You miss 100% of the shots you don't take 🏒

Issue 12: 9 min read

📚 Life Lessons: What to do when the stock market is on fire 😬

🙋🏽‍♀️ Dani’s Doings: Sharing the highs (and lows) of my entrepreneurship journey one year in 😵‍💫 + advice to give to any aspiring creative entrepreneurs

💸 Money Matters: “Underconsumption” is trending upwards, the stock market is trending downwards, and more

✈️ Travel Tings: The best places to travel to in October (when peak season is over), a cool new list of opportunities for you to move abroad, plus more

🫶🏽 Community Corner: I’m giving you a FREE gift as a thanks for being a loyal subscriber (read until the end for details and instructions), and I’m dropping something new soon 👀👀

What to do when the stock market is on fire 📉🔥😬

The stock market hasn’t been doing so hot these past few weeks. Some are calling it an all-out crash and predicting that more chaos is to come. It can be scary to process what’s happening to your portfolio during times like these, and many people are confused about what to do next. Here are the top 4 things I would personally do, friend:

1) Nothing at all. If you believe in your investment strategy (and have done your research and due diligence), then there’s no reason to switch things up when the markets are down. All investments come with risk. Do not panic sell (especially if you planned to hold long-term, anyway!).

2) Zoom out and look at the bigger picture. How bad is it really? The last few weeks may look bad, but for many popular stocks and ETFs (exchange trade funds), the current lows are very minor compared to the 1 year or 5 year views.

3) Take advantage and add more to your portfolio while things are “on sale” (aka they’re selling for lower prices currently). This isn’t necessary, but if you have some cash available you’d like to invest, it’s a good time to stock up.

4) Use this as an opportunity to reflect on your portfolio. Is it diversified enough? Is your risk tolerance accurately reflected? If not, it may be a sign to make some changes.

Ultimately, the stock market is known to have highs and lows. Volatility is normal. Patience is key.

_{This not financial advice. Please do your own research before making financial decisions.}

I’ve officially been a full-time entrepreneur for one whole year! What an experience it’s been so far. There have been so many ups and downs.

Advice I’d give to aspiring creative entrepreneurs: This life isn’t always as easy or glamorous as it looks. Having a solid amount of savings you can pull from to hold you down during slow periods is a key to survival. Also, it can get lonely (especially if you’re used to working at a “normal” job with other co-workers). Pouring into your community and even forming accountability groups are some great ways to beat any feelings of isolation. It’s an exciting journey for sure, but I think it’s important that people understand that the process of leaving behind a consistent, stable salary and moving towards the life of being an entrepreneur can be a very difficult and stressful transition.

What’s next for me and my business:

✅ I’ll be launching a new project soon 👀. Introducing: fixupszn. I’ll tell you all about it soon! For now, sign up to the waiting list to be notified of launch + to receive exclusive discounts.

✅ Posing less content on platforms like Instagram and TikTok that don’t have long shelf lives. I’d like to start creating on YouTube next! Subscribe to my channel to get notified when my videos start rolling in.

✅ Coaching individuals and groups on planning their own Liberty Leave (aka mini-retirement). I’m super passionate and experienced on this topic, and it’s time to start helping people achieve this lifestyle, too! If this is something that’d interest you, feel free to reply to this email and I’ll add you to the list of folks that’ll get early access before I launch to the general public.

I’ll also be signing up for every available opportunity and grant that could help me grow on this journey, even if I’m not 100% qualified. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and I’m not one for missing well-aligned opportunities.

As always, I’ll keep it 100 with you on how this journey goes (ups AND downs 🤪).

• There’s an “underconsumption” trend happening on TikTok right now and I LOVE IT SO MUCH! I’m so tired of watching haul videos with people purchasing 938782 things they don’t need and then forget about in a couple weeks (especially during a cost of living crisis). More details on the trend here.

• This article talks about the impact finances can have on mental health, how financial uncertainty is a significant source of stress for many people, and shares ways to take control of your finances + mental health.

• The Olympics are wrapping up, and I was personally curious about how these athletes are compensated considering they give their ALL to these games. Well, I found my answers! This TikTok shares what olympians get for winning (one country awards 5 COWS 🐄😅), and here’s how Canadian olympians specifically are rewarded.

• Bank of Canada cut its key interest rates again in July. Details here. I made a video on the pros and cons of these key interest rate cuts in this video.

• The stock market is currently not doing so hot and people are panicking. This article explains exactly why all of this is happening, and what’s expected to happen next 😬.

• The world’s latest “10 most risky cities” list has been revealed. I’ve been to two of them (Manila and Mexico City) and personally didn’t experience anything negative, but good to know! Read the full list here.

• October is my favourite month of the year to travel because peak season is officially over, there are less crowds, and prices tend to drop significantly compared to summer travel costs. This list summarizes 17 destinations to visit in October that are still warm and enjoyable. Review it here.

• Wanna move abroad but have no idea how? Check out The Lady Who Travel’s “Move Abroad Board”. She shares unique opportunities like getting paid up to 30,000 euros 🤑 to move to Tuscany, Italy. If you’re interested in solo women travel content, you should follow her too!

• For my fellow Canadians: our passport just got more powerful 🥳. We’re even beating the U.S. now in global ranking! Details here.

• Selina, which is (was?) a popular co-working/co-living space for digital nomads around the world is experiencing a financial crisis. They may not be around for much longer. Learn more here. I’ve never been to one personally, but to be honest, I haven’t heard great things from the people that have 😅.

• ❤️ Your thank you gift: I made a saving/sinking funds tracker to help you keep track of up to 30 saving goals, and as a thank you for being a Liberty Letter 💌 subscriber, I’m giving it to you for FREE. Grab your copy here. Note: It’s on Google Sheets so you’ll make a copy onto your own drive so you can edit it.

• 👀 New project loading: I had so much fun creating that savings tracker that I decided to take it to the next level: introducing fixupszn. It’s coming soon! If you’d like to be notified when it launches and receive exclusive offers, sign up for the waiting list here.

• 🛍️ Recommendation for the best portable battery charger: I personally think everyone needs a powerful portable battery charger for those long days where you phone just won’t make it. A dead phone can be a safety hazard (especially when travelling) because we use it for so many things! I use this one and I LOVE it.

• 🧋Gratitude: I’ve received so many kind messages about how my newsletter and other content has helped y’all with different aspects of your lives over the past year and also questions about how you can support me. I appreciate the thought! You can “buy me a bubble tea” (aka tip me) by clicking here. Thank you in advance 🫶🏽.

_{These may include affiliate links where I earn a small commission (and you pay nothing!), which helps me to continue to grow and produce content like this newsletter. Thanks for your support!}

Psssst: Did you know that the Liberty Letter is part of the Liberty Leave brand? Visit the website to learn more! | Wanna work together? Reach out here.