💰 What financial habits are you trying to change?


Hey,

All of our regular habits create neural pathways in our brains. The more frequent the habit, the deeper the groove. Habits can be a thought, like “I’m just not good with money.” They can be an action, like impulse spending. And you can also be habitually avoidant of something, like investing your money.

The most ingrained neural pathways are like the Grand Canyon in our brains. Changing the path is like shoveling the Grand Canyon. Changing our habits is difficult because it takes a lot of regular effort.

If you’re trying to change a financial habit but are struggling, remember that you’re shoveling the Grand Canyon. It takes time and effort. And progress doesn’t always feel like progress.

And if you want some help changing your financial habits and creating new ones, I’m partnering with Ladies Talking About Money to provide personal financial planning this year. There are still a handful of spots open, but they’re filling up fast. Inquire here.

Your friend,


1. 💸 Scared money doesn't make money with Sonja Rasula (Weird Finance) In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to entrepreneur and founder of Unique Markets, Sonja Rasula (@sonjarasula) about her curiosity and how it leads to asking financial questions, taking risks, knowing which rules to break, taking decisive action, and why people don’t spend money on themselves.

2. 💭 17 Thoughts About Money (A Wealth of Common Sense)

3. 📖 Confessions of an AI Clickbait Kingpin (WIRED) Serbian DJ turned internet entrepreneur Nebojša Vujinović Vujo floods abandoned news sites with AI-generated articles. But he wants you to know he's a nice guy.

4. 🤓 A bookkeeping thing - Why You Should Stop Doing Your Own Taxes (Especially if You're Self-Employed) (HYG Original)

5. 💰 The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger (The Cut) I never thought I was the kind of person to fall for a scam.

6. 🎒The State of the Culture, 2024 (The Honest Broker) “The tech platforms aren’t like the Medici in Florence, or those other rich patrons of the arts. They don’t want to find the next Michelangelo or Mozart. They want to create a world of junkies—because they will be the dealers.”

7. 📱Is the Media Prepared for an Extinction-Level Event? (The New Yorker) “Between 2005 and 2024, roughly three thousand newspapers in the U.S. have closed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, newspapers lost more than forty thousand staffers during the same period. Two hundred and four counties in the U.S. now have no local news—high-poverty areas are most affected—and, by the end of this year, it’s expected that the U.S. will have lost a third of its newspapers.”

8. 🏡 A Life Without A Home (The New York Times) Voices from the tents, shelters, cars, motels and couches of America. “You are basically on a timer that gives you anxiety and puts you on an edge. I have to figure out how to come up with another 70 bucks in less than 24 hours every day. It’s the same thing as being homeless. Yeah, I can sleep here for 12 hours but in 12 hours I got to figure something out, so I am not doing anything with that 12 hours — just stressing over how I’m going to pay for the next 12 hours. I can’t focus on what I am going to do to move forward. You can’t do that in 12 hours.”


@thehellyeahgroup


From helping you get a grip on your spending to planning for retirement and tackling debt, we’re working with Ladies Talking About Money to provide personal financial planning. Our approach to money and personal finance is all about making it accessible, less scary, and meeting you where you are. We have limited spots available; fill out an inquiry form here.

If you have a question you’d like me to answer on the Weird Finance podcast, you can leave me a voicemail at 1-833-ASK-PACO. You can also email me your question by replying to this email or emailing us at weirdfinancepod@gmail.com.

The Nerdletter is put together by my Editorial Assistant, Cole Yaverbaum, of Ladies Talking About Money.

Please consider several ways you can contribute to this important mission – an inclusive conversation about money, finances, and capitalism for Creatives.

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We can't do this work without you.

Thanks for being part of the crew and reading this far. Peace.

The Nerdletter by Paco de Leon

Want money advice that you can actually understand? So much money advice ignores who we are, our background, our values, and our emotions. I’ll show you how to be in better control of your money every week, even if you’re just starting out.

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