Writing Relevant

We are a product of our experiences and I’m very fortunate to have some great ones! In 2020 I was eager to start sharing my experiences in personal finance and rental property investing via self-published books. Writing is therapeutic for me and it’s also rewarding to think that maybe some of my lessons learned could possibly help a reader make a good financial decision.

If the past three years taught us anything, it’s times change…quickly. When I developed the idea for my books, I didn’t fully realize how much I’d been reaping the benefits of years of modest inflation, low interest rates and of course, no global pandemics. Then that all changed, seemingly overnight in the grand scheme of things.

As I reflect on the content of my books, some of it may not stand the test of time. I share through the written word what I experienced in the environment I grew up in during the past 25-30 years as a young worker. Living frugal, seeking knowledge, investing, real estate ownership and diligence were all “truths” that guided my financial journey and in my humble opinion, remain necessary for a worker to build wealth.

While I am committed to the timeless applicability of these financial truths, a few of the practices I applied with great success both in personal finance and rental property investing over the past 20 years, have become overcome by events given today’s changing economic situation. Which brings me to the important lesson I’ve learned as a new writer! You guessed it, writing relevant.

One thing I love about the written word, it lasts forever. While a spoken word is gone in a moment a book, blog or other written media has staying power. Therefore, those of us who enjoy collecting our thoughts via the written word must consider the context within which a reader may exist today, tomorrow and perhaps 100 years into the future!

It’s not to say one can’t share their experiences solely through the lens of today’s environment. It just means the content risks becoming irrelevant, perhaps in the near future. I think most writer’s goal is for their content to remain relevant for as long as possible! One only needs to read a timeless classic such as Moby Dick to understand how the masters of the craft write relevant themes!  

For my future works, especially those of the self-help genre, I will perform a simple test on the themes within the content. Will this thing I’m sharing stand the test of time? What is the relevance to the reader if say, a recession or another pandemic hits? My assumption is my products will remain as they are now, a mix of timeless truths (as I understand them) and a bit of storytelling from my experiences to reinforce the principle of the truth.   

I think the real challenge is to maintain the right mix. In future writings, I’ll keep an eye on including more timeless truth content than that which may rely on a mildly interesting personal example!  I’ve started working an outline for my fifth book and owe relevant content to those who may spend their valuable time reading it, today and in the future!  

Want to learn more about the financial truths that have helped our average American family achieve success? Check out my book, Millionaire on a Worker’s Budget: Five Financial Truths to Build Wealth on sale now at Amazon!

Want to learn more about the lessons we’ve learned from investing in rental properties, check out my book Collect Rent, Don’t Pay It! A Beginner’s Guide to Rental Property Investing, for sale now on Amazon!

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