The highest dividend money pays? Control — over your time, your energy, your life.
And most people chasing wealth have no idea that’s the return they’re actually after.
I’ve been rereading The Psychology of Money (love this book!). There’s a line in there that should be tattooed on every financial dashboard:
“The ability to do what you want, when you want, with whom you want, for as long as you want, is priceless.”
That’s it. That’s the game.
Everything else is a distraction with nicer branding.
We’ve glamorized a version of success that chains people to six-figure incomes and seven-figure stress.
They’ve got equity, but no margin. Liquidity, but no leverage. Time-starved and tethered to a job, a lifestyle, or a founder’s vision they don’t control.
What’s the point of being “rich” if you’re still running someone else’s schedule?
When you’ve helped smart people manage millions — and built a business without a net — you start to see the real pattern:
Money doesn’t buy happiness.
It buys options.
And the people with the most options make the best decisions — because they’re not forced to make desperate ones.
Cash in the bank isn’t “lazy.” It’s leverage.
It’s the ability to walk away from a toxic boss.
To say no to short-term wins that threaten long-term alignment.
To wait — for the right deal, the right partner, the right exit.
Wall Street says your idle cash earns 0%.
But on Main Street?
It’s earning peace of mind, freedom, and the power to say:
“Not now. Not that. Not for me.”
When you have no financial margin, you have no emotional margin.
No space to think. No space to pivot. No ability to say no.
The folks who look “aggressive” in a downturn?
They’re not bold. They’re liquid.
They bought optionality years ago with boring, quiet savings.
This is why I hammer on liquidity, cash flow, and margin with clients.
Because when you buy back your time, the rest of your life gets sharper:
Your health. Your work. Your relationships. Your decisions.