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Arigato, dear investor,

I’m writing this as I’m almost at the end of my 2-week road trip across Portugal… and my heart is so full right now.

I still feel so grateful that I was given the opportunity to fly here, speak at the Portugal investing conference, and share my investing insights with so many curious, thoughtful people. Everyone I met—truly—has been so friendly, so welcoming, and so down-to-earth. They made this trip feel even more meaningful than I expected.

And something interesting happened during the trip.

I got to interview Shawn O’Malley, a well-known podcaster from The Investor’s Podcast Network, who was also a speaker at the conference. I asked him a simple question:

“What is one money habit you’re proud of, and one you want to improve?”

He told me he’s always been a natural saver. He invests consistently, makes his money work harder, and is very disciplined.

But the habit he wants to improve?

Budgeting.

He said,

That hit me harder than I expected.

Because… I’m exactly like Shawn.

I rarely spend much, so I never had a budget. A few years ago, when I travelled around Europe for 21 days, a friend asked me, “What’s your travel budget?”

I said, “I don’t have one.”

He looked at me like I was crazy.
“What if you overspend?”

I just shrugged. “I don’t think I will.”
And I didn’t.

Back then, I didn’t understand why I didn’t need a budget.
But after speaking to Shawn, it finally clicked for me:

I wasn’t budgeting because I was underspending. Not because I was being financially smart… but because I wasn’t consciously allowing myself to enjoy.

So this trip, I decided to improve.

For half of our road trip, my boyfriend and I stayed in beautiful 4-star hotels (in the past I would only consider affordable Airbnb). We dined out every day, enjoyed amazing Portuguese food and wine, and experienced little moments we’ll remember forever.

And honestly… it felt so good.
It felt like I was finally giving myself permission to enjoy the money I’ve worked so hard for—rather than just watching it grow digitally inside my brokerage account.

So if you ask me today,
What money habit do I want to improve?

My answer is simple:

I want to spend and treat myself more—because I deserve it.
And maybe… you do too.

I’m far from perfect in finding the balance between spending and investing. It’s a lifelong journey. But I believe as long as we stay conscious about our habits, we will continue to grow in the right direction.

Tell me—
What is one money habit you would love to improve on?
Just hit reply. I would love to learn from you too. 😊

Meanwhile, check out this 👇️ 

Wall Street Isn’t Warning You, But This Chart Might

Vanguard just projected public markets may return only 5% annually over the next decade. In a 2024 report, Goldman Sachs forecasted the S&P 500 may return just 3% annually for the same time frame—stats that put current valuations in the 7th percentile of history.

Translation? The gains we’ve seen over the past few years might not continue for quite a while.

Meanwhile, another asset class—almost entirely uncorrelated to the S&P 500 historically—has overall outpaced it for decades (1995-2024), according to Masterworks data.

Masterworks lets everyday investors invest in shares of multimillion-dollar artworks by legends like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso.

And they’re not just buying. They’re exiting—with net annualized returns like 17.6%, 17.8%, and 21.5% among their 23 sales.*

Wall Street won’t talk about this. But the wealthy already are. Shares in new offerings can sell quickly but…

👉 My subscribers skip the waitlist

_{*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Important Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd.}

Arigato!

Chloe
Arigato Investor

Just a quick heads-up 🌸 Except for Instagram, where I may reply if you comment on my posts, I’ll never initiate a private message to you on any platform. So if you ever get a DM from someone claiming to be “Chloe” or “The Arigato Investor” on Telegram or TikTok — please know that’s not me. It’s a scammer impersonating my account. Stay safe and always double-check 💛

The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Readers should seek their own independent financial advice before making any investment decisions. Please note that the opinions expressed in this newsletter are Chloe's own and do not represent the views of any organization. Always perform your own research and due diligence before investing. 💛

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