Why I Don’t Invest in the S&P 500 – and Never Will

The conventional path won’t make you free. Here’s what will.

There’s a mantra out there, repeated so often that it sounds like wisdom:

“Just buy the S&P 500. Hold it for 30 or 40 years. Don’t try to beat the market. It’s all about time in the market, not timing the market.”

And for most people, that advice isn’t just safe—it’s downright boring. But here’s my problem with it:

I don’t want to be rich when I’m 70.

I want wealth now. Or at least in a timeframe where I can use it—to buy back my time, to build, to explore, to be generous, to live fully. Not when I’m counting pills, worrying about cholesterol, or no longer curious about the world.

So no—I don’t buy the S&P 500. I don’t buy “diversified” ETFs. I don’t believe in indexing. And I never will.

The Myth of Average

When you invest in the S&P 500, you’re signing up for average. You’re tying yourself to companies you don’t understand, that don’t excite you, whose future is uncertain, and whose culture may be rotting from the inside.

But even worse—you’re putting your financial freedom on a 40-year countdown.

Why would anyone voluntarily choose to become financially free decades from now, when you can take a few concentrated bets and aim for life-changing upside now?

Yes, the S&P has returned 7–9% historically. But guess what?

Compounding at 8% won’t change your life in the next 5-10 years.

You might feel “smart.” You might feel “safe.” But safety is expensive when it comes at the cost of freedom. Safety is not the goal. Wealth is. And more importantly, freedom is.

Why I Concentrate—and You Should Too

If you want to be wealthy while you still have time to enjoy it, there is no alternative to concentration. That means:

• One idea per year.

• One bet when the odds are massively in your favor.

• One business you understand deeply, inside and out.

You don’t need to be right ten times. You don’t even need to be right five times. You just need to be right once—big.

That’s the beauty of public markets. You can enter from any background, any profession, any level of wealth. It’s open to all. But the only way to really win the game is to play a different game than everyone else.

You don’t need 500 stocks.

You need one that matters.

High Conviction Is a Superpower

Most people diversify because they’re not sure. They don’t know what they own. They read headlines, they watch CNBC, and they follow gurus. And then they buy a little of this, a little of that—sprinkle some AI, some energy, maybe a few dividend aristocrats—and pray that something works.

But if you’ve done the work, if you understand the business, the management, the moat, the upside—why wouldn’t you concentrate?

Why would you dilute your conviction?

The reality is, most people aren’t willing to do the thinking. Most people aren’t willing to look foolish for holding one stock for years. Most people want to feel smart, not be smart.

But I don’t care about looking smart. I care about winning.

And the only way to win in this game—meaningfully—is to bet big when the odds are in your favor.

Wealth Is Not a Game of Math—It’s a Game of Psychology

People often say, “But what if you’re wrong?”

And that’s the question that keeps people poor.

What if you’re right?

What if you identify a company early in its journey—one that’s disrupting something essential, changing behavior, expanding rapidly—and you put real capital behind it?

That one bet could change your life.

The Real Risk Is Wasting Your Life

If you make 7% a year for 40 years, maybe you’ll have a few million by the time you’re 70.

But here’s the thing:

You won’t be the same person at 70 that you are today.

Your dreams will change. Your energy will fade. Your curiosity may shrink. The desire to build something, to live, to explore—those things peak in your 30s, 40s, and 50s.

And if you waste that time playing it safe, you won’t get it back.

I don’t want to be rich someday.

I want to be rich when it matters.

So I’ll continue to study relentlessly. I’ll find businesses that align with essential human needs. I’ll ignore the noise. And when I find the right setup, I’ll bet big.

Because I’m not here to retire at 70.

I’m here to live free.

And I’m not waiting four decades to get there.

If you’re also tired of average returns, if you want to go deep, think hard, and build meaningful wealth on your own terms, this newsletter is for you.

Subscribe to follow along. This is not for everyone. But for the few who resonate—it might change your life.