David D Writer

MY COWORKER’S TERRIBLE CRYPTO ADVICE THAT COST ME $7.50 If anyone ever says, “Bro, I know a guaranteed way to make passive income,” please run. Don’t look back. Don’t pause. Just sprint like the stock market during a Federal Reserve interest rate announcement. Because that is exactly how I lost $7.50, the most emotionally catastrophic financial loss in the history of personal budgeting and personal finance. Not seven thousand dollars. Not seventy thousand. Just seven dollars, fifty cents, and unlimited embarrassment. .

   THE DAY I TRIED FILING TAXES MYSELF AND IMMEDIATELY REGRETTED IT I woke up one morning with the boldness of a man who had watched three YouTube videos on financial literacy and felt unstoppable. It was tax season, and as someone who had been hearing words like “financial independence,” “wealth management,” and “smart money habits,” I decided that filing my taxes myself would be the moment I finally reclaimed my financial power. But the universe had other plans. .

HOW MY FRIEND’S ‘FINANCIAL FREEDOM PLAN’ TURNED INTO A COMEDY SHOW I have a friend, let’s call him Steve, who genuinely believes he’s the next Warren Buffett if Warren Buffett had a sense of humor and a Netflix subscription. Steve announced to me one day that he had crafted a “Financial Freedom Plan,” which, in his words, would guarantee passive income, exponential returns, and the ability to sip cocktails on a private beach by 2026. Naturally, I was skeptical. But curiosity got the better of me, and I agreed to witness this financial masterpiece firsthand. .

MY ATM RECEIPT THAT LOOKED LIKE A NONPROFIT DONATION LETTER It started like any ordinary Tuesday. I went to the ATM thinking I’d withdraw a small amount of cash for snacks, bills, and possibly some online “investments” that promised a 300% return in 48 hours. The kind of investments where the only thing guaranteed is a minor heart attack when you check your balance later. But little did I know, the universe had a special lesson in financial humility waiting for me. .

THE DAY MY SMARTWATCH TOLD ME I WAS TOO BROKE TO STRESS I never thought I’d have a confrontation with my own smartwatch. I mean, technology is supposed to motivate you, track your steps, and occasionally remind you that you haven’t drunk enough water. But last Tuesday, my smartwatch decided it was time for brutal honesty: “You are too broke to stress.” That was not the motivational notification I was expecting. Usually, it’s “Good job! Keep walking!” or “Time to stretch!” But “too broke to stress”? That’s financial honesty hitting harder than your bank account after paying rent. .

  WHY I CAN’T TRUST ANYONE WHO CALLS THEIR SIDE HUSTLE ‘PASSIVE INCOME’ Let me start by saying something obvious: I have a profound distrust of people who say, with absolute confidence, “Oh, this is my passive income.” Passive income. Those two words are like kryptonite for anyone with a reasonable understanding of financial reality. It’s like watching someone proudly claim they have tamed a dragon, but the dragon is actually three unpaid bills, a screaming toddler, and a bank account in chaos. .