John Jennings is someone you want to know. He is fascinating, and not in a weird way, in a lovely Dr. Seuss style. He deserves to be famous, though he doesn’t care about fame, and is worthy of it and your attention.

He writes something called the IFOD – Interesting Fact of the Day (we’ve shared them with you here in this newsletter).  His daily thoughts often tickle the brain into an active state. They are meaningful, relevant, poignant, and thoughtful.

Does IFOD pay the bills? We think not. So what does Jennings do for work? Uh, he’s a big deal. John is President and Chief Strategist of The St. Louis Trust Company, a leading multi-family office. This means he helps the ultra-affluent. Unlike most in wealth management, John deserves a lot of respect.

And if that’s not enough, John is an adjunct faculty member at Washington University’s Olin School of Business where he teaches in the Wealth and Asset Management masters program. John is also a Forbes contributor, a lawyer by training, a hardcore vegan and a loving husband and dad.

Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation covering: Lawyers who aren’t lawyers, John’s IFOD, committing to a plant-based/Vegan diet and how it connects to solving John’s fight with OCD, investment thinking and what the ultra-rich struggle with, Coronavirus and what napping has to do with success.

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There are so many songs, books and movies about what it would be like to travel in time. What if we told you there is one way you actually can – sort of – make good use of time travel with respect to your wealth?

Remember our friend John Jennings, and his Interesting Fact of the Day (IFOD) blog? John recently covered this subject in his IFOD post, “Discounting the Future,” and how this phenomenon can impact your personal and financial habits.

For example, when his daughter Claire decided to put off doing her homework, she told him she was “going to let future Claire worry about the project.” (I kind of hope my daughter Harper isn’t reading this!) She was prioritizing the instant gratification of enjoying her current leisure time, and discounting the more distant reward of having the project already completed by the time “future Claire” was wishing she could goof off.

When it comes to our money, discounting the future can trick us into treating future dollars as less valuable than current ones. For example, if someone offers you $100 today or $200 six months from now, you may opt for the instant cash, discounting the extra $100 your future self would have enjoyed. Which choice you’ll prefer can vary, depending on how far in the future you’re being asked to wait, as well as how much money is involved.

If we haven’t yet nailed the idea, please take a minute to read John’s phenomenal post, and be sure to look for comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s explanation of the concept. Before you know it, you’ll be asking yourself questions about what your future self will think about your current self for the next few weeks – and likely making better decisions for the long view.