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- 3 Hard Truths from an Aesop Fable, Investing at All-Time Highs, and More
3 Hard Truths from an Aesop Fable, Investing at All-Time Highs, and More
Benjamin Daniel, CFP®
July 19, 2025
Read Time: 4-minutes
Happy Saturday,
Here is this week’s edition of 6-Point Saturday — financial insights to help you make smarter money decisions.
Table of Contents*
*Clickable in the online version.
A bit of a cautionary tale this week — drawn from Aesop’s fable, The Lion’s Share.
A long time ago, the Lion, the Fox, the Jackal, and the Wolf agreed to go hunting together, sharing with each other whatever they found.
One day the Wolf ran down a Stag and immediately called his comrades to divide the spoil.
Without being asked, the Lion placed himself at the head of the feast to do the carving, and, with a great show of fairness, began to count the guests.
"One," he said, counting on his claws, "that is myself the Lion. Two, that's the Wolf, three, is the Jackal, and the Fox makes four."
He then very carefully divided the Stag into four equal parts.
"I am King Lion," he said, when he had finished, "so of course I get the first part. This next part falls to me because I am the strongest; and this is mine because I am the bravest."
He now began to glare at the others very savagely. "If any of you have any claim to the part that is left," he growled, stretching his claws meaningly, "now is the time to speak up."
I’ve never come across this fable, and — wow — I wasn’t expecting that ending.
But the lessons here seem more relevant now than ever:
Position trumps loyalty: The lion claims every piece of the hunt for himself. Not because he earned it, but because he could. The others expected fairness. The lion reminded them who held the ultimate power. Many employer-employee power dynamics are similar. Of course, some employers aren’t as ruthless, but the lesson remains the same.
Employees need realistic expectations. Employers offer loyalty…as long as you’re useful to them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read employees interviewed in The Wall Street Journal and other publications saying something to the effect of:
“I’ve worked there for over 20 years. I can’t believe that doesn’t count for anything.”
“They recently gave us assurances, only to backtrack without any warning.”
We can’t kid ourselves: wishful thinking isn’t a strategy.
Don’t expect warnings: On that note, while some CEOs provide advanced notice, many don’t. It’s safer to assume you won’t get a heads-up.
Today, many employees are learning a similar lesson.
And with the rise of AI, more CEOs are openly signaling downsizing and restructuring ($).
This isn’t fear-mongering. It’s reality.
Let’s move to Point #2 to explore what we can actually do about this…
Point #2 — Besting The Lion
We can’t control how the world changes, but we can control how we prepare for it.
That’s why I think:
1. Staying informed about AI is certainly not optional anymore.
2. For some, experimenting with a "side hustle" has never made more sense.
One practical step?
Review your Stability Fund (your Emergency Fund). In general, I recommend at least 3 to 6 months of living expenses:
• If you’re single: aim for 6 months.
• If you have a partner and both of you work, shoot for 3 months.
The goal is simple:
To never be at the mercy of someone else’s decision.
Point #3 — Investing at All-Time Highs
Maybe you came into some extra money and are wondering if it makes sense to invest at this point…
Your returns are actually slightly better when investing at all-time highs than on other days over 1, 3, and 5-year windows.
This isn’t to say the future will play out exactly like the past.
Just a timely check on a potentially overblown concern.
Point #4 — “You Are What You Won’t Do For Money”
“Rory McIlroy turned down hundreds of millions of easy dollars because he believed that the new league [LIV] was bad for the game. That where his money comes from matters. That his choices don’t just reflect his own values and priorities, they shape those of the many young players, the future generation of golfers, who look up to him. And that a decision ‘you make in your life purely for money,’ he explained, ‘doesn’t usually end up going the right way.’
…
You can’t call it a principle, as the expression goes, unless it has cost you something—money, access, friends, followers, convenience, an opportunity to get ahead.
You shouldn’t call yourself rich unless your hands are clean.
It’s not really your platform unless you decide what goes on it.
You’re not free if you can’t say no.
And you don’t know who you are unless you know what you won’t do for money.”
Point #5 — Quote of the Week
Continuing the golf theme, top golfer Scottie Scheffler revealed some illuminating thoughts on his experience with golf and other priorities in life:
Scottie Scheffler just gave one of the best (and deepest) press conference answers ever heard.
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest)
11:32 AM • Jul 15, 2025
"It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes that kind of euphoric feeling..
You win it. You get to celebrate. I get to hug my family. My sister's there. It’s such an amazing moment. And then it’s like: 'Okay, now what are we gonna eat for dinner?' You know life goes on…
It’s not fulfilling for a sense of like the deepest places of your heart. There’s a lot of people that make it to what they thought was gonna fulfill them in life and then you get there and all of a sudden you get to number one in the world and they’re like: ‘What’s the point?’
Because if I win, it’s gonna be awesome for about two minutes and then we’re gonna get to the next week and it’s gonna be like: ‘Hey, you won two majors this year how important is it for you to win the FedEx cup playoffs?’ It's just like we’re, back here again. We work so hard for such little moments.
That’s why I talk about family being my priority because it really is. I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my own life or ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or with my son, that’s going to be the last day I play out here for a living.
This is not the be all end all. This is not the most important thing in my life and that’s why I wrestle with ‘Why is it so important to me?’ because I would much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer. At the end of the day, that’s what’s more important me.”
Another reminder not to stake your sense of happiness or purpose on fleeting moments. The “I'll be happy after I earn this promotion and raise or purchase this next home…” line of thinking, aka “Hedonic Adaptation," is a pretty dangerous trap.
Point #6 — My Question of the Week
Continuing the theme from Point #4, what’s something you wouldn’t do for a tempting amount of money?
Reply to let me know! I read all responses.
Thanks for reading — I hope you found a helpful idea or two.
I’ll see you next Saturday with more.
Have a great weekend,
Benjamin Daniel, CFP®
Founder, Money Wisdom
P.S. Want to take control of your money (and stop stressing)? Here are 2 ways I can help:
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Disclaimer:
This material is not investment or tax advice. No responsibility for loss occasioned to any person or corporate body acting or refraining to act as a result of reading this material can be accepted by the publisher.
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