My home has a mature garden and spacious rooms. It borders a regional park and is within walking distance of the small town I live in. There's a large hospital with a primary care facility nearby. As for curb appeal? Nothing fancy. But that lack of curb appeal let me pay 15% below the market rate for the area. Works for me.

My car is parked in a driveway with space for maybe 4 cars. It's an 8-year-old SUV with 80,000 miles on the clock, well serviced and maintained. Nothing fancy. I bought it at one year old, saving on the big first year depreciation.

If a passer-by ever spotted me regularly, they'd see me in shorts, a t-shirt, and scruffy sneakers. Once again, nothing fancy. Spending big bucks on designer clothing doesn't work for me.

This phrase weaves through my life. The sports facility I belong to isn't an expensive members-only place—it's municipally owned and managed, open to everyone. Nothing fancy. Also at least $2000 cheaper every year.

The ultimate expression of this outlook is my financial portfolio: a mix of low-cost Vanguard index funds, an annuity, a bond ladder, and some cash savings. Nothing fancy going on there. Doesn't seem right for me to pay 1% for active management.

I won't pretend I'm not financially comfortable. But it's straightforward: I wouldn't be as comfortable if I hadn't been content with simplicity. If I hadn't been fine with nothing fancy. The appearance of wealth has never interested me.

I'm sure flashier people might look at my life and shrug—"nothing fancy." They'd be right. And I'm perfectly fine with that.

After all, there's nothing fancy going on here. True wealth is not the ability to buy expensive things, but the freedom gained from not needing to buy them. That really works for me.

 

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