I’ve lost so much distance off the tee since college. I was never a long hitter, but I definitely didn’t have a whole lot of distance to give up. Now when I hit the charity scramble circuit, I’m usually not even the longest in my own group. Unacceptable.
I’m not sure I care enough about being a good golfer anymore to dedicate enough time to really practice, but it is time to do something about how far I drive it.
Enter: The Stack System.
I’ve known about it for awhile, but only recently got the motivation to look into it (and buy it). Maybe it was absolutely smashing one off the tee and still having a 4 iron in my hand. The Stack System was designed by Dr. Sasho MacKenzie (biomechanist) and Marty Jerston (bombs it) that biohacks your clubhead speed by utilizing AI throughout the program. Sign me up.
I’ll keep you posted on my progress, but it got me thinking about why it was appealing to me in the first place. And I think it’s a very simple reason. I still do care about golf and would like to get better. But, I only have a limited time to dedicate towards it. I’ve become convinced that one of the, maybe the most, important thing someone can improve to get better at golf is increasing their distance. We’ve all bought new drives that promised 15 yards further than last year’s model, but if you can add 6-7 mph to your swing speed you get that 15 yards with any driver.
It’s kind of the same thing in our financial journey. We can chase a new fad, the latest tech, try and shave a little wasted cost here or there, squeeze out a little more return, but what’s the most important thing we can control? Savings rate. If we can accelerate that savings rate like our swing speed, everything is shifted into a higher gear.
The Stack System uses a specially designed club with adjustable weights on the end to train your swing speed. By progressively increasing the weight, you condition your muscles to generate more power and velocity. It’s the same thing with our portfolios. If we progressively increase our savings rates as our incomes go up, bonuses are paid out, and exits happen, the velocity of growth of the portfolio increases.
It’s got to be done consistently, and often gradually. I’ve seen plenty of people declare they will just save all of their bonus each year in lieu of systematically contributing to their accounts each month. It almost never works out. I’ve also seen people that have made a statistically middle class income their whole careers that have been diligent about saving and investing each month, and increasing that rate each year, that end up with a net worth that most would envy.
My guess as I embark on this journey of increasing my swing speed is I’m going to have to be consistent, track my progress, and rebalance my plan periodically. It’s exactly what we preach to our clients everyday. It should be fun to see it play out.
Stay tuned.
-Ryan