Personal Finance: Not Very Sexy, huh?

In terms of interests, I’ve always strived for simplicity. Drawn to the outdoors at a very young age in the dense Appalachian forests of western North Carolina, and later to rock climbing, I believed fully that a life in pursuit of simple pleasures was good enough. I didn’t need a big salary to buy nice things to impress others. Sadly, this is the rhythm and life of too many people. I never considered the utility of a personal finance strategy. So why should you?

The Outdoors Community

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that many outdoorsy-types are also drawn to this life of simplicity. And that’s great! So many people in this country are riddled with the debt of living beyond their means; it’s refreshing to know that our tribe is largely content on life with a low spending baseline.

However, the issue I see is the at-times reckless pursuit of “now” with little concern for “tomorrow”. Climbing has long since glamorized the dirtbag life: quitting your job, climbing, and living for today. It’s very tempting! If you spend more than five minutes on Instagram (as a climber anyway), you are going to be digitally sprayed down with stunning landscapes, modified van interiors, and roof-top downward dogs. You might ask yourself, “why am I in this office right now???”.

What you won’t hear in the outdoors community is talk of long-term stability through a strategic personal finance plan. Whoa, now doesn’t that sound sexy!?

And obviously I’m generalizing. I know many climbers are working “typical” jobs, saving, and investing. I’m trying to promote that sweet spot of both living to the fullest but also having some semblance of a future beyond a shoulder shrug. What you desire in life as a young adult could be vastly different than what makes you happy in your 50s, 60s, and beyond.

In my 20s I treated money the same way: Keep the checking account above zero and don’t sweat the details. Here’s a little background on why I’ve gone full circle, even to the point of getting up early to write about this stuff. Oh how I suffer for you.

Let’s Take it Back

Money, investing, and anything related to personal finance used to make me want to puke. I thought that anyone who concerned themselves with such trite things only wanted to be rich. I still think being rich is stupid. But being wealthy is smart. It took me years to understand that there is a difference.

I realize I’m trying to break a tough nut by introducing concepts of personal finance and investing to the climbing community. I know that because I was one of those people. Anyone who talked about investing or the stock market were a total choch in my mind. I wanted a simple life and time outside, all of which thankfully required minimal funds and no input from the stock market.

On the Job

Despite my minimal “input” needs and desires, I ended up securing a nice salary anyway. It wasn’t my intention; my current career more-or-less showed up at the right time and in the right place. I chose geology in college because it suited my outdoor sensibilities and my love of science. I never thought I’d end up in oil and gas. The job landed in my lap in 2010, as the rest of the country was clawing its way out of a deep recession. I certainly wasn’t going to turn a job down while so many others were struggling to make ends meet. If you want more of our background story, check it out.

But here I was, a mountain guy living in Houston, TX. I still didn’t care about nice things. I now had an amazing woman with layers of depth beyond a shy and sweet demeanor (now Mrs. CC, President of Graphic Design at CC Enterprises). She cared even less about nice things, but we found ourselves in a city rife with materialism and status. We also found ourselves with incomes that exceeded our minimal needs.

Building a Surplus and Processing Savings

But when my savings started to increase, I began to research the best methods to process this surplus. At some foundational level, I knew a traditional savings account wasn’t going to cut it for the long-run. I quickly realized that some form of investing is damn-near required to fund any retirement. Saving 50%+ of your income is a bomb-proof strategy, but you can’t just keep that money under your mattress.

So I ordered The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham. It’s a bit dry in places, but it gave me somewhere to start. (Below is an affiliate link for the book if the library isn’t your cup of tea. More on how we use affiliate links here.)

Here’s the Cliff Notes: I was pleased to learn that passive investing in index funds is not only the easiest, but also the most fruitful long-term investing strategy. How many times in life is the easiest path the best path? Practically never. So you might consider taking advantage of this simple pleasure.

We, like most new investors, were afraid of the stock market. We only threw a few thousand dollars into the market, and I kick myself all the time for not going harder sooner. No matter.

The Catalyst

Years later the catalyst came. For reasons I discuss in this post, my industry was experiencing a sharp downturn. I was sick of worrying about whether I’d have a job, and sick of hoping I wouldn’t be returned to Houston from my new home in Colorado. I was sick of hearing people with six-figure incomes talk about not having enough money to support their life. Have you ever worried that depleting funds could influence your life trajectory? Ugh.

A friend thankfully introduced me to Mr. Money Mustache (thanks dude!). I instantly fell hard for the concepts of financial independence and started branching out to many other writers in this space. These were very bright people who wanted a simple life, and they wanted it on their terms. Investing was no longer for business people in suits, it was a way to create the ultimate life.

Personal Finance: The New Message

So now I’m here to tell you that investing and building wealth is for anyone. It’s all about the objective. If you are investing as a way to make short-term money, I’m not interested. If you want to think long-term, thinking of money not as a means to an end but as a vehicle, you have my attention.

I’ve come full circle. I once desired a simple life and modest means to get me there. I still desire that same simple life, and with basic investment strategies we’re on a path to securing that life for the rest of our lives. No spam, no B.S.; we’re not selling anything here. Real talk.

People should be talking about money. We shouldn’t look down on those who want to build wealth as though they are somehow not committed to the simple outdoor lifestyle. Is full freedom not one of the unspoken core tenants of the outdoor lifestyle? Office workers (aka cubicle drones) are mocked and taken for chumps, and they are assumed to be less committed to the climbing life. However, if that chump office worker can be intentional about personal finance and free of mandatory work in a decade or less, perhaps he or she gets the last laugh after all.

Now that’s sexy!

If folks are building wealth in a sustainable way — living out their passions, spending more time with loved ones and friends — is that not true success?

However, if building wealth means sacrificing health and general well-being, or time with one’s family — that is not success, that’s tragedy. Priorities are misaligned for these folks, and they are using money as the goal. Money should always be the vehicle.

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Alrightyyyy then! That’s enough CC rant for today folks. But do tell, how has your view on personal finance changed over the years?