The 5 Assets I Own Instead of Car Payments
Every dollar above the 15% ceiling is a dollar with a better use. Here is exactly where mine goes.
I am not anti-car. I own two vehicles. I think about cars the way my father thought about his taxi — as a capital allocation decision, not a lifestyle statement.
Bitcoin — 90% of investable assets
I am aware this is a concentrated position. I have studied the monetary policy argument extensively and I believe it is the most asymmetric asset available to someone without institutional access. The relevant point: every dollar that goes to a lender is a dollar that cannot appreciate. The car payment is competing with the best-performing asset of the last decade.
S&P 500 — steady and boring
My Roth IRA is fully funded annually. S&P 500 index fund. The 50-year historical average of 10.5% per year does not require attention. It compounds. $200 a month above the 15% ceiling, invested at 10.5% for 10 years, is $41,000.
Real estate, gold, and HYSA
I own property in Queens. The mortgage is the only debt I carry. Real estate is the one context where leverage makes sense because the asset produces income. Small gold position. Six months of expenses in a high-yield savings account at 4.7%. The HYSA is what creates choice — most people who overpay on cars are not doing it because they love expensive cars. They are doing it from financial pressure.