Hey—quick thought before you dive into the rest of today’s newsletter…
The market doesn’t “warn” you before it stampedes. 🐂💥
And that’s the part most working professionals aren’t mentally prepared for.
Because it’s never just a dip.
It’s a dip that shows up right when you finally got your act together:
You finally start investing seriously.
You’re consistent.
You’re proud of yourself.
Then… boom. A sudden drop.
And emotionally? One bad year can feel like it erases five good years.
Not because you did anything wrong—
but because when your portfolio turns red, your brain starts screaming:
“What if I’m too late?”
“What if I lose it all?”
“Should I stop investing and wait?”
That’s where people freeze.
They pause contributions.
They overthink.
They break the plan (usually because there wasn’t a real plan).
Here’s the funny part: real life works the same way.
A crash on Interstate 70 in Missouri caused 13 cattle to escape onto the highway—and authorities literally had to call in cowboys to round them up. 🤠🐄
Chaos doesn’t send a calendar invite.
So the real question is: when your “herd” breaks loose… what’s your system?
And that’s what today’s issue is about: building income, investing, and routines that hold up when life (and markets) get loud.
🚀 Freedom in Action
From Side Project to $222,000/Year: How He Built a High-Income Business Without VC or Viral Fame
Most working professionals don’t have a motivation problem.
They have a time + energy problem.
You finish work, your brain is fried, and the last thing you want to do is “build a side hustle.” 😮💨
But stories like this one are a good reminder: maybe it’s not about hustling harder.
Maybe it’s about building something that fits your skills—and letting it compound.
Carter Osborne started tutoring in 2017 while he was in graduate school. He kept growing it quietly until the side hustle basically became a second job… and balancing both stopped making sense.
So he made the leap.
In 2024, he left his full-time PR director role to go all-in on his college essay consulting business—and grew revenue from about $114,000 to $222,000 with 66 clients.
What’s extra interesting: the business is seasonal.
He made roughly 80% of revenue between July and December. In the off-season, he often works 10–15 hours a week (and can travel).
How does this move you closer to investing?
Because this is the missing bridge for most professionals:
Cash flow → capital → investing.
A side income stream that throws off real profit gives you the raw material to:
Build an emergency fund that actually feels safe
Invest consistently without “one bad month” panic
Stop relying on one paycheck as your only safety net
Want the full breakdown (what he sold, what changed going full-time, and the numbers behind the growth)?
👉🏻 Read Carter’s story here
✨ Your Investing Edge
How to Choose the Right ETF: A Simple Checklist to Avoid Costly “Lookalikes” 🔎
A lot of people pick ETFs like this: “lowest fee… then pray.”
But two ETFs can sound similar and behave very differently.
This justETF guide walks you through a smarter selection process:
- Start with your investment focus
- Choose the right index
- Compare ETFs using real-world criteria: costs, fund size, replication method, and distribution policy
So you don’t end up buying the wrong product that tracks something you didn’t intend (or quietly costs more than you think).
🎯 My take:
If you’re building freedom, your edge isn’t secret stock tips—it’s avoiding dumb mistakes.
This is the kind of boring checklist that prevents ETF regret later (buying something too small, too expensive, or not tracking what you think it tracks).
🔗 Access the guide here
🧩 Bonus Support (If You Want It)
When the Market Drops, Don’t Freeze: Get Calm Frameworks Sent to Your Inbox
If you’ve ever finally started investing—only to watch the market dip and feel your stomach drop—you're not weak. You’re human.
That gut-punch moment is exactly when people pause contributions… and accidentally miss the rebound that could’ve rebuilt everything.
If you want help staying steady, I’ve been using a curated set of newsletters that share practical investing and online wealth-building frameworks—less hype, more “here’s the plan.”
🔗 If you’d like those sent to your inbox, you can subscribe through my affiliate link here.
(Full transparency: it’s an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
⚙️ Smarter Moves
Stop Managing Time—Manage Energy: The Time-Blocking System That Makes Your Day Feel 2× Lighter ⚡
If your days feel like back-to-back chaos, time blocking flips you from reactive mode into intentional execution—by matching the right work to the right energy windows.
This guide reframes time blocking as energy management, not just scheduling:
- Plan tasks by energy level (low / moderate / high) so deep work lands in peak-focus hours
- Choose tools that fit your style (paper, Google Calendar/Outlook, Trello/ClickUp/monday.com)
- Follow consistency rules that keep the system alive: weekly planning, notifications off, breaks scheduled, buffer time, and flexible adjustments when life happens
🔗 Read the guide and steal the exact framework to protect your focus, raise your output, and reclaim your day.
💬 Let’s Talk
Here’s the shift that changes everything:
Stop trying to predict the stampede.
Start building like the stampede is guaranteed.
That’s why the “boring” fundamentals matter—asset allocation, diversification, rebalancing. They exist to keep a scary year from turning into a permanent setback.
Because freedom isn’t built by hype.
It’s built by consistency and a portfolio that can take a punch.
If you want a quick (and oddly memorable) reminder of today’s idea, here’s the story that sparked the hook: cowboys were summoned after 13 cattle escaped onto I‑70 following a crash in Missouri.
👉🏻 Read it here
Keep building income.
Keep investing.
Build a plan that survives chaos—because that’s how you stay in the game long enough to win.
To your freedom, always! 💪🏻
- Anne
Founder, Beyond Paycheck
P.S. Fun one: if your money “stampedes” (markets drop), what’s your default move right now—buy more, do nothing, or panic sell? Reply with just one of those three.
❤️ Did You Enjoy This Issue?
🫶🏻 Share it with a friend who’s also breaking free from paycheck life!