|
March 30, 2026 
|
|
|
Hi everyone,
Welcome back. I received a newsletter over the weekend from Blair duQuesnay, a financial planner at Ritholtz, a investment management firm in New York, which started out by acknowledging that the market is jittery and the world often feels like it’s on fire.
But instead of dedicating yet another note to why investors should stay the course, she wrote an ode to her 2009 Honda Civic — it made me chuckle, but also raised some thought-provoking questions that we’re often too busy to really ponder.
Blair’s Honda had seen her through several milestones — from singleton to married, from starving solopreneur to a shareholder at her current firm. She could have surely afforded an upgrade by now, and admits that there have been times she’s been a little nervous about arriving in her old reliable wheels, which didn’t match the social expectations of what kind of car she should be driving.
But she’s not a car person, and she’d rather spend on her home, good food and experiences.
“Being intentional about spending makes budgeting easy,” she wrote. “In order to do that, you have to break the cycle of going along with the crowd.”
Instead, she suggests asking yourself what type of spending brings you the most joy: Do you really need a new car — or to buy versus rent? “Money is a tool,” she continued. “It can buy us money things, but for most of us, it is not an infinite resource.”
With higher prices, many households feel cash constrained. Have your priorities or spending shifted in any way? We’d love to hear from you: yourmoney_newsletter@nytimes.com.
Below, you’ll find our collection of money stories from across The Times. Have a great week.
How are we doing?
We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to yourmoney_newsletter@nytimes.com.
Like this email?
Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up Your Money.
