I'll Retire Better Than 99% of People

Good morning!

I hope this finds you well.

Welcome to another edition of The Matt Viera Newsletter.

The newsletter with the goal to inspire you to invest in life experiences.

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If you spend time on social media (X in particular), you notice specific content patterns, especially in the personal finance space.

A lot of it goes beyond simple personal finance tips to things like:

• Buy Bitcoin

• Invest in rental real estate

• Millionaire money habits & mindset

But it’s that Bitcoin content on X that can be a bit overwhelming.

Now, I don’t have anything against Bitcoin.

I even considered buying Bitcoin at one point.

But then it hit me:

• Why am I considering buying Bitcoin now?

• Is it because I am exposed to all of this Bitcoin content on X?

• Do I have a bit of FOMO?

So, I stopped exploring that option and reflected on where I’ve been and what I am working towards.

Then, one day, while commuting to my Manhattan office from Brooklyn, I started drafting a thread to post on X (a series of individual tweets), my anti-Bitcoin thread, so to speak.

I posted that thread on March 15, 2024, and didn’t think much about it.

A few hours later, I logged into X and was absolutely flabbergasted.

That thread took off and really resonated with a lot of people!

It is my most viral thread, with almost 1 million views! (I’ll post a link to the thread below)

I wrote and posted some banger content before and after that particular thread, but nothing resonated with so many people in so little time.

So, I figured I’d share that content with those of you who may not regularly spend time on X.

Here’s how I will retire better than 99% of people:

I won't lie, I:

• Am not a millionaire

• Don't invest in Bitcoin

• Don't own investment RE

• Spend ~$3 - 5K/year traveling

• Drink & dine out in expensive NYC restaurants

But, I'll retire better than 99% of people. Here are 7 reasons why:

I was intentional with the career I chose

I chose a career that provides:

• A pension

• Health benefits

• Job security (tenure)

• Regular salary increases

• A ridiculous amount of PTO

• A generous retirement account

I invest regularly

I invest ~25% of my pre- and post-tax income into:

• A Roth IRA

• My retirement account

• A HYSA (for life experiences)

• 2 different investment accounts

I don't have credit card debt

Credit card debt will destroy your hopes for building wealth.

There's nothing worse than paying credit card debt with money you know can be used for something more meaningful.

I have an emergency fund

I built an emergency fund in a HYSA.

I am fully prepared for (most) unexpected expenses.

I budget (loosely) & track my spending

On 1/1/21, I started to track my daily spending.

Everything changed for me the day I started to track my daily spending. Everything.

I invest in life experiences

I save money intentionally in a HYSA (so I don't go into debt) for:

• Cross-country road trips

• Regular getaways off-grid

• Spending a month (or more) in my dream destination of choice

I have a plan "B"

One thing I learned in the Army is that:

No plan survives contact with the enemy.

Always have a plan "B."

If retirement doesn't work out the way I planned (which I doubt), I can always go back to practicing law.

7 reasons why I'll retire better than 99% of people:

• I have a plan "B"

• I invest regularly

• I invest in life experiences

• I have an emergency fund

• I don't have credit card debt

• I budget (loosely) & track my spending

• I was intentional with the career I chose

That’s it. That’s the thread. As of today (1/19/25) it currently has 931,700+ views.

If you have an X account, you can check it out here:

So, why did I decide to share this with you?

Because it can be easy to get caught up in the zeitgeist of consumable content.

As I mentioned earlier, I considered buying Bitcoin at one point.

I spent several hours researching until I realized how much time I was putting into it and then asked myself why.

Remember: what works for someone else may not (and probably will not) work for you.

Define your goals clearly and align your actions specifically towards your goals. Focus on you and what works best for you. Not on what may have worked best for someone else.

The clearer you can define your specific goals, the better decisions you can make regarding the things you value most, what is unique to you, and the life you actually want to live.

Quote that caught my attention:

“If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success.” —James Cameron

You can find the collection of financial tools & resources that helped me grow from a 6-figure debt to a 6-figure net worth by clicking here.

Thanks for reading!

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