My kids started school today—2nd and 4th grade. They’re 7 and 9 years old. That hit me: halfway to 14 and 18. Halfway to driver’s licenses, college applications, and the day they’ll be out making their own way in the world.
It’s a reminder of how quickly time moves, and how life refuses to fit neatly into boxes and formulas. You can’t build a spreadsheet for growing up. You can’t perfectly calculate the value of family dinners, the chaos of school mornings, or the joy of watching your kids sprint into class with oversized backpacks.
And yet, when it comes to money, we often try to live as though life is nothing more than cells, rows, and columns. We track, we project, we optimize. But not everything that matters can be measured by a dollar amount.
Money is a tool, but it’s not the scorecard for a life well lived. You can measure your net worth, but you can’t measure the look on your child’s face when you surprise them.
Too often, we reduce life to math: How much did this cost? What’s the ROI? Can I afford to take the risk? Those questions matter—but if they’re the only ones we ask, we’ll miss the richness of life beyond the cells in Excel.
There’s a belief that if you just plan enough, save enough, optimize enough, you’ll be secure and happy. But no spreadsheet can predict the curveballs life throws, or the opportunities it presents.
Waiting until the math works perfectly before taking that trip, buying that car, starting that business, buying that dream house, or pursuing that passion often means waiting forever.
A family vacation might not be the best financial decision on paper, but the laughter, connection, and stories that come from it are worth more than any investment return.
Financial planning is important. But when every decision has to “make sense” on paper, you risk missing out on what money is really for: living well.
Ask yourself, what’s the worst that can happen?
So you have to sell what you bought, or work a bit harder to pay for it.
The important thing is you tried it. You bought it. You enjoyed it. Your family enjoyed it. You all created memories. You did something on your bucket list.
Congratulations, you lived.
Too many people go through life and never scratch that itch. They don’t do or buy that thing they always wanted.
Time is the one thing we can’t replenish. And time spent only optimizing for tomorrow often steals from today.
At the end of our lives, no one says, “I’m glad my spreadsheet balanced perfectly.” or “I’m glad I have this amount of money.” They talk about the experiences, the adventures, the people, and the moments.
Happiness, joy, and once in a lifetime experiences deserve a line item, even if they can’t be modeled with precision.
The true bottom line is joy, love, and fulfillment.
For me, it’s as simple as watching my kids head off to school. Time doesn’t wait for the math to line up.
I needed to be reminded of this. Maybe you did also.
Yes, be smart with money. Build the spreadsheets. Make the financial plans. But don’t let the formulas keep you from living. Some decisions are meant to be made with the heart, not the calculator. They create memories you’ll never forget.
Because life isn’t a spreadsheet. The richest life isn’t the one with the most dollars. In the end, it’s the one with the most meaning.
The Coffee Table ☕
I loved J.C. Parets’s piece Markets Don’t Care About Your Feelings (or Your Politics). It was so spot on and an excellent reminder. I love the way he ends it.
And don’t worry about what other people do with their money. That’s none of your business.
Just like it’s nobody’s business what you do with your money.
The WSJ had a good story on that there are now signs emerging that AI is having an effect on entry-level jobs. There Is Now Clearer Evidence AI Is Wrecking Young Americans’ Job Prospects
This has been making the rounds on social media recently. It’s an interesting thing to think about and will make ponder it.
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