offer guilt-free giving to people going through financial difficulties, hardships, and such but are just too proud to ask for or accept this help. The only catch is the friend must smile when using the gift because, well, there’d be no reason to have a “Make a Friend Smile Day,” if the friend didn’t smile. I helped multiple people out this year with rent, groceries, car problems, and other financial hardships. I pulled money out of my “Beneficiaries Reserve Fund” to do this which is the fund I use to help others. Most people who know me understand that whenever I have a good year in the stock market, I always set aside some of the proceeds to help others – it’s a promise I make every year to God, higher power, the universe, or whatever it is you believe in (I happen to believe in all the above).

15: The number of poems I wrote and published throughout the year. The top four (4) that people seemed to resonate most with were:

a. BLISTERS, BURNS, AND BLURS (A SCREAM BEHIND THE DOOR): https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/%e2%98%86%e2%96%aa%ef%b8%8e-a-blisters-burns-and-blurs-a-scream-behind-the-door-%e2%96%aa%ef%b8%8e-%e2%98%86/,

b. CHASING THE WAVES (OF THE L.A. HAZE): https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/%e2%98%86%e2%96%aa%ef%b8%8e-chasing-the-waves-of-the-la-haze-%e2%96%aa%ef%b8%8e-%e2%98%86/,

c. THE FALL OF WINTERTIME: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/%e2%98%86%e2%96%aa%ef%b8%8e-the-fall-of-wintertime-%e2%96%aa%ef%b8%8e%e2%98%86/, and

d. CURIOSITY CLEARLY SEES (AND WARMLY BELIEVES): https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/%e2%98%86%e2%96%aa%ef%b8%8e-curiosity-clearly-sees-and-warmly-believes-%e2%96%aa%ef%b8%8e%e2%98%86/

28,000+: The number of photos I took on travel this year. My biggest trips were my Portugal/Spain trip (5 weeks, 24 new places) and my summer road trip on the West Coast (14 new places over 4 weeks: Washington state, Oregon, and Northern California). My favorite places during this year’s travel were Seville Spain, Porto Portugal, Sintra Portugal, Lagos Portugal, Monterey/Pacific Grove CA, Seattle WA, Eureka CA, and Astoria OR.

126: The percentage gain of my best performing stock this year: Coinbase (COIN). Regarding COIN, if I had stuck to my more usual investing strategies, I probably would have sold all of my shares back in February and not realized all of the gains I achieved. COIN ended up being my top performing stock this year by far gaining 126% [my second and third best performing stocks were VMEO (64% gain), and GNK (51% gain)]. Towards the end of 2023, I somehow got the insight to treat COIN differently than my other investments. The strategy I used for this highly volatile stock was to sell 1/3 of my shares when COIN gained 33%, and buying more shares whenever COIN dropped 33%. This strategy really worked well and allowed me to experience much higher gains than I ordinarily would. I plan to stick with this strategy in 2025.

324: The total number of places I have explored and spent quality time in to date (including the above travel).

13.1: The percentage I gained in the stock market this year which far exceeded my financial goal for the year (you can read all about that here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/final-stock-market-score-joe-13-1-inflation-3-3/). Since I have far exceeded my financial goal, my primary financial objective was maintaining my spending power by beating inflation or at least not giving back the stellar gains I achieved over the past decade or so (my 12-year average annual gain through and including the losses from 2022 was 35% as you can see by scrolling through the following post: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/final-stock-market-score-joe-57-2-spx-24-2/). Core inflation was 3.3% year-over-year back in November – so I beat that number by a sizable margin (the December numbers have not yet been released). I updated my investment strategies this year as I try to do every year. When I traveled through Portugal back in spring, people I met there became very interested when they found out I was a life coach – asking me for help with finances and investing so they could create a brighter future for themselves. This inspired me to write the Joe Brennan 6-Step Process to Financial Success with minimal effort post: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/how-to-invest-well-and-create-a-brighter-future-with-minimal-effort/. I followed this post up with a second post designed to help people even further with finance and investing: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-simple-lesson-in-finance-why-investing-invigorates-and-debt-devastates-your-finances/. So, I encourage you to read these two posts when you get the chance. You’ll become a much better investor if you do.

41: the number of people I helped live happier lives throughout this year – even internationally when I visited Portugal and Spain.

18: The number of times I posted about my stock market activities and strategies to offer others a chance to capitalize on these. You can read about them here: https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market…/

149: The number of posts I wrote and published, throughout the year, focused on helping people live happier, offering hope and inspiration, keeping people informed, and making people more successful in life.

205: The number of days I spent on Duo Lingo learning and practicing Spanish and Portuguese throughout the year. I’ve been learning various languages on Duo Lingo for 10+ years now including Spanish, Portuguese, and a tiny bit of Italian.

11 – the number of hours I spent on fitness activities in a typical week between weight training, running, stretching, and yoga.

1: The number of books I read and shared my notes on throughout the year. I had so much else going on in 2024 that I didn’t do much reading. So, I suppose I should seek to read a little more in 2025. The books I read were primarily in the areas of self-help and self-improvement. I’ve been reading books on the “100 Best Self-Help Books of All Time” list (over the years I’ve currently read the top 90 books on this list of 100 so 10 more to go!).

So, 2024 was a pretty good year overall. Going forward I plan to focus on doing more reading, doing more travel, and writing new poetry. I’m looking forward to seeing what 2025 brings.

Happy New Year everyone! Normally, I would add something like: “May 2025 be the best year of your life, EVER.” However, this year I’d like to create a tiny challenge for everyone and change that to: “Do positive things to make someone else’s 2025 the best year of their lives, EVER.” So, decide who will be on your list of people for making that happen, and add that to your 2025 New Year’s resolutions list.

Thank you!

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

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2024-2025!

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Happy holidays everyone! One thing I used to do years ago for the holidays was hand out themed compilation CDs of music people couldn’t buy anywhere to give them something special and unique and wonderful to listen to over the holiday season (and beyond). They did not contain holiday music or anything which, for me, tends to get old after a short while – just unique music that is nice to listen to for something different. I was always particular and intentional about the themes I came up with and always ordered the tracks in such a way to ensure they created a wonderful musical experience and a smooth flow from one track to the next.

I used to do this year-after-year up until the widespread use of I-tunes, media players, Spotify and such. So, I started to realize CDs were probably a waste of time and effort. Well, the last couple of years I decided to recreate some of those CDs as Playlists on Spotify.

For this year I recreated my Laid-Back Lounge CD as a playlist with a few extra tracks. So, check it out when you get the chance: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5szvQk9eJlHix5KRs9TcL2?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1K6jE_L8fFaRFD7xH6y8sdSDw4mGtEJKQ47FhkGM9gOxQadwvITpHlJ5U_aem_bDKXVL4R48UPfwfUmu8oQQ

I hope you will enjoy this as much as I do. Also, one song missing (not available on Spotify) is the Cafe del Mar version of Kalliope’s Lunar Landing (Here it is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X-Rg13QyTE ). I encourage you to check that out and insert it just after the track 13 (Blank & Jones: Desire – Ambient Mix) if you create your own playlist outside of Spotify. It fits in well with this playlist. Also, feel free to modify the playlist to make it your own including adding some of your favorites.

Below is the complete set of playlists I have provided so far over the past few years (including this one). So, feel free to check each of these out as well over the holidays (and beyond):

1. Classical Gems (nice and soothing classical music): Classical Gems – playlist by Joe Brennan | Spotify

2. Candlelight Classic Jazz I (mainly old classic vocal jazz): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1R0tZBB8MOZUJgA01LrK2C…

3. Candlelight Classic Jazz II (mainly old classic instrumental jazz): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/10ZO5Mrv5fF2Uns7QEzWVT…

4. New Age (Morningtide-Eveningtide): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5S0Re0yHvQma9WMai20w36…

People really seemed to love this one for helping them to relax and even sleep. One song (What a Beautiful Sunset by Angelwing) was not available on Spotify but I encourage you to check out this excellent song as well: https://youtu.be/pXgjQPgh4bM?si=ovRvGhgp3V_G47JI . You can add this wonderful track if you create your own playlist outside of Spotify.

5. Acoustic Tracks: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4rjwsNOCPfWZJFK72cKvji… This is a playlist that I love to listen to around the start of Autumn. For some reason the music really seems to fit at that time. None of the Joni Mitchell songs were on Spotify but tracks such as: the acoustic live version of “People’s Parties” (my very favorite: https://youtu.be/NktbeZiMYfA?si=dV0LcJEL6uo1aTbJ), “Urge for Going” (https://youtu.be/ZvSvTRhAJxg?si=hKeMtJUa95dTLGUk), “Little Green” (https://youtu.be/HTxUrDtoPP0?si=fo0yREfcqCIxaznn), “A Case of You” (https://youtu.be/0YuaZcylk_o?si=hwbPrgdwdmxUYHlM), “Court and Spark” (https://youtu.be/_1Z6I62yvfg?si=irKLbee4rBS5evAI), and “That Song About the Midway” (https://youtu.be/O9R82TThjdw?si=jA4wsRNPDVaNUJXo) are excellent. So add the above tracks if you create your own playlist outside of Spotify.

6. Smooth Sailing 50s/60s (old 1950s &1960s pop songs): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3x0UnPJDMQqXcgxDIemCep?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3RHM9yqOIQOjrOnqISFry887itxeznZ0d2wZ0XQrgwCmPqzIi_nOfYXyQ_aem_r18OoHjvhW4nyAOVmuw-ag I heard some old music on a radio station a few months ago when driving around in New Smyrna Beach and I loved it so much that, for something different, I made a whole playlist to share with everyone. So, check it out when you get the chance: Some of the lyrics are outdated for these modern times but the music is Wonderful. Also, the Sue Raney version of the second song (Till There Was You – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEoG1TYLBWI) is much better than the Peggy Lee version but Spotify didn’t have the Sue Raney version. I encourage you to check that out and replace the Peggy Lee version with the Sue Raney version if you create your own playlist outside of Spotify. It’s so much better than the Peggy Lee version and fits in well with this playlist.

7. Laid Back Lounge (chill-out lounge/cafe music): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5szvQk9eJlHix5KRs9TcL2?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1K6jE_L8fFaRFD7xH6y8sdSDw4mGtEJKQ47FhkGM9gOxQadwvITpHlJ5U_aem_bDKXVL4R48UPfwfUmu8oQQ. One song missing (not available on Spotify) is the Cafe del Mar version of Kalliope’s Lunar Landing (Here it is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X-Rg13QyTE ). I encourage you to check that out and insert it just after the track 13 (Blank & Jones: Desire – Ambient Mix) if you create your own playlist outside of Spotify. It fits in well with this playlist.

Enjoy this music over the holiday season (and beyond) and feel free to share with anyone else who might enjoy these or could use a positive thought and a smile to brighten up their day.

Lastly, just in case it might be helpful to you (or others in your life):
As a first step when I take on new life coaching clients, I usually assign the following as a homework assignment: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/how-to-defeat-any…/
Why? Because this is the entry level step for putting them into a more positive place and ensuring we are working towards actual, instead of perceived, problems. It can be a substantial waste of time, effort, and energy working towards solving non-problems and taking this step (and Step 2 below) can be instrumental in avoiding that. After 3-4 weeks of consistently addressing the external factors indicated in the post above, many people feel much better about themselves and about their lives and are better able to focus on what they really want in life instead of spending time, money, and energy trying to solve problems which are really not problems at all.

After Step 1 has been completed, Step 2 is here which offers a guaranteed way to live increasingly happier : https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/happiness-tip-clear…/

I hope the above will be helpful to you or to others in your life.
Happy Holidays everyone! May 2025 be the best year of our lives EVER! 🙂

#selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #mindfulness #peace #joy #positivethinking #balance

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

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

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024! A FEW HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2023!

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Happy New Year everyone! 2023 was a pretty good year for me (much better than 2022). Here are some of my highlights (by the numbers):

9: The number of times I provided special gifts to people for “Make a Friend Smile Day”. That’s the special occasion I created 20 years ago as the perfect excuse to offer guilt-free giving to people going through significant financial difficulties and hardships but are just too proud to ask or accept this help. The only catch is the friend must smile when using the gift because, well, there’d be no reason to have a “Make a Friend Smile Day” if the friend didn’t smile. I bought someone a computer, bought someone a smart phone, paid someone’s rent, and gave out several Publix gift cards and prepaid credit cards this year to people!

$68k: the amount I added to my “Beneficiaries Reserve Fund” due to my investment gains and budget projections based on these. This is the fund I use to help others. Most people who know me understand that whenever I have a good year in the stock market, I always set aside some of the proceeds to share with others to contribute as my gift to them – it’s a promise I make every year to God, higher power, the universe, or whatever it is you believe in (I happen to believe in all the above). You can read more about that here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-guilt-free-way-to…/

21: The number of poems I wrote and published throughout the year. The ones people seemed to resonate most with were: To Ignite a Life (A Determined Drive): https://www.facebook.com/joe.brennan.1806/posts/pfbid0QNUBeFVm9Jw6Gtp943UsnXD4AzEjHCtnwXSTtTgM4Nq6D1gZZPZ6CGbtAaNeT8nhl , The Wingman: https://www.facebook.com/joe.brennan.1806/posts/pfbid0dsPxyBC4dGeCbouj1Q5HXigmr6saJHMHS3K4HigYauRzdnt4Uj5eHecfzuc4trfBl , and Regret Sings Relentlessly (The Haunting Tunes of Truth): https://www.facebook.com/joe.brennan.1806/posts/pfbid08ynYbeHxehSAGsNdqtdRfoSDKik4Q3cSsnmgZFYMUiXd4TWVbU48hy9AJrTNdMHxl

4300: The number of photos I took on travel this year. My biggest trip was my summer road trip (1400 miles, 3 weeks which, 13 places). My favorite places during this year’s travel were Dunedin FL, Tarpon Springs FL, and Sebring FL.

391: The percentage gain of my best performing stock this year: Coinbase (COIN).

279: The total number of places I have explored and spent quality time in to date (including the above road trip).

57: The percentage I gained in the stock market this year which more than made up the 24% loss I experienced last year (2022 was my first down year in 11 years). Over the past 12 years my average annual gain is 35%. So, that’s not too bad. This is about a 5 year gain on average for every year over the past 12 years. I improved my investment strategies this year as I try to do every year. https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/how-to-lose-your…/ and https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-break-in-the…/ are two notable examples. 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. So, use any downtime you might have to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and…/). Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities

34: the number of people I helped live happier lives throughout this year.

59: The number of times I posted about my stock market activities and strategies to offer others a chance to capitalize on these. You can read about most of them here: https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market…/

93: The number of posts I wrote and published, throughout the year, focused on helping people live happier, offering hope and inspiration, keeping people informed, and making people more successful in life.

12: The number of books I read and shared my notes on throughout the year. These were primarily in the areas of self-help and self-improvement. Each of these were towards the top of the “100 Best Self-Help Books of All Time” list I’ve been reading from (So, over the years I’ve currently read the top 89 books on this list of 100 so 11 more to go!).

212: The number of days I spent on Duo Lingo learning and practicing Spanish and Portuguese throughout the year. I’ve been learning various languages on Duo Lingo for 10 years now including Spanish, Portuguese, and a tiny bit of Italian.

11 – the number of hours I spent on fitness activities in a typical week between weight training, running, stretching, and yoga.

So, 2023 was a pretty good year overall. Going forward I plan to focus on creating an electronic version of my first book of poetry (“A Farewell to Reason”) which has been out of print for several years now and some of the poetry I’ve written since then.

I’m looking forward to seeing what 2024 brings! Happy New Year Everyone! May 2024 be the best year of our lives EVER!

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

A GUILT-FREE WAY TO GIVE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Most people who know me understand that whenever I have a good year in the stock market, I always set aside some of the proceeds to share with others to contribute as my gift to them – it’s a promise I make every year to God, higher power, the universe, or whatever it is you believe in (I happen to believe in all the above).

Well, this year I earned a 56% gain so far which is about an 8-year gain on average in just one year (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities)! So, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I could do for the holidays to contribute to people I care about.

What I ended up deciding on is providing a 0% “loan” (“wink wink”) to people which they can use at any time, in any way they choose, and for whatever payment terms they choose (which can be adjusted at any time). If the “loan” is paid off within 2 years, then they owe only 90% of the loan total.

The reason I provided a 0% “loan” is many people feel much more comfortable with that than receiving a large sum of money as a gift – it tends to be more guilt-free in nature as a lot of people are uncomfortable receiving larger amounts of cash as gifts. However, I have given them each the option of paying the “loan” back (or not). I provided everyone with three choices regarding this gift:

1. Accept the “loan” at any time up until 30 November 2024 as their gift from me and pay it back on whatever terms they like (which they can adjust at any time). This would especially be a great option if they have debts they would like to at least partially pay down or any new purchases they would like to make without having to pay any interest. Again, they are not required to pay the “loan” back. However, if they do then I will offer their “loan” to the next person. So, it does not affect me in the least if they are not able to pay back the “loan” for whatever reason. Because even if they do, I gain no benefit since I’m just going to just offer the “loan* to the next person. And if they end up not being able to pay it back, then as far as I’m concerned it just means they needed the money more than the next person. Lastly, if they do end up paying the “loan” back within 2 years then they only pay 90% of the loan total (a 10% discount).

2. Decline the “loan” anytime up to 30 November 2024 and receive $150 as their gift from me. If they decline the “loan,” then I will offer it to the next person. So, I gain no benefit if they decline the “loan.” As such, I encourage them to use the “loan” if it might be helpful to them.

3. Allow the “loan” to expire on 30 November 2024 without using it and receive $150 as their gift from me. If the “loan” expires, I will offer it to the next person. So, I gain no benefit if the “loan” expires.

Any “loan” (or any portion of any loan) not paid off within 2 years is automatically forgiven. Thus, the recipient(s) will owe nothing after 2 years.

So, the above is how I decided to contribute this year. Perhaps the above will be helpful to some of you in figuring out how to contribute when good things happen for you. I hope it does.

Have a wonderful holiday season everyone!

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

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! A TINY GIFT FOR YOU!

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

One thing I used to do years ago for the holidays was hand out themed compilation CDs of music people couldn’t buy anywhere to give them something special and unique and wonderful to listen to over the holiday season (and beyond). They did not contain holiday music or anything which, for me, tends to get old after a short while – just unique music that is nice to listen to for something different. I was always particular and intentional about the themes I came up with and always ordered the tracks in such a way to ensure they created a wonderful musical experience and a smooth flow from one track to the next.

I used to do this year-after-year up until the widespread use of I-tunes, media players, Spotify and such. So, I started to realize CDs were probably a waste of time and effort. Well, the last couple of years I decided to recreate some of those CDs as Playlists on Spotify.

I might continue the above practice next year, but for this year I decided to create a new 1950s/1960s playlist. I heard some old music on a radio station a few months ago when driving around in New Smyrna Beach and I loved it so much that, for something different, I made a whole playlist to share with everyone. So, check it out when you get the chance:

Smooth Sailing 50s & 60s: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3x0UnPJDMQqXcgxDIemCep…

I hope you will enjoy this as much as I do. Some of the lyrics are outdated for these modern times but the music is Wonderful. Also, the Sue Raney version of the second song (Till There Was You – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEoG1TYLBWI) is much better than the Peggy Lee version but Spotify didn’t have the Sue Raney version. I encourage you to check that out and replace the Peggy Lee version with the Sue Raney version if you create your own playlist outside of Spotify. It’s so much better than the Peggy Lee version and fits in well with this playlist. Also, feel free to modify the playlist to make it your own including adding some of your favorites.

Below are the five playlists I provided in previous years so feel free to check these out as well over the holidays (and beyond):

1. Classical Gems (nice and soothing classical music): Classical Gems – playlist by Joe Brennan | Spotify

2. Candlelight Classic Jazz I (mainly old classic vocal jazz): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1R0tZBB8MOZUJgA01LrK2C…

3. Candlelight Classic Jazz II (mainly old classic instrumental jazz): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/10ZO5Mrv5fF2Uns7QEzWVT…

4. New Age (Morningtide-Eveningtide): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5S0Re0yHvQma9WMai20w36…

People really seemed to love this one for helping them to relax and even sleep. One song (What a Beautiful Sunset by Angelwing) was not available on Spotify but I encourage you to check out this excellent song as well: https://youtu.be/pXgjQPgh4bM?si=ovRvGhgp3V_G47JI . You can add this wonderful track if you create your own playlist outside of Spotify.

5. Acoustic Tracks: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4rjwsNOCPfWZJFK72cKvji… This is a playlist that I love to listen to around the start of Autumn. For some reason the music really seems to fit at that time. None of the Joni Mitchell songs were on Spotify but tracks such as: the acoustic live version of “People’s Parties” (my very favorite:

https://youtu.be/NktbeZiMYfA?si=dV0LcJEL6uo1aTbJ), “Urge for Going” (https://youtu.be/ZvSvTRhAJxg?si=hKeMtJUa95dTLGUk), “Little Green” (https://youtu.be/HTxUrDtoPP0?si=fo0yREfcqCIxaznn), “A Case of You” (https://youtu.be/0YuaZcylk_o?si=hwbPrgdwdmxUYHlM), “Court and Spark” (https://youtu.be/_1Z6I62yvfg?si=irKLbee4rBS5evAI), and “That Song About the Midway” (https://youtu.be/O9R82TThjdw?si=jA4wsRNPDVaNUJXo) are excellent. So add the above tracks if you create your own playlist outside of Spotify.

Enjoy this music over the holiday season (and beyond) and feel free to share with anyone else who might enjoy these or could use a positive thought and a smile to brighten up their day.

Lastly, just in case it might be helpful to you (or others in your life):

As a first step when I take on new life coaching clients, I usually assign the following as a homework assignment: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/how-to-defeat-any…/

Why? Because this is the entry level step for putting them into a more positive place and ensuring we are working towards actual, instead of perceived, problems. It can be a substantial waste of time, effort, and energy working towards solving non-problems and taking this step (and Step 2 below) can be instrumental in avoiding that. After 3-4 weeks of consistently addressing the external factors indicated in the post above, many people feel much better about themselves and about their lives and are better able to focus on what they really want in life instead of spending time, money, and energy trying to solve problems which are really not problems at all.

After Step 1 has been completed, Step 2 is here which offers a guaranteed way to live increasingly happier : https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/happiness-tip-clear…/

I hope the above will be helpful to you or to others in your life.

Happy Holidays everyone! May 2024 be the best year of our lives EVER! 🙂

#selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #mindfulness #peace #joy #positivethinking #balance

HAPPINESS/SUCCESS TIP: MAINTAIN A SENSE OF OPENNESS, OBJECTIVITY, AND FLEXIBITY

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Here’s a Happiness/Success Tip on maintaining a sense of openness, objectivity, and flexibility throughout the days, months, years, and decades of your life. The human quality of consistency is overrated. Ways to learn and grow and evolve as a person include being open to new information and ideas and making adjustments along the way. This is an intelligent way to live and you’ll be much happier and more successful in life if you do.

So, get in the practice of embracing openness, objectivity, and flexibility and releasing close-mindedness, subjectivity, and rigidity. And don’t worry so much about maintaining a sense of consistency. Things change and you must adapt to these changes all along the way.

What a wonderful world we could all live in and share if we each lived in this fashion.

This and other happiness tips and topics are provided throughout my self-help, happiness, and investment oriented books: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/

#joy #love #gratitude #appreciation #selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #peace #mindfulness

HAPPINESS TIP ON LIVING SIMPLY

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Here’s a Happiness Tip on living simply.

What should you do with your life?

Enjoy it, smile a lot, and be happy.

Simply explore and experience anything and everything in life which might create these happy kinds of things for you.

It’s that simple.

You’re welcome! 🙂

This and other happiness tips and topics are provided throughout my self-help, happiness, and investment oriented books: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/

#joy #love #gratitude #appreciation #selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #peace #mindfulness

HAPPINESS TIP: ALWAYS LEAD WITH A SMILE AND HAPPY THOUGHTS TOWARDS OTHERS

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Here’s a simple Happiness Tip guaranteed to bring immediate and sustained joy throughout the days, weeks, and years of your life… Every time you come in contact with someone, lead with a smile and the thought: “I wish you much happiness and hope you find many reasons to laugh and smile today.” And mean it. You can also bring people in your life to mind (past and present) and do the same.

Observe how wonderful it makes you feel every time you do this – and do it often. What a wonderful world we could all share if we all did this. A world filled with joy and loving-kindness instead of judgment and negativity.

So, do this for yourself (and others) each and every day and smile a little more. 🙂

This and other happiness tips and topics are provided throughout my self-help, happiness, and investment oriented books: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/

#joy #love #gratitude #appreciation #selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #peace #mindfulness