The Marginal Utility of Money - Inner Circle Ep 24

Some money is better than none. But why do people keep chasing long after they have enough? In this episode of The Inner Circle, Mike calls in from day seven of a ten-day writing retreat in Winter Park, and Kevin shares a number he did not plan to share. The conversation finds its way to the question underneath both: at what point does another dollar cost more than it is worth, and how do you actually know when you have crossed that line? They discuss: - Why financial independence has nothing to do with buying whatever you want, and everything to do with making decisions that have nothing to do with money - The marginal utility curve — where it bends, what it feels like when you pass it, and why most people blow right past it without noticing - Why "I love what I do" is often the most sophisticated version of not knowing any different - The climbing guide who lives on $4,000 a month and the question he forced Kevin to sit with at the height of a seven-figure career - Why everything you own owns a piece of you back, and what ruthless simplification actually looks like in practice - How to calculate how much fuel your ideal life actually requires — and why the number is almost always smaller than you think Most people running hard past the threshold are not chasing freedom. They are avoiding the question of what they would do with it. Connect with Kevin and Mike on X for more from The Inner Circle: Kevin Dahlstrom: https://x.com/Camp4 Mike Brown: https://x.com/mbrown_co