Net Worth Ain’t Nothin But A Number

Yesterday was a big day for me. I was featured on The ESI Money Blog as Millionaire 47 which drove lots of traffic to my little blog and lead to much discussion. Time and time again, I have been recognized in this community for what I sometimes regret as my primary calling card. My net worth. While I am proud of this aspect of my financial journey, and definitely have enjoyed the notoriety, I tend to hold myself to a completely unrelated standard. For me, at least, net worth ain’t nothin but a number.

Now before I get ahead of myself, it is true that calculating and being aware of my net worth has served a number of purposes. Most importantly, it has been the mathematical indicator by which I thumbnail my goal of financial independence. Whether you are a fan of the 4% rule, 3 % rule, or calculating 25X annual spending, each calculation requires an estimation of net worth. This number provides a hook to hang our retirement coat on as we come inside after battling the wind and flurries of debt and frugality.

Furthermore, being open about my net worth has furthered the purposes of this blog. I have been invited to be on a number of podcasts (coming soon), was able to score the ESI feature, and even garnered reasonable traffic from my placement on the Rockstar Finance Net Worth Tracker.

Money Loses It’s Value

When it comes to life goals, however, net worth loses its value once you have finished with all the calculations. I don’t want to downplay the incredible effort it takes to reach ones goals, but the truth as it pertains to most of the people reading this blog, is that they will eventually find a way to both make more and spend less. Financial Independence is a foregone conclusion, the question becomes how and when.

But, I’m sure you’re poised to ask.

Doc G, if money ain’t nothin but a number, why oh why do you labor to make so much?

And herein lies the crux. I’ve stopped looking at my investments on a regular basis. I’ve even let loose a little on the frugality. The thrill is gone.

I’m Addicted To Making Money

While net worth ain’t nothin but a number, what truly excites me is making money. And not just making money in any old way. I earn thousands of dollars seeing patients a week without any sense of visceral joy or accomplishment. What gets me going, is making money in an unexpected way.

Here are just a few of what I consider some of my greatest financial joys:

Selling my first piece of art for my online art business.
Recruiting my first concierge patient.
Receiving my first payment for a magazine article.
Signing up my first blog sponsor.
Signing my first lease as a landlord

The unalloyed joy of succeeding in a venture in which I have bootstrapped myself to profitability may be the best financial life gets.

Not earning my first million nor declaring myself financially independent. Not climbing my way up the net worth tracker nor presumably one day hitting eight figures.

In Conclusion

For me, net worth ain’t nothin but a number. The ups and downs of financial independence are more marked by business asset class gains and losses, by the triumphs and failures of my various ventures.

How about you? How closely do you track your net worth? Will you stop once you hit FI?