Private Investment Cost Focus

Noah Kagan shares his perspective on tracking private investments and personal finances, emphasizing simplicity and focusing on actual costs rather than speculative values.

• Personal Finance Tracking:

  • Has consistently tracked finances for 15 years
  • Uses a simple spreadsheet system
  • Available on okdork.com/wheresmymoney

• Private Investment Philosophy:

  • Only invests in companies he personally uses
  • Examples include: Circle, Buffer, Element, Huckberry
  • Tracks only the initial investment amount (cost basis)
  • Deliberately avoids tracking appreciation or current valuations

• Investment Documentation Approach:

  • Simple tracking: "I put $10,000 in and that's just what it is"
  • Focuses on actual money invested rather than paper gains
  • Maintains straightforward record-keeping without speculation

• Personal Organization System:

  • Uses calendar automation for most activities
  • Color codes different categories (e.g., yellow for learning activities)
  • Prefers putting things on autopilot to reduce active tracking needs
  • Only actively tracks personal finances among all activities

This approach reflects a philosophy of focusing on concrete, measurable investments rather than speculative valuations, while maintaining simple but consistent tracking systems.