The Real Strategy
A step-by-step playbook to start investing with an actual plan — built from four years of figuring out money the hard way, so it takes you a lot less than four years to use it.
This isn't another list of vague tips. It's a 21-chapter, 8-part system that walks you from "I don't know where to start" to a fully invested, automated portfolio — one page at a time. Every chapter follows the same shape: the concept explained plainly, a "Do this now" box with the actual action tied to it, and the common mistake that usually only gets learned the expensive way. You're meant to work through it once in order, then come back to specific chapters as reference for as long as you're investing.
What's inside
- Part 1 — Readiness check: investing vs. saving vs. speculating, the two boxes to check before you start, and why starting now beats starting "ready"
- Part 2 — Set your target: your goal and time horizon, and the four numbers that actually determine your outcome
- Part 3 — Choose your container: account types, the tax-efficiency stack, and how to actually open the account this week
- Part 4 — Choose your investments: risk tolerance vs. risk capacity, allocation frameworks, index funds vs. stocks, and three complete sample starter portfolios
- Part 5 — Automate & maintain: automating contributions, rebalancing, dollar-cost averaging vs. lump sum
- Part 6 — Stay on track: the behavioral traps that quietly cost more than any market drop, capital gains and tax-loss harvesting, and how to spot bad financial advice
- Part 7 — Level up: Roth conversions, HSAs, the backdoor Roth, and where "safe" money should actually sit
- Part 8 — Budgeting foundation: the 50/30/20 framework that feeds the contribution number the whole playbook runs on
- Back matter: a one-page investing policy statement, plus 4 fillable trackers — monthly budget, net worth, portfolio, and annual goals — and a full glossary