Start Here
Whether you are just getting your finances in order or already investing and want to go deeper – this page will point you to the right place. StoffelWealth covers two things: building the financial foundations to invest and understanding how to invest well.
Build the Foundation First
Before picking investments, these posts cover the financial fundamentals that determine whether investing will actually work for you. Read them in order if you can – each one sets up the next.
Your Safety Net: Why an Emergency Fund is the First Investment You Should Make
The one financial buffer that protects everything else you build.
Your Net Worth: The Only Number That Tells You Where You Actually Stand
Calculate your baseline – asset minus liabilities – before anything else. Includes an interactive calculator.
Pay Yourself First: The Simple Rule That Changes Everything
The habit that separates intentional savers from accidental ones.
Your Savings Rate: The Most Powerful Number in Personal Finance
The single number that determines when you can stop working – and how to calculate yours. Includes an interactive calculator.
Goal-Based Saving: Why Naming Your Money Changes Everything
How to give each part of your savings a purpose and a target.
The Investing Fundamentals
Once the financial foundation is in place, these posts cover what you actually need to understand before putting money to work – and how to start without overcomplicating it.
Are You Ready To Start Investing? A Practical Checklist
A 10-point checklist to confirm you have the basics in place before committing capital.
What Is Your Risk Tolerance – Really?
The difference between the risk tolerance you think you have and the one that shows up in a bear market.
The Index Fund Argument: Why Most Active Managers Lose to the Market
The evidence for passive investing and why it is the right starting point for most people.
Your First Investment Plan: A Simple Guide for Beginners
A step-by-step framework for turning savings into a first investment portfolio.
Dollar-Cost Averaging: The Power of Ignoring the Market
Why investing a fixed amount at regular intervals beats trying to time the market.
The 4% Rule: A Useful Starting Point, Not a Guarantee
Where the rule comes from, what is assumes, and how to use it to size your retirement portfolio.
Choose Your Reading Path
Once you have the foundations covered, explore the areas that matter most to you.
Portfolio Construction
How to build and manage a portfolio that actually earns its returns – backed by evidence, not guesswork.
Investor Psychology
The decisions that hurt investors most are rarely about picking the wrong fund – they are about behavior under pressure.
Risk & Protection
Understanding and managing downside risk – from portfolio construction to tail-risk hedging.
Book Reviews
Concise reviews of the books that have shaped how the investment community thinks – with an honest take on what holds up.
Browse All Topics
Prefer to explore on your own? Browse all topics in the StoffelWealth blog.