🎯 10 Takeaways from 2025: More to Better

Last year I released over 50 episodes filled with strategies to upgrade your money, points, and life. Today I'm distilling all of that into 10 powerful takeaways, with the most impactful insights from my research and conversations with incredible guests.

Looking back at 2025, I realized there was a turn in the story. More does not always equal better. Optimizing for pure efficiency often crowds out what actually matters: resilience, connection, and joy. So the theme for 2025 is shifting from accumulation to wisdom. 

You can also listen to me share these takeaways on Ep #260 or you can watch the video below. 

💎 1. True Wealth Is Multidimensional

For most of my life, I measured wealth with a single number: net worth. But this year, that definition completely changed.

In episode #213 with Sahil Bloom, he challenged me to think about wealth as something much broader. If you have a ton of money but no control over your time, poor health, or weak relationships, are you actually wealthy? Probably not. I realized I was often trading time and energy for marginal financial gains and calling it progress. Real wealth is not just financial; it's time wealth, physical wealth, mental wealth, and social wealth too.

In 2026, my goal is not to maximize money at the expense of everything else. It's to be wealthy across the dimensions that actually make life worth living.

🎯 2. Focus on What Actually Moves the Needle

Early on, every optimization feels important. Which card earns more points? Which grocery item is cheaper? Every dollar matters. But as you cross different financial thresholds, the game changes, and if you do not change your strategy, you end up wasting your most valuable resource: time.

Nick Maggiulli explained this perfectly in episode #230 when we talked about his book The Wealth Ladder. You need to know which ladder you are on, because strategies that make sense at $50,000 do not make sense at $5 million. 

Here are the two rules that helped me stop sweating small stuff and focus on decisions that actually matter:

• The 1% rule for income: Do not spend serious time on opportunities that cannot move your net worth by at least 1%.

• The 0.01% rule for spending: If a decision costs less than 0.01% of your net worth, it is probably not worth stressing about.

📈 3. ROI Beats Efficiency

I love efficiency, but 2025 taught me that return on investment matters far more.

I learned this the hard way while trying to optimize my credit card setup. After building a tool to analyze my spending, I realized that adding another perfectly optimized card might earn me around 4,000 extra points a year. Meanwhile, a single welcome bonus can be worth 100,000 points, and that is 25 years of optimization instantly.

This lesson applies far beyond points. Stop obsessing over tiny efficiencies and start looking for leverage. Remember, big moves beat perfect moves.

🗂️ 4. Build a Portfolio That Can Survive Anything

One of the biggest risks I see is hidden concentration. Your job, investments, home, and social circle can all end up tied to the same industry, city, or asset class. When things are good, it feels safe but when they are not, everything gets hit at once.

Ben Carlson summed this up perfectly in episode #233 when he said that concentration builds wealth, but diversification keeps it. This applies not just to investing but to points and rewards too. Programs devalue. Rules change. Flexibility matters.

My goal is simple: build a financial and rewards portfolio that can adapt and even thrive no matter what changes.

🌐 5. Scale Horizontally, Not Vertically

Optimizers love vertical thinking. Squeezing more out of the same system. However, some of the biggest wins come from horizontal moves like adding a second income stream, bringing a partner into the points game, or expanding capacity instead of grinding harder.

This really clicked for me in episode #249 when I talked with Kai about playing the points game in multiplayer mode. It unlocked repeat bonuses, referrals, and scale without doubling the work.

The same idea applies to careers, investing, and life. Before you grind for the last 20%, look for a new area where you can capture the first 80%.

⏳ 6. Stop Waiting for the Perfect Time

We often tell ourselves that we will do something we've been wanting to do when things "calm down," but in reality, that moment almost never comes.

In episode #239, Jillian Johnsrud reminded me that time is always decaying. Our kids grow up, parents age, and our own health changes. This same line of thinking came up again in episode #252 with Nick Reyes when we talked about family travel.

The constraints we worry about usually are not blockers. They are just variables. The bigger regret is not the imperfect trip or messy sabbatical. It is the experience you never had because you kept waiting.

🤖 7. Scale Yourself With Technology

This year completely changed how I think about building. In episode #217, Kevin Rose shared how he used AI to build exactly the tool he needed without waiting on a team, funding, or perfect timing. That conversation flipped a switch for me.

Instead of waiting for the perfect tool, I started making what I needed using AI, no-code tools, and even a 3D printer. Things that once required months now take hours. For me, this is not about replacing thinking; it's simply about multiplying capacity.

If there is a tool you wish existed, there is a good chance you can build a version of it yourself quickly. Trust me, and try it out for youself. 

🩺 8. Be the CEO of Your Own Health

For years, I was a good patient. I followed instructions, showed up to appointments, and trusted the system. But it did not work.

Across multiple conversations, including episode #215 with Joseph Woodman on medical travel, I realized the system is designed for population averages, not individual optimization. Doctors are overwhelmed, and insurance companies optimize for cost.

In 2025, I learned that nobody will care about your long-term health more than you. That means asking better questions, ordering tests, getting second opinions, and exploring options the system will not volunteer. 

🤝 9. Friendship Is a Healthy Investment

We treat exercise and sleep like non-negotiables, but friendships usually get whatever time is left over. 

In episode #256, Nick Gray and I talked about how hard it is to make and maintain friendships as adults. Relationships do not just happen anymore. They require exposure over time and intentional structure. The Harvard Study of Adult Development found that relationship satisfaction in midlife was the strongest predictor of health decades later, so the science shows how important friendships can be. 

If friendship impacts longevity like exercise does, we should treat it with the same intention.

🛑 10. The Ultimate Optimization Is Knowing When to Stop

This might be the hardest lesson of all. In episode #254, Amy and I talked openly about how optimization can quietly take over your life and your relationships if you let it. 

I also kept coming back to conversations with Tim Ferriss in episode #248 and Ryan Holiday in episode #251. They all pointed to the same idea. No external metric ever delivers what we think it will. And if you pick the wrong metric, you will optimize your way into a life you do not actually enjoy.

Some things, especially relationships, break when you try to optimize them. The real skill is not finding the perfect solution. It's knowing when good enough is enough so you can stop optimizing and start living.

💡 From More to Better in 2026

In 2026, I'm moving from more to better. More points, more money, and more optimization was the old game. The new game is: what actually matters? Where should I focus? And when should I stop?

Don't stop optimizing. Just make sure you're optimizing for the right thing. I'm still hunting for deals and racking up points, but through a new lens, using these tips to buy time and freedom, not just to keep score.

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