Why I Decided to Write a Finance Blog

After many attempts at writing in the past, and multiple websites including some that sold for as much as $20,000, I finally decided to hand write a finance blog from scratch with no AI help whatsoever to just hone my writing skills. Am I expecting much on the SEO front? Not with an extremely limited budget no. Do I find that writing helps me to clear my head and get in the zone for other things like Accounting or even future computer science work? 100% absolutely. I figure I’ll keep at least my writing skill somewhat open and make this blog something of a portfolio. I’ll post my skills journey in things like Electrical Engineering, Accounting, Computer Science, Finance and other related fields.

Why Writing Leads to Clearer Thinking

Its funny when I used to write articles I could pump out ten hand written articles in a single night, now I’m lucky if I can get one out just because I don’t write very often anymore. I’ve attempted to write multiple novels, lots and lots of papers, I have multiple college degrees. I’ve always had the skill of writing and just never really had the time or leverage to hone in on it. I figure I’ll at least keep the skill alive in the background and then see where it takes me from there. Writing is a phenomenal Archimedes lever and complementary skill, however it is a TERRIBLE standalone skill. Maybe not terrible, but really not great either. Like if someone’s entire career is to literally try and write books all day…man they are in for a rude awakening. Even if they start selling books somehow, there’s marketing, speaking, negotiating, not to mention taxes, finance and accounting and even knowing if you’re profitable, that being said…..

If someone is an engineer, can program, is in Finance, is a CPA and can speak in public and has great communication skills, AND to top it all off can write really well, I think it certainly does have some value. Some high leverage areas that I have found my writing has helped me to land points at:

1. Presentations – Wedding speeches, work speeches. Yes you can use AI to help you, but when you’re actually presenting it its much better to have written it yourself.
2. Work emails – in Finance, Accounting, Programming, there are complex emails you will need to write often, and this goes for any corporate job. Your writing skills are often very applicable to this, in Financial Services you pretty much are in your email all day responding to clients, bosses etc.
3. Writing as a way of thinking – This is one primary reason I’m starting this blog, even if my total traffic that I ever get on it is minimal. I feel this clarity of thought after I write and more than that it seems to compound. Like I remember when I was 17 years old in high school, staying up writing obsessively until like 3 or 4 in the morning novels about life etc. And even though a lot of it was….teenage writing. Man some of it was actually not half bad. I remember waking up at 7am after staying up late drinking coffee and writing one night and drinking a tea at breakfast, just peacefully sitting at my desk writing in a great flow state. Like I remember that moment because of how clear my mind was. I always thought I was writing to try to produce a good draft but maybe the draft was ….producing my mind.
4. Writing as a way of planning – Even writing business plans, proposals etc these can really compound over time. I write myself Financial and tax plans and outlines constantly and they have revolutionized how I see my own finances.
5. Writing as an entry to medicine and law – I am noticing that Doctors and Attorneys are both EXTREMELY good writers. I met a doctor that had an English background and coached at the writing center. Blend writing ability with scientific or legal knowledge, the ability to explain biology or psychology etc etc. And man you really have one heck of a skill in front of you.

Jordan Peterson discusses this phenomenon a lot. And basically says that if you’re writing anything at all it is practically indistinguishable from thinking. Tim Ferriss, Warren Buffett, Barack Obama, there are really a lot of successful people that are very good writers because they have found this exact thing. Even if you’re writing never takes off, you can blend it with other skills to really add a good compounding effect.

Where I Hope This Blog Goes from Here

I have this gigantic list of skills that I am trying to get sometime in the next decade. My AML CAMS designation, my computer science degree, a CPA License, an Electrical Engineering degree, all while working in Financial Services. If I can get even close to that skill stack I am going to have such a unique skill set and mental framework built up that it could very well be its own reward…or at least act as a heck of a resume buffer. I find that sometimes if I write before a study session that I am much more clear and focused during studying, it just helps me get into flow state much faster. Past that I’ve noticed that writing after a study session can also have a positive effect on me as it helps me to recall what I just learned and seems to help it “stick” better. I may do “post CPA exam study blog post June 1st” type articles and see if there’s any SEO analysis that can make those land.

Until next time, this was a midnight blog post after a very tired 14 hour shift at work. Hope you enjoyed

 

*Inflation Hedging.org