The high cost of pursuing wealth
Long hours, full focus... and no turning back.
The other night, Triest looked at me sideways.
When she least expected it, the words finally came — the ones that captured exactly what she’d been feeling all month.
“You’ve got new relationship energy,” she said. “And it’s not with me.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Lately, I’ve been acting differently — distracted, obsessive, locked in on a new option that makes my heart thump faster.
Lucky for me, my lil mama isn’t the jealous type. Lucky for me, she’s understanding.
Because for the second August in a row, I’ve drifted away. Last year, I went looking for stillness and a higher sense of self.
This year, it’s different. I’m glued to my screens. Checking my phone day and night like I’m waiting on a text from a secret lover. Smiling at numbers. Giddy when no one else is around.
I’m in deep.
I’ve caught feelings — for stock options.
My mood moves with the market. One day I’m euphoric. The next I’m irritable, reclusive, somewhere deep in my own head.
Quiet when I lose. Loud when I win.
Either way, my mind stays on her.
She moves fast. Demands focus. And when she turns volatile, you feel it. But when it clicks — when you’re in sync — the high is unmatched.
Still, that high comes at a cost.
She takes time, attention and everything I’ve got in me. I’m studying before sunrise. Reviewing charts beyond midnight. Missing meals. Losing sleep. Skipping workouts.
I’m not just trading.
I’m training.
It’s a full-time shift, mentally and emotionally. Like being dropped in a foreign country and forced to learn the language on the fly, with no tutor and no translator to carry you.
This isn’t a hobby. It’s a full-on devotion.
Every minute away from my screens feels like lost ground — and I’m already behind, playing catch-up.
This is the second time I’ve entered this relationship, but it feels different now. Like I’ve gone from casual dating to co-signing a mortgage and picking cribs for our nursery.
I made my first trade of this second round on July 24, and since then, I haven’t just dabbled. I’ve gone hard — reading, watching, applying — determined to become fluent in this profitable new language.
And while this passion feels powerful, it’s also all-consuming.
My time doesn’t feel like mine anymore — it belongs to the charts, tickers, strategies and endless hours of research and review.
I’m pulling doubles again, just like when I started this journey three years ago. Only now, the stakes are higher and my obsession runs deeper.
I haven’t written for pleasure in months. The things I used to love suddenly feel like distractions. Now every effort is measured in potential return.
Warning: Options trading will test your patience, drain your peace and humble your ego, sometimes all before lunch.
It’s not that I don’t miss the old me — at times, I do. But I don’t know how to be that person and still chase this.
It’s exhausting but fulfilling. Demanding yet worthy of dedication.
I’ve lost touch with parts of myself, let go of things that once brought me joy and given up stability for a chance to build something more permanent.
And honestly, I’m never going back.
I’m not chasing quick money. I’m building a skill that can generate income for life.
In just one month, I’ve pulled in $2,300 — and I’m still running basic plays.
Even Parker’s getting into it. She placed her first “paper trade” this month — long Chipotle. No real money yet, just digital skin in the game. But the interest is real, and so is the commitment.
Together, this will change our financial trajectory, accelerate gains and growth and — with discipline — put us on a faster track to financial independence and true freedom.
Triest isn’t wrong. I do have new relationship energy. But this isn’t a fling.
This is forever.
And I’m in it, for better or worse.
This feels illegal
I’ve made more money over the past 26 days from a single stock trade than I’ve generated by amassing shares of the same company for almost two years.
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Disclaimer: The information contained on Money Talks is not intended as, and should not be understood or construed as, financial advice. I am not an attorney, accountant or financial advisor. These are my personal experiences, and neither this website, newsletter nor podcast is a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.