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Well into my 30s, I had one explanation for my inability to get ahead financially: malevolent forces. Evil people in Washington and Albany were conspiring against me. And so too were the people who ran the municipality I worked for. These twisted souls wanted nothing more than to see me suffer, to see me go through life as a bitter no-good debt slave, living paycheck to paycheck.

There was, of course, an element of truth to the above paranoia. Many of the laws and regulations passed in Washington and Albany did dampen my ability to generate disposable income and save and invest. And the municipality I worked for was a quid pro quo monstrosity. If you didn’t have connections and a penchant for donating to the Republican Party, you weren’t getting a promotion.

But then something clicked in my late 30s. I began to use the critical-thinking skills that the college-industrial complex blessed me with. And it all began with an observation and a question. Most of my friends and family were doing quite well financially and their innate abilities were no better than mine. So why, then, were they able to circumvent the “malevolent forces” running roughshod over the economy and not me?

The Unbearable Stupidity of Being a One-Quarter Person

The truth of the matter is that I was a fi-loser (i.e., a financial loser) up until my late 30s, not because of “malevolent forces,” but because I only saw one factor in a four-factor situation. Yep, I was a one-quarter person. I was well aware of the people working against me, but I was tragically unaware of the way I worked against myself and the way I worked against others. I was also—to my eternal shame—tragically unaware of the people working for me.

And once I realized that there were three other factors to consider, my lack of financial success suddenly made complete sense. Let’s see why.

Self-sabotage. Up until my late 30s, I literally had no concrete work skills. I couldn’t audit a company’s books. I couldn’t set a broken bone. I couldn’t program a computer. Nor could I frame a house, weld two pieces of metal together, or operate a backhoe. Now I got two questions for you. In what economy on earth are people with no concrete work skills routinely rewarded with above-average salaries? And whose fault was it that I had no concrete work skills? Perhaps things would have been a tad different on the salary front if I used my free time in my 20s and early 30s to develop a concrete work skill rather than drink beer, watch sports, and sleep.

Evil me. Most of my more successful friends were married. This means most of them had an extra income, an extra brain, and an extra pair of hands helping them build wealth. I didn’t. I remained single until I was 40 years old. And the reason for this is simple: I was a class-A jerk. I treated women, in general, and girlfriends, in particular, very shabbily.

Benevolent forces. The traditional IRA became available in 1975. The Roth IRA became available in 1998. This is proof positive that not everyone in Washington was out to get me. There were actually people in Washington who wanted to see me succeed. And it’s not their fault that I failed to act on their goodwill until 2006 (that’s the year Mrs. Groovy and I opened Roth IRAs). I was legally allowed to earn a paycheck in 1977, and no external force from that point on ever stopped me from working extra hours and putting the proceeds of that effort into an IRA. The only thing that stopped me was me. Up until my late 30s, then, I combined loathsome ingratitude with wanton laziness—a ferocious one-two punch to the face of my financial well-being.

Be a Three-Quarter Person

You have a choice. You can be a one-quarter person and rail against the malevolent forces that you have no control over. Or you can be a three-quarter person and focus on the things you do have control over.

For the first 20 years of my adult life, I was a one-quarter person. And it got me absolutely nowhere. I was a fi-loser and a so-loser (i.e., a social loser).

Once I became cognizant of the other three factors, however, everything changed for the better. I stopped with the self-sabotage. I made myself more useful in the workplace and learned the ins and outs of personal finance. Simultaneously, I dedicated myself to being a good person. And this landed me the fabulous Mrs. Groovy and all the glorious financial wins that would follow in the wake of that magical union. Finally, I stopped being an ingrate. The people who invented Roth IRAs, health savings accounts, online banking, financial automation, low-cost index funds, and compound interest didn’t do so because they wanted to see me wallowing in abject poverty. They did so because part of them wanted to see me thrive financially. And I learned to honor that noble impulse by taking full advantage of their inventions.

Final Thoughts

Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. What say you? Are you a one-quarter person or a three-quarter person? And what do you suppose is holding back the millions of fi-losers in this country? I say the vast majority of them are being held back because they have a one-quarter mindset. Do you agree? Or do you think my distinction between one-quarter mindsets and three-quarter mindsets is utter nonsense? Let me know what you think when you get a chance. Peace.

17 thoughts on “If You Want to Get Ahead Financially, Don’t Be a One-Quarter Person

  1. I’m trying to be a 3/4 person, but I think I get into negative habits or plain incompetence. So I guess I’m a 3/16th person. It’s just something I need to work on in order to get better.
    One thing is certain: I will never blame things that go wrong in my life on anyone other than myself. I learnt this a long time ago, and at least I have that honesty ethic. I believe I’m still a work in progress. Are you curious about how everything will turn out in the end? Thank you, GroveG; see you in a week!!!
    Rohan recently posted…Homemade Apple FrittersMy Profile

  2. I hear people say, “This is the way it is in our family”, when lamenting about their financial situation. Instead of making changes and different choices they play the circumstantial victim.

    1. Amen. The great thing about cultures is that everyone is free. If the culture you inherited at birth sucks, you’re free to choose another one when you grow up.

  3. “One Quarter Person” is an interesting self-examination.

    In the far east, they have discussed the Ying and Yang concept for a long time – the two-halves that make a whole.

    This is my perspective on that old age concept that is related to your “One Quarter Person”.

    We came to this world as 1/2 of a person.

    We will spend the our entire existence to find the other 1/2.

    The other 1/2 is the combination of a mate, children and a mystery endeavor.

    For the majority of the population, life is complete with a mate and children.

    For the minority of the population, the mystery endeavor a split ratio with mate & children.

    Let’s use your 1/4 of a person as an example – you are actually 1/2, your mate and children made you 3/4. The remaining 1/4 is the mystery endeavor that you are seeking!
    TheEngineer recently posted…Health – Keep It Simple Workout 2 (Back, Arm, Leg and Shoulder)My Profile

    1. I’ve been aware of the concept of ying and yang for quite a long time. But never really knew what it meant. Thanks for clearing things up, my friend. It’s a great way to approach life.

  4. I’m trying to be a 3/4 person, unfortunately, I think I fall into bad habits, and or just ineptitude. So, I think I’m like a 3/16th person. It’s just something I have to concentrate on in order to improve.
    One thing, I’ll never say that things that don’t go well in my life are anyone else’s fault, other than my own damned fault. I learned this a very long time ago, and at least I do have that ethic of being honest. Again, I suppose I’m just a work in progress. Wondering how it’s all gonna turn out in the end??? Thanks GroveG, see you in a week’s time! ! ! !

    1. “One thing, I’ll never say that things that don’t go well in my life are anyone else’s fault, other than my own damned fault.”

      I love it! Responsibility. What a quaint notion. If only more Americans embraced it, we would have nearly the amount of problems we currently have.

  5. Another nice one by Mr. Groovy! You Da Man.
    Convincing yourself and believing that you can do a thing is the job 95% won. Too many just won’t believe and your not going to convince them. I hear I cant way too much. Ya got to think outside the box, level two thinking and dont accept the traditional way of accepting that debt is the only way to live. I could rant but I dont write that well–hahaha
    Merry Christmas!!

  6. Those are deep thoughts Mr. G. I think people that figure out where to build work skills early do have a tremendous advantage. I decided to become a chemical engineer while in junior high school. I majored in that my first day at the university and never wavered on my choice. When I graduated I took my favorite out of eight job offers and found a career I loved. On Sundays I was maybe the only guy I knew looking forward to Monday morning because my projects were so much fun! I never had to worry about income, I always felt overpaid and I was a happy guy most of the time which made me a good husband and dad I think. I had a great mentor at work and received so much praise and gratitude from my bosses. I was very lucky from the start but part of that was deciding on a field of work very early in life and developing mastery in it over time. My parents and teachers in junior high and high school had a lot to do with my knowing enough to focus on a career at so young an age.

    1. “I always felt overpaid and I was a happy guy most of the time which made me a good husband and dad I think.”

      Nice. I never had that feeling until we moved down to Charlotte and I got an analyst job in the private sector. But it’s a great feeling, and I think a lot more people can have that feeling. It only takes planning. Bravo, my friend.

    1. Very true, my friend. And beautifully said. In two pithy sentences, you summed up the key point of my post. Bravo.

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