1 Year of Money Buff

One year ago last Tuesday, I hit publish on my first blog post. 50 posts later, here we are. I wanted to reflect on this writing experiment and share a few thoughts with you.

When I started this blog in August 2022, I told myself I would give it a year and see what happens. My goal was to spark your curiosity and start interesting conversations. Dozens of you have emailed and texted me to share your thoughts about money and life, which is by far the most rewarding part of this process.

I originally got hooked on newsletters through Morning Brew. (Morning Brew’s co-founder has since subscribed to Money Buff, which I think is cool.) I loved the concept of sharing ideas directly into people’s inboxes and toyed with the thought of having my own. My friends and I were already discussing many of the topics in this blog, so that was quietly satisfying my newsletter desires.

It wasn’t until moving to Ann Arbor for grad school that Money Buff became a reality. Being physically distanced from my friends meant fewer of those conversations, and so, to fill that void, I created a place to pour out my thoughts and started typing away.

Today’s society is dominated by dopamine-heavy content that loses relevance overnight. I wanted to write timeless content—stuff that will hold value years down the line.

Money piqued my interest at a young age, I studied finance in college, then spent the better part of four years working in the industry. A blog about money felt like a natural fit.

Except I didn’t want to write about hot stock tips or generic personal finance. That random biotech company probably isn’t the next $GOOGL, and it’s nearly impossible to explain the benefits of 401k matching without putting your readers to sleep. (despite its quirky title, I Will Teach You To Be Rich is pretty much the only book you need for personal finance)

I wanted to go deeper than personal finance. I wanted to explore its essence and implications: the mechanics of status games, the roots of fulfillment, and what that says about us humans.

If you’re new here, these are some of my favorite pieces that I’ve written. The greatest hits, if you will. Check ‘em out:

Time is your most valuable asset. So, thank you for spending a few minutes of it reading my blog every week.

What’s next?

If there is one thing I’ve learned this past year, it’s that I really enjoy writing! So this whole writing thing is just beginning for me. In the coming weeks, I’ll be dialing back on these posts and shifting my focus to a new project that I’m excited about.

Stay tuned.

Sam