Author Post: Time Is Money
Time is more valuable than money.Gabriel ShahinWhen people sit down in my office at Falcon Wealth Planning, they are often surprised by my transparency. I am not shy about telling them the truth: “You COULD lea...
Time is more valuable than money.
Gabriel Shahin
When people sit down in my office at Falcon Wealth Planning, they are often surprised by my transparency. I am not shy about telling them the truth: “You COULD learn all of this and do it yourself.” There is no “Wizard of Oz” hiding behind a curtain here; the math of wealth building is accessible if you have the drive to study it. However, there are two major reasons why most people don’t—and shouldn’t—manage their own multi-million-dollar portfolios: Passion and Time.
Do You Have the Passion to Perform High-Level Analysis?
Most successful people are brilliant at what they do, whether they are surgeons, engineers, or entrepreneurs. But at the intense level of investing millions of dollars, the analysis required is not a part-time hobby. I am obsessed with numbers. I live, breathe, and sleep financial planning 24/7.
I often tell my clients: “You’re going to retire once, maybe twice in your life. I retired thirty times last month alone.” Unless wealth planning is your singular passion, you shouldn’t be the one doing the heavy lifting. You should be focused on your “Why”—whether that is your family, your business, or your next big idea.
Why Did I Stop Changing My Own Oil?
There is a fundamental principle the elite rich live by: Time is more valuable than money. You can always make more money, but you can never, under any circumstances, buy back a single minute.
I apply a strict cost-benefit analysis to my own life to protect my time:
- The $25 Rule: When I started making more than $25 an hour, I stopped doing my own oil changes. Why? Because the time spent under that car was worth more elsewhere.
- Delegation as a Tool: If I spend an hour doing a task that someone else can do for a fraction of my hourly rate, I am essentially losing money.
- Focus on Strengths: The smart rich hire professionals—tax planners, financial advisors, and attorneys—to handle the complexities so they can stay in their “genius zone.”
Are You Willing to Hire Support Staff Before You Feel “Ready”?
This concept is vital for entrepreneurs. When you are creating a business, it is incredibly stressful, and security is low. It’s the tale of every start-up out there. The grind and hours, the 24/7 nature of it. However, I’ve found that the most successful founders are those who hire support staff early, even when it’s not easy.
If you are the CEO but you are spending your afternoon filing paperwork or answering basic emails, you are hurting your company. Your time is better spent making deals and building your legacy.
- Buy Time to Scale: Hiring an assistant or a chief of staff isn’t a luxury. It is a strategic move to free up your “brain” for high-level decision-making.
- Avoid the Grind: Don’t give all your youthful energy to the “busy work” of someone else’s vision—or the administrative rot of your own. I started my company quite young, so the energy I spent was on creating my own firm with my ethics and values.
Why Do the Ultra-Wealthy Call Private Jets “Time Capsules”?
People often view a private jet as a status symbol, but for my clients who fly private, it is actually a utility for time-saving.
- Streamlined Processes: Flying private isn’t about the champagne (though that can be nice!). It’s about avoiding the three-hour terminal grind.
- The “Time Capsule” Effect: My clients call these planes time capsules because they can save several hours on every single business trip.
- Happiness and Satisfaction: Research shows that people who spend money on time-saving investments (like hiring a gardener or flying private) are generally happier and more satisfied with their lives.
How Will You Use the Time You’ve Bought?
At the end of the day, money is just a neutral tool. It empowers you to do more of what you love. When we help our clients at Falcon Wealth Planning achieve financial freedom, we are really helping them reclaim their time.
True financial freedom is working because you want to, not because you have to. It means having the time to:
- Spend four months a year at your beach house.
- Take those exotic trips to see the world while you’re still healthy.
- Focus on philanthropy and building a legacy that outlasts you.
Stop wasting your most limited resource. You have the power to make more money, but you will never get today back. Are you ready to start buying your time?