Dividends

To that one person missing these newsletters/blog posts. I hope you’re happy to see this email in your inbox.

This newsletter edition is what I’ll colloquially be calling “an ode to Joe”. If you’re asking yourself “why should I care about Joe?” Well if you’re an investor or gambler then I think Joe provides a lot of lessons on investing that can be extrapolated from his wedding.

Opportunity Cost: my friend Matt and I recently had an incredibly insightful dialogue. On the topic of friendship, Matt said something to the effect of “You have to weigh the opportunity cost. If you are investing in one friend, who are the friends you don’t get to invest in as a result.”

The idea of friendship opportunity cost really stuck with me. Joe and I have a phrase that I think illustrates this well, “buy all the x person stock you can buy”. Our way of saying, this person is worth investing in. I can confidently say that the investments I’ve made into my friendship with Joe have paid dividends multiple times over. If you were to ask me to wager the last dollar I had, I would bet on myself. But if Joe were to ask me to wager the second to last dollar I owned. I would place that bet eleven out of ten times. Even if I lost the money, I’d be willing to pay the price of admission that I believe in Joe.

Asymmetrical Investments: Joe has an unparalleled ability to celebrate the people around him. I regularly think, this guy believes in me so much that I must be silly for not believing in myself. Here are some of the ways Joe has made the investment through actions over words:

• Joe was the first person to subscribe to this newsletter/blog

• Joe was of the first donors to my Eagles Autism Challenge Fundraising Campaign

• Joe reads these newsletters/blogs. I know because I got feedback on on how much he loved the below quote from the first edition

• No matter the distance, we’ve always made communication work. Whether it’s scheduling catch up calls every six months. Dinner/Lunch in Media when Joe is home for the holidays. Or any number of ways to stay connected. I have seen Joe in person maybe half a dozen times since we graduated college. But Joe has never felt that distant from me. 

Personal Competitive Advantage: I’ve had this conversation with a lot of people lately asking if they could define their personal competitive advantage. My PCA is probably that you could lock me in a room for weeks on end and I could just work tirelessly. I am most lethal when I am able to shut out the world around me. Joe’s PCA is that he has enough infectious positivity to last three lifetimes. You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. And everyone I met at Joe’s wedding was welcoming, caring, and every other positive trait Joe possesses.

Joe recited the greatest vows I’ve ever heard. Starting with Joe pulling out a five to seven page document. As Shaan Puri says “there’s no such thing as too long, only too boring”. And it did not feel like Joe had 5-7 pages of material. I laughed until I cried tears of joy. The vows were uniquely and distinctly Joe. Especially the admission about sneaking his dog a pup cup for the last six months. It felt like Joe was having a conversation with his friends as opposed to delivering a speech.

To close, I said this phrase recently when discussing the magical season I experienced with the 2025 World Champion Philadelphia Eagles. So some of you may have heard it.

Life is a team sport. Choose your roster carefully. Believe in them with everything you’ve got. Hold onto the ones that believe in you just as much.

Joe has been worth holding onto since the day I met him.

Where’s the gift advice?

My advice since I was a banquet server and realized what weddings cost dating back to 2011. Don’t stress over the wedding gift as an attendee. Just give money and lots of it and call it a day. There is no such thing as too much money to give as a wedding guest.

If you are insistent on adding something on top of the cash, here’s three ideas:

1. Fairlight Co Custom Portrait - I have always loved these slightly abstract works of art that turn something familiar into something new. I have not purchased one yet. But I have had it on my list for a while!

2. Harold Home - Most of the people I know either precede their wedding with home ownership. Or they purchase their home shortly after their wedding. I love the way these turn out and would recommend either as a housewarming or wedding adjacent gift.

3. Addy Marie Designs - Flower preservation is tricky. Outsource it to someone who knows what they’re doing. I have not had flowers preserved through Addy Marie, but I would when the opportunity arises.

Keep on giving,

Your Gift Giving Bro

Have a suggested topic for me to write about? Drop a comment or reply to this email!

P.S. I’ve created a website to house my gift giving resources and experiments: ineedagift.net is now live.

P.P.S I’m looking for stories about gifts that are insanely memorable, incredibly thoughtful, or transformational. If you have a story you’d want to share that I can write about, please fill out this form. If your story is selected, you will receive a $10 Amazon gift card.