Wealth as Lifestyle, Not a Number

A wonderful discussion on Ritavan's podcast. Reposted here with full credit to him. Check out his show -- Part Maven, Part Maverick.

I open with a story of a very memorable chance encounter with the billionaire investor and founder, Ken Langone, in my early years in New York City.

We talk about trust, money, compounding, and so much more. Tune in this weekend!

Bogumil Baranowski has spent two decades managing wealth for families. He speaks about how there are a thousand ways to make money, a thousand ways to live a happy life, and a thousand ways to keep and grow a family fortune, but the patterns that endure are timeless: patience, simplicity, and mindfulness.

Bogumil has written 4 books, hosted the Talking Billions podcast fore more than 3 years with over 200 guests.

His first book, Outsmarting the Crowd, strips investing down to its core. Stocks are not tickers; they are ownership in real businesses. Markets are emotional machines that transfer money from the impatient to the patient. Good investing isn’t about intelligence or predictions. It’s about behavior. The ability to think independently and sit still when others panic beats any complicated financial product or analysis.

In Money, Life, Family, the scope expands. Making money is the easy part. Keeping it and staying grounded is harder. Bogumil breaks the pursuit into three parts:
Money: Let capital compound quietly in the background.
Life: Build a life you don’t need to run away or retire from.
Family: Pass down discipline and values before assets.

The lesson is to treat wealth as something to be maintained, not chased. Staying rich is about avoiding mistakes, not finding genius trades. Simplicity, patience, and humility win.

Crisis Investing was written during COVID, when the world lost its mind. The core idea: a crisis doesn’t change your principles; it reveals whether you ever had them. Those who held cash, owned good businesses, and stayed calm survived. Those who built on leverage and noise didn’t. Survival is underrated. So is sitting still.

His more recent essays refine these ideas. He moved from chasing “cheap” stocks to owning great businesses. Cheap is useless if the business is bad. Quality, held long enough, does the heavy lifting. Investing isn’t about finding magic moments. It’s about enduring long stretches of boredom without losing discipline.

He also writes about the psychology of money. Wealth doesn’t change who you are; it amplifies what’s already there. If you were anxious before, money gives you new ways to worry. If you were grounded, it gives you ways to live on your terms. The fix isn’t more money; it’s clarity about what’s enough and why you’re doing any of it in the first place.Podcast Program – Disclosure Statement

Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice.

Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.

Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.