You ever talk to someone who's actually planted a vineyard? Ask them about it sometime. The thing that can be frustrating is the waiting.
Because here's how it goes. You put the vines in the ground and then... nothing. First year, you're basically babysitting a field of sticks. Couple years in, you finally get some grapes, but not enough to do anything with, or they're just not good yet. It's usually year four or five before you've got fruit worth actually making wine out of. And then the wine needs its own time. Barrel, bottle, all of it. So from "I'm gonna make wine" to pouring a glass that's actually worth drinking? You're looking at the better part of ten years.
Nobody does that for a quick win. You do it because you're playing the long game and you already know the good stuff is way down the road.
And honestly, your money works the exact same way.
For thirty, forty years, you're just planting. Every paycheck you put something in, every year you leave it alone, that's another vine in the ground. Another case going down in the cellar. And watching that cellar fill up? Feels great. The number keeps climbing, the collection keeps growing, and it feels like you're winning. Because you are.
Then one day you retire. Or you sell the business. And it's finally time to start pulling some corks. This is the whole reason you built the thing, so you start enjoying it. And then you notice something. The cellar's got fewer bottles than it did last year. An actual, real decrease. And something in your gut goes, "wait. Hold on. That's not right."
Here's what I want to tell you. It's totally right. I just get why it doesn't feel that way.
Think about it for a second. A cellar full of wine you never open isn't a cellar. It's just a room full of expensive glass. Wine exists to get poured. A bottle that sits there untouched for forty years isn't some trophy, it's a shame. That was a really good bottle, and nobody ever drank it.
And here's the part almost nobody catches. Being good with your money isn't one skill. It's two completely different ones. For years, your job was building the collection. Now your job is knowing what to open, when, and who to share it with...
The best part is in your inbox.
There's a shift most people never see coming, the reason that drop in the cellar isn't the problem it feels like, and the one question I ask that changes how people feel about spending what they built. I get into all of it in this week's email. Drop your email and I'll send you the rest, plus a new decision every Wednesday.
Insights, advice, and comments provided by RJ Finley and members of the Decidedly Wealth Management team should not be considered personalized financial advice or recommendations. This content is produced solely for informational and educational purposes. For personalized guidance, book a free conversation.
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