What's in store for you:

1. Photo From My Life
2. Financial Thought: Gold
3. Life Thought: Balancing Baby and Business
4. Good Sh*t: Nothing

Subscribe to this Newsletter

Photo From My Life:

Financial Thought:

Gold: As you can probably imagine, I haven't had a ton of time to think (or write) this week. So for today, I wanted to share a short summary of a recent piece by Ben Carlson that resonated with me. Gold is having a moment. It’s up ~60% this year and ~30% in just the last few months.

At first glance, gold seems like a safe bet. It’s tangible, historically valuable, and often surges during times of uncertainty. But here’s the thing I struggle with. Gold doesn’t produce anything. It doesn’t generate earnings. It doesn’t throw off cash. It just sits there and needs to be stored and protected. That's a real cost. The investment is entirely predicated on someone else believing it's more valuable at a later date.

That might work in short periods, but when I think about building wealth over the long-term (5+ years), I care about owning productive assets. I want to own businesses (directly or through public markets) that create real earnings. I want those earnings reinvested to grow even more earnings. I want cash flows that can compound.

Carlson’s piece does a good job walking through gold’s history. Yes, it soared in the 1970s. But for decades after, it underperformed dramatically. The S&P 500 compounded quietly in the background thanks to reinvested profits and innovation. From 1980 to 2019, gold returned ~2.8% annually. The S&P 500? Over 11%. That’s the magic of compound growth from productive assets.

I understand why some people treat gold as insurance or a diversifier. But for me, the long-term game is about owning things that continuously compound.

A more interesting topic for another email is the potential for bitcoin to disrupt gold as the store of value over the coming years. That's a great debate to have and I'll write about that when I have a bit more time and energy.

Life Thought:

Balancing Baby and Business: There are moments when I wish I worked at a big tech company. One of those moments? Right now. So many of them offer 3-4 months of paternity leave. That sounds like a dream. But that’s not who I am. I chose a different path, and as I remind myself often, comparison is the thief of joy.

So how am I handling work post-baby?

Honestly, I’m trying to strike a balance. I want to be present and supportive for my family and I also want to continue being the entrepreneur I’ve chosen to be. My clients depend on me, and the time I put in has a direct impact on my performance (and outcomes).

The plan? I’ll likely be working at about 50% capacity for the next few weeks before slowly ramping back up. My key to survival is going to be time blocking. I plan on concentrating my calls into specific windows each week so I can be more flexible with the rest of my time. That’ll leave space for “free-form” work whenever it’s most convenient for my family.

It’s not perfect, but it's what needs to be done. And for now, that’s enough.

Wish me luck.

Good Sh*t:

Nothing this week:

Nothing too exciting to share this week. It's been a blur.

Disclaimer: VDB Wealth is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

‍