Micro and Macro Economic Milestones

The Detox

A few weeks ago I started a digital detox. I stopped reading the news, skipped every hot take on the Iran war or on how President Trump “should have handled” it, and ignored the endless commentary from people detached from reality. None of it added value; it simply occupied precious brain space.

Sherlock Holmes captured the feeling perfectly:

“What the deuce is it to me? You say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.”
— A Study in Scarlet

To keep my “brain attic” clear, I quit reading headlines entirely. The Middle East could have been collapsing, the market could have been crashing—I remained happily ignorant. I also stopped checking my portfolio. I know I won’t make decisions based on daily noise, and watching volatility added nothing useful.

On April 16, 2026, while stuck in the Charleston, SC airport on my way home, I finally glanced at the market. The S&P 500 had closed at 7041.28. My 100% US-equity portfolio had quietly hit a major milestone.

I still remember the infamous 2016 CNN headline: How a Trump Win Would Sink Stocks. On November 8, 2016, the S&P 500 closed at 2139.56. The next day it rose more than 1% to 2163.26. That was the moment my trust in mainstream financial commentary died.

Today—2,460 trading days later—the S&P 500 closed at 7126.03 (April 17, 2026). In nearly 2,400 days, not a single week passed without someone predicting imminent collapse, World War III, or the next civilization-ending pandemic. None of it materialized anywhere near the scale the experts claimed. Could something catastrophic still be around the corner? Of course. No one knows. That’s precisely the point. The talking heads pretend they do; the rest of us simply live with uncertainty.

The age-old wisdom of ignoring headlines, setting sensible goals, and steadily pursuing them has worked. My own planning and discipline could only take me so far; the macroeconomy had to cooperate. What good is a bull market if you panic-sell at the first dip?

For context, the S&P 500 hit a record 6144.15 on February 19, 2025. By April 8, 2025, it had fallen to 4982.77 in what became known as the Libration Day crash. Panic was everywhere. Armchair economists on X suddenly became tariff experts, predicting financial Armageddon. President Trump was openly using tariffs as leverage for better trade deals, yet the credentialed class chose hysteria instead.

When the market hit its lowest point, the panic was in full swing. Trump called them PANICANS. Appropriate. I did buy the dip a little bit, but I did not have the cashflow, and I had to sit on the sidelines a little bit. At least, I wasn’t selling (or making any changes to my asset allocation) like those geniuses on TV and X.

On June 27, 2025, S&P 500 closed at a new all-time high of 6173.07. This marked full recovery from the tariff scare draw down (and set a new record). The index had already turned positive for the year by May.

Coming to the current situation, we see a similar trend.

All the while, there were people online who were predicting the end of the world. Whether they truly believed these delusions or they were doing this for attention is hard to say. I am not in favor of wars, that said, if a war is inevitable, I’d rather America win by crushing its enemies. Can all this change on Monday April 20, 2026? Yes. I know I will not be doing anything different, I will stay the course.

A Personal Milestone

Its rather amusing that those that are not consumed by partisan politics are happy with the current situation and hopeful about the future. I also achieved an important personal financial milestone.

This was achieved by not doing much during the market turmoil. I decided to reward myself. I went to buffet place - spent $12, and ate 5 plates of food. I typed this entire post while I was having dinner. The joys of eating alone.

Going forward I want to think less about numbers and more about life. The last few years have been a relentless pursuit of targets. Progress felt good, but it never brought real happiness. There is no one I can share this milestone with, and bragging feels tacky anyway—only judgment follows.

I refuse lifestyle inflation. Buying things creates stress, not joy. Instead, I want to spend more on experiences. Going out alone for a meal was uncharacteristic for me, yet surprisingly pleasant. I plan to do it more often. A few dollars here and there won’t matter at this stage.

Wins in life are rare. I am going to celebrate them. I know I’m not the only person quietly marking financial milestones—plenty in the FI community do the same—but I have no interest in FIRE. I like the “FI” part; the “RE” part holds no appeal. I want to do meaningful work for as long as I can.

Another, larger milestone is still ahead. When I reach it, I’ll celebrate that one too.

This post is published on April 18, 2026, Saturday, 10:11:19 AM CDT