💡 Decisions vs Attempts

Yes. This is the City Chad, your lifestyle genie, here to grant your wishes for a better life. Let’s start rubbing the lamp!

In this week’s edition:

• Markets: ⬆️ Pamp it

• Article: 💡 Decisions vs. Attempts

• News: 💸 Tipping is out of Control

• Beta of the Week: 🏦 Sam Bankman-Fried

Enjoying the content? Follow Us: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn

THIS WEEK’S EDITION BROUGHT TO YOU BY…

It doesn't matter whether you're a growth, value or contrarian investor, you'll find value in reading The Average Joe, a 3x-weekly newsletter covering stock market trends, news and analysis.

Over 19k investors rely on them to discover trends like:

• Cloud companies are taking over as the next FAANG stocks and here are the companies with the potential to drive returns… 

• Canadian tech companies are seeing explosive growth and here’s how you can diversify your portfolio beyond US stocks… 

• Biden’s infrastructure bill could electrify the commercial EV sector and this electric bus maker stands to benefit...

Subscribe to the free newsletter and become a better investor by reading their 5-minute, jargon-free stock market updates. 

MARKETS: ⬆️ PAMP IT

The market rally continued from last week. How fun, right?

After a brutal end of summer and early autumn things are starting to settle upwards. 

It feels that investors are getting warmer to the idea that we are turning a corner. Yes, the corner in the street of the FED tightening cycle.

Now, even the most recently hated asset classes like bonds are starting to come back in fashion. 

Why? Bonds “compete” with interest rates for investors’ money. 

When interest rates rise, the competition gets tougher and bonds lose value. When rates are expected to fall, bonds become more attractive.

There you go. Your first bond finance class. You’re welcome.

Anyway, despite all the good news, nothing is certain in this world. And we may yet be surprised with what is to come from Mr Powell.

In the meantime, enjoy the ride…

ARTICLE: 💡 DECISIONS VS. ATTEMPTS

TLDR: We talk about the difference between deciding and trying. You should be absolutely crystal clear what on your to do list is a decision or an attempt. Things under our control are decisions. Things that involve people and circumstances around us are attempts. Learn how to manage both in the most effective way.

• 📰 Introduction

• 🤔 Decision vs. Attempt: What's the Score?

• 🎯 Locus of Control: The VIP Pass

• 🔎 Discerning Between Decisions and Attempts: Commit to the Control

• 🔑 The Key Takeaway

Hola Chads and Chadettes.

Buckle up, we're diving deeper into the mind gym, where we buff up our decision-making muscles. 

Remember when we talked about decision fatigue? That brain-drain we get from picking one-too-many things.

Well, today we're gonna slice and dice the difference between making boss moves (decisions) and taking shots (attempts).

🤔 Decision vs. Attempt: What's the Score?

Let's break it down, shall we? 

Decisions are your jam. They’re about calling the shots on things you can boss around. 

We're talking about the plans you craft, the actions you take, the power moves you know will leave a mark.

Then you've got attempts — those hail marys you throw, hoping they'll catch because they're mingling with stuff like chance, other people’s moods, or just the universe doing its thing.

🎯 Locus of Control: The VIP Pass

First of all, what is the locus of control?

According to Psychology Today, “locus of control refers to the degree to which an individual feels a sense of agency in regard to his or her life.” 

In a sense your locus of control is like your VIP pass to the party of life. 

If it's internal, you're the DJ, mixing the beats. If it's external, you're more like the party-goer, vibing to the playlist life throws on. 

Spoiler alert: being the DJ is where it's at. 

Internal locus folks believe they can shape their own banger of a life track. 

This isn’t about whispering to the cosmos. It's about taking the wheel and driving down Success Boulevard.

This is a spectrum. Nobody is 100% one or the other. So if you have to choose to be one way, choose to be internally focused.

Why? Research has generally suggested that those with a more internal locus of control are more successful, healthier, and happier than those with a more external locus.

🔎 Discerning Between Decisions and Attempts: Commit to the Control

Alright, let's really drill down here and combine these concepts. 

Seeing things through the "in-my-control" or "not-in-my-control" lens is like separating your protein from your carbs.

OK let’s say you’ve now done this.

Great, what’s next?

Well, when you spot something you can control, you've got to lock it in as a decision. 

This isn't just about making a choice; it's about committing to it, like committing to leg day — no skipping out.

On the flip side, for the stuff that's outta your hands, give it your best and call it an attempt. 

You're giving it your best without expecting to totally own the game. It's like throwing a three-pointer; you've practiced the shot, but there's always a chance it'll rim out. 

And that's cool because not everything’s about sinking baskets. Sometimes it's about playing the game.

Now the promised land lies where you start acting and tilting towards making more decisions rather than attempts.

When you focus on what is in your locus of control.

You treat those decisions with the respect they deserve. 

If you say you wake up at 7am, then that’s a decision. It’s locked in. Now, if you don’t do it, you’re telling yourself you can’t be trusted.

No bueno.

If you can't wake up on time because you’re too tired, then ask yourself, what decisions did you make to not be able to do what you wanted to do?

The idea is that you train yourself to see the path to where you want to be and where you want to go as a function of your decisions, not your circumstances.

Escaping the victim mentality and empowering yourself all in one fell swoop.

Boom!

🔑 The Key Takeaway

Alright here's the game plan: master the art of spotting the decisions in your to-do list and tackle 'em like they're the last set in your workout — with everything you've got. 

As for attempts? Give them a shot, but don't let 'em steal your mojo if they don't pan out. 

Remember, a Chad knows when to flex those decision-making muscles and when to roll with the punches. 

Now go out there and conquer that list like the champs you are.

And like Yoda said “do or do not, there is no try”

NEWS: 💸 TIPPING IS OUT OF CONTROL

When going out for a meal or drinks with colleagues, it's not a bad idea to leave a bit of money as a tip for good service.

As long as it's deserved. 

Something in this courteous gesture took a wrong turn and became an obligation, at least in the United States.

Recent surveys show that half of Americans are fed up with tipping.

And more than half believe that places that didn't used to ask for tips are now doing so excessively. 

You might say, "But Chad, we have to tip; employees need it."

And I partially agree with you. 

Leaving a tip is indeed a good way to express gratitude for good service. 

But, newsflash, when a tip is required, it is not a tip: it’s part of the price.

Why are we BS-ing ourselves and creating awkward situations?

This just creates a certain animosity between the customer and the employee. 

It turns a pleasant experience into a guilt trip.

Let's hope that tipping becomes a gesture of gratitude again and not an obligation.

Meanwhile, here at City Chad, we don't force you to leave a tip.

We just ask you to share this newsletter with your friends 😉

BETA OF THE WEEK: 🏦 SAM BANKMAN-FRIED

They say the bigger they are, the harder they fall. And it seems to be nothing but the truth.

The perfect example is Sam Bankman-Fried. SBF for friends. Although you probably already know him, he was the CEO of FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange.

He was portrayed as a different millionaire, an altruist, a vegan who doesn't wear fancy clothes and drives a Toyota Corolla.

He was also described by Fortune magazine as the next Warren Buffet.

Everything seemed fine until the news broke of massive issues in his organization. To cut the story short, the matter reeked of fraud and misappropriation of funds.

Recently, SBF was found guilty of all the charges against him.

These charges included using, without consent, customers' funds from the FTX cryptocurrency exchange platform to finance risky investments for the Alameda Research fund, as well as to buy properties in the Bahamas.

The sentence sums up to 110 years in prison.

What's the moral of the story?

Well, we can all learn something from here.

Obviously, gambling with money that isn't yours is generally a bad idea, especially if you use it to fund your personal gain.

But most importantly, be wary of sacred cows.

SBF was touted as the best thing since sliced bread. A fair degree of skepticism from users and investors would have served them well. Ouchie.

💖 SHARE THE LOVE

If you enjoy this content, please share it with those you love. Hit the little button below and the magic will happen:

🧔‍♂️ CHAD MEME

DISCLAIMER

The material on this email and our website is for informational and entertainment purposes only and we make no guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of its content – it is subject to change. Please conduct your own due diligence and research.

None of this information is financial advice, and you should consult your financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Your capital is at risk and you may lose more than you initially invested. We do not provide any offer or solicitation to buy or sell any investment products, nor does this constitute an offer to provide investment advisory services.

The Chad index (“the index”) is a combination of historical returns for the following assets:

Equities: Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF USD Acc
Fixed Income: iShares Core Gl Aggregate Bd UCITS ETF USD Hgd Acc
Real Estate: iShares Developed Markets Property Yield UCITS ETF USD (Acc)
Gold: Gold Bullion Securities Limited
Ethereum
Bitcoin

The index is rebalanced quarterly to the target weights shown in the table. The target weights are subject to change. The index does not represent the performance of a real portfolio and does not imply a recommendation to invest in any of those assets. Past performance is not an indication of future performance.