The Stupid Tax (& other things I wish I’d known about when I was younger)
Last week, I had a friend ask me for some book recommendations on a variety of topics. In typical writerly fashion, I immediately began overthinking the question. The next day, and owing to the 5 am meanderings of my wakeful brain, I soon had a thousand words I wanted to tell this person.
But since extolling unsolicited advice is what writers do best, I figured I’d dole it out to you as well. Sorry, not sorry.
I’ll sprinkle the book recommendations my friend actually did ask for throughout. Deal?
Never Buy Whole Life Insurance
or
Avoid The Stupid Tax
A long time ago a guy from church talked us into whole life insurance as an investment vehicle. It was a dumb idea that squandered better investment options. The term “stupid tax” would soon enter our lexicon, and for the next twenty years we’d use it to define similarly boneheaded ventures.
Stupid Tax is the money you lose by being, well, stupid with your financial decisions. For example:
Paying a late fee for missing a bill’s due date? Stupid tax.
Getting roped into a monthly subscription for what you thought was a one-time free trial? Stupid tax.
Visiting California? Stupid tax.
You get the idea.
I wish I’d known in my twenties about investing in things like gold, silver, real estate, and guns—you know, things that rarely ever decrease in value.
Also: Do you have any idea how much an unopened Lego set from pretty much any year is worth? Usually double, and in some case 1000% more than what you bought it for. Look ‘em up, and then ask yourself why so many of us let sheisty guys in suits control our investment decisions.
If I could go back, I’d instead follow the timeless wisdom of previous generations. I’d buy some land, buy quality things I can see and touch—like cabins, cows, or a few ounces of gold—and take care of them.
On small scale spending in my early twenties, instead of using savvy market research I usually went cheap and wasted cash on things like Black & Decker tools, or Made in China can openers. So. Many. Can. Openers.
Don’t do that. Take a few minutes and research before you spend and invest in anything.
When the auto parts guy gives you three price options, go with the more expensive one. With some things it’s almost always the wise choice. A different guy from a different church once told me, “It’s far better to cry once investing in quality gear than it is to cry a second time replacing cheap s***.”
Also regarding money:
Tithe.
Stay out of debt.
Eat out sparingly.
College is often a rip-off.
Some book recommendations:
Anything by Dave Ramsey, but The Total Money Makeover is probably his most classic.
The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving by Randy Alcorn
My wife might say The Millionaire Next Door because she reads this kind of stuff and I think I’ve seen it on our shelf. If not, she’ll edit this out. (“Ooh yeah, good one,” she says.) I rarely read financial books, hence all of the stupid tax.
Don’t Eat Plastic
This isn’t about choking, it’s about chemistry. Food manufacturers put all sorts of garbage on our plates. Like lemmings, we spend three times more money to buy easy food off the shelf that’s nine degrees removed from the whole ingredients.
The organic flour, real butter, sea salt, and baking powder sit there a few aisles away, like the nerdy girl at the prom wondering why all the guys want the ditsy moron in the sexy dress. They’re right there for the asking, ready to bless the body of those who appreciate substance over pretty packages.
Every year most of that packaged fare distances itself molecularly from real food. If you doubt the science of this, check out Nile Red’s YouTube Channel where he (among other feats) uses chemistry to turn styrofoam into Hot Tamale candy.
[Side Note: Since Red Dye No.40 is about to be banned, you might want to invest in unopened boxes of Hot Tamales. Just sayin’. Don’t eat it; sell it to idiots who don’t know better.]
Learn to cook. It boils down to that.
I know things like triglycerides and canola oil aren’t that important to us in our twenties, but when we start pushing fifty, our knees and backs start reminding us of all those times in grade school when we launched ourselves off the swingset to wow our friends.
Good food back then might have mitigated scar tissue and inflammation, and stimulated cell regeneration; that bowl of Captain Crunch—and whatever was in those cheese & cracker packages with the little red plastic spreader—didn’t.
If you’re just starting out, learn how to cook with real animal fat, quality oils, and ingredients that haven’t been sprayed or injected with chemicals. Most of the chicken and pork you’ll find at large chains is laden with chemicals too, so whenever possible, look for local growers who don’t treat their animals like Bucky from The Winter Soldier, enhanced with mRNA serum for beefy drumsticks. Chickens shouldn’t have chests that rival Captain America. Make bacon great again.
Also, God loves you and made all of the best stuff good for you, like steak, eggs, coffee, and dark chocolate.
Book Recommendations:
Folks, This Ain’t Normal by Joel Salatin
Family Table by Shaye Elliott
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
Babies Are Awesome
Kids rock, and the world needs more of them. When I was a young man I foolishly said I never wanted kids. There’s even a famous photo of me circa 1994 holding my infant niece with a dour expression on my face. God healed me of that prejudice against making babies, and eight kids later I can say I’m a fan.
Globalist monsters spend billions annually on trying to convince us that there is a population growth problem. It’s absurd. When people refute it with facts they resort to sterilization programs, often secretly against unsuspecting populations.
Or, they get young people to unilaterally remove their offspring from the equation via abortion, hormonal birth control, or vaccines. Many women find that a lifetime of birth control has irreparably harmed their fertility so that when they finally feel ready to start a family, their bodies have difficulty sustaining the proper environment for life. Men and women need to consider that when they’re young.
I could extol the additional benefits related to the topic of making babies, but since you have imaginations and I want my wife to remain speaking to me later, I’ll merely say this: God made this process fun for a reason.
Book recommendations:
ProLife Answers for ProChoice Arguments by Randy Alcorn
Intimate Issues by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus
Loving Your Kids on Purpose by Danny Silk
Know When To Fold ‘Em
This is for the Buffalo Bills fans: I’m sorry, but it’s just not going to happen in the Mahomes era.
[Too soon?]
Just kidding (sort of) but when I say, Know When to Fold ‘Em, what I really mean is this: Don’t waste time in a bad/inadequate/frustrating/compromising/toxic situation unless God has clearly directed you to be there.
I mean, some people have to live in Seattle. Pray for them.
Sometimes God will call us to be missionaries in forsaken or dangerous places like London, but sometimes He’ll wonder why we don’t just bail.
Sometimes He’ll want us to contend for restoration within troubled marriages; yet He also wants us to trust Him in painful transitions as He leads us out of unholy situations.
The first church we attended as a married couple was great for many years. However, after some staff changes and other dramas we found ourselves butting heads with leadership over core doctrines. It was clear to us that the church was no longer feeding us spiritually, but switching churches is a big deal, especially when you have young children to consider.
We knew that church wasn’t challenging us, or growing us, and we even knew it wasn’t consistently speaking truth.
But it was easier to stay put, retain our superficial relationships, and coast along.
We justified staying there by hoping we could influence the church’s direction. But eventually, after wasting years of time, we finally moved on.
Taking those leaps isn’t any any easier nowadays, but at least now we know there are greater rewards for those who risk the stormy oceans than there are for those who remain comfortably in port. We must constantly be willing to follow when God directs us, especially when doing so will cost us something, like friends, status, or reputation.
If the Lord directs you, follow Him. He will never lead you into something that is contrary to His character so test your motivations first, but waiting to obey Him will only delay the blessing He’s trying to shepherd you into.
No fear. Walk boldly, even if He calls you into San Francisco, because Lord knows Ninevah still needs disciples.
Books:
Everything by C.S. Lewis but maybe start with Mere Christianity and go on from there.
Risk the Ocean by Shannon Guerra
Waking the Dead: The Secret to a Heart Fully Alive by John Eldredge
Doc In The Box
God bless good doctors. Unfortunately, they’re harder to find than original (i.e. dangerous) Lawn Darts. It still blows my mind how often people go to the doctor (or worse, the ER) for things they can easily research and treat on their own, with natural remedies and common sense instead of deadly drugs prescribed by automatons after overpriced “expert” consultations.
Of course a broken bone generally needs a cast, a heart attack might need a hospital, and a deep cut may need stitches. But cancer might not need conventional treatment, an organ may not need surgery. The conventional wisdom of modern medicine may actually be keeping us more sick than we’d otherwise be if we rediscovered the science of natural healing.
Books the medical establishment doesn’t want you to read:
Anything by Barbara O’Neill is probably a good place to start. Maybe try Self Heal By Design: The Role Of Micro-Organisms For Health. I haven’t read it yet but I’ve heard dozens of her teachings and I love this woman.
World Without Cancer: The Story of Vitamin B17 by G. Edward Griffin
Healthy Body: 12 Principles for Peace, Health and Crazy Joy by DiAnna Wallace
The Bill Always Comes Due
I suppose I need to end this screed of unsolicited advice at some point, so I might as well wrap it up with my best advice for both young people starting out, old-timers covered in battle scars, and everyone in between: Be teachable.
We need to listen more and boast less.
We need to entertain opposing points of view and balance them against scripture instead of following the hive mentality.
We need to ask Jesus about issues X, Y, and Z, and stop leaning on our own understanding.
But mostly we need to remember that the bill always comes due. No matter how detached the consequences may seem, no matter how justified we think we are in our current course of action, one day the ramifications of our decisions will play out. Make sure those actions are in line with Jesus’ instructions or you may have a mess to clean up down the road.
Many of us need to repent of stuff, so get on with it. If we need to ask for or grant forgiveness, get it over with today. Tomorrow may be too late.
We need to put our big kid pants on and stop manufacturing drama, hold our heads high, take a deep breath, and let Jesus drive us where He wants us to go.
If we do that we’ll all sleep better, love fuller, and mature faster. If not, we may rack up years of stupid tax in the form of tainted relationships and unnecessary strife. It’s a worse investment than whole life insurance, and costs a lot more than money.
Books:
Everyman’s Battle by Steve Arterburn & Fred Stoeker
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spiritualityby Donald Miller
Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer
Changes That Heal by Henry Cloud
The Bible, preferably not printed in China, but good luck finding one.
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