220 | Financial Fingerprints

Good spending is trading money for contentment.

And contentment is about as unique as a fingerprint, but more, because you can't see it.

Some of us, whether we know it or not, define it by the clock.

How many hours of contentment does a dollar generate?

Of course, there's simple math like...

A $7 beer that lasts 30 minutes is $14 per hour of contentment.

A $15 cocktail that lasts 15 minutes is $60 per hour of contentment.

A 4-hour round of golf for $80 comes in at $20 per hour, while a 20-minute paragliding adventure for $200 is $600 per hour.

A $100,000 kitchen renovation might only be $10 per hour, and a $1,000 mattress could be less than $0.10 per hour.

But then there's the calculus of it too...

"Expectation equity", or the positive feelings around the anticipation, camaraderie, and preparation for something in the future - think about the last time you made a dinner reservation or bought tickets to a sporting event.

And to borrow from Clay "memory dividends", or the lingering positive feelings associated with money well spent - think about the stories that are re-told forever or the relationships that blossom from shared experience.

Once "expectation equity" and "memory dividends" enter the equation, hours of contentment turn into days, months, and years.

And it becomes a little easier to see contentment as a financial fingerprint.