Friend-of-the-blog Christian has done something remarkable. He’s lost ~85 pounds over the past 7 months, dropping from ~280 pounds to ~195. Kudos, Christian!

Inspired by Christian’s success, my own health has sharpened into focus. I have the data to support this – I’ve gained 8 pounds over that same period that Christian’s lost 85. I’ve gone from “slightly overweight” to “assuredly overweight.”

I’m heavier than I’d like. Slowly but surely, I’ve been moving in the wrong direction. I used to be in much better shape, and Christian asked me at the gym this morning, “How did you manage to get down to a healthier weight last time?”

I responded:

“It’s pretty basic. When I eat chips, cookies, and cheese, I gain weight. When I eat healthy meats and greens, I lose weight. It’s just a matter of consistency and good choices and will power.”

Granted, I’m not a doctor. My personal health tips might not apply to you. But for most people I know, weight loss and health are not rocket science. The “advice” is stupidly easy. Make better food choices, move your body, and Sleep better. The implementation is the hard part: smart choices, every day.

I left the gym, went to work, and read this article from former podcast guest Phil Pearlman.

The article covers how some people want to change Daylight Savings Time. But they aren’t actually affecting the day (duh). They’re only affecting what our clocks say. Phil cuts to the chase with no-nonsense advice:

A minute of sunlight is just a minute of sunlight, no matter what you call it.

On any given day of the year, you get the same amount of daylight and the same amount of night time per 24 hour period.

It’s just Mental Time Keeping.

We humans are incredibly adaptive animals. We live and thrive at the Equator and we live and thrive in the arctic circle.

Much more important than knowing what time it says on the little machines in our pockets, is knowing when the sun is rising and when the sun is setting.

Get yourself outside in the morning sunlight no matter what time you call it and move your body. Then go to bed at a decent time and get some sleep at night. You will adjust to 24 hour cycles just fine.

It’s simple.

Money is the same. Simple advice gets you far. It’s not rocket science. You don’t have to overcomplicate it.

If I spend thoughtlessly, if I invest emotionally, if my income can’t support my Lifestyle, my finances will suffer. Whereas if my income goes up, if my spending goes down, if I invest intelligently, my finances will flourish.

Perhaps you’re the outlier, the exception to those rules? Maybe you’re the one person who needs to spend more, earn less, and invest in increasingly stupid ways to find your financial success. But I don’t know…for some reason, I doubt it.

So, as you close out 2024 and enter 2025, I’ll give you this advice:  Don’t overcomplicate it. It’s not rocket science.

The implementation is the hard part: Let’s make smart choices, every day.

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-Jesse

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Jesse Cramer Writer & Financial Planner

Jesse Cramer is the writer of The Best Interest blog, the voice behind The Best Interest Podcast, and works full-time as a fiduciary financial planner for Cobblestone Capital Advisors in Rochester, NY.