F You Money

What is F You Money? The Confidence to Choose Good Work

I spent a long time writing that letter. It is a true expression of my feelings. I’m saving it for my final year of work. It could be the greatest letter of resignation ever written. I wrote several versions before this. Longer. Wordier. Editing is a process.

• Will all due respect, please do the world a favor and fuck off
• Please take a moment to go fuck yourself
• Next quarter’s projection, fuck you
• Counter proposal, fuck you
• Quick note, fuck you
• Please fuck off
• Fuck you
• F you

Removing the letters “uck” makes the letter more polite. We are animals without our manners. The letter still delivers the same point. 

You do not control me. Your opinions have no power over me. You no longer influence the decisions I make. I choose my work. You do not choose for me. 

Autonomy is huge. The ability to choose what to work on and how to work feeds our soul. It’s directly linked to satisfaction and happiness in the workplace. 

More employees are weighing autonomy and compensation when looking for work. It’s a very different world today. Two generations ago this was not an option. You worked. You did not complain. You took very few vacation days. Maybe a week per year. And you died shortly after retirement. A few people figured out fuck you money. Very few people. 

Today is different. It’s never been easier to earn and invest your money. 

The 5 step strategy to live a remarkable life:

1. Build to f you money 
2. Invest wisely
3. Spend modestly
4. Be confident
5. Work with integrity

Step 1 takes a long time. It’s hard work. 

Step 2 to 5 all happens rather quickly. 

What is fuck you money?

Fuck you money is having enough money so you can decide what you work on and how you work. You choose how you spend your time. Your boss no longer chooses for you. 

Fuck you is money is synonymous with financial freedom. When your networth exceeds 30 to 35 years of living expenses, you don’t need more money. You have more than enough. You achieved financial freedom. You’re financially independent and then some. 

How much money is fuck you money?

John Goodman in The Gambler defines fuck you money as $2.5 million dollars.

Watch the full clip here. The Gambler Fuck You Money. He also suggests the following wise money moves. He’s under the opinion that any asshole in the world knows this strategy:

• If you’re up $2.5 million dollars
• Buy a house with a 25-year roof
• Buy a reliable car, aka a “Japanese Economy Shit Box”
• Invest your money and get a 3% to 5% return
• Don’t drink

A theatrical delivery but solid advice. $2.5 million dollars is a lot of money. For the average American, it’s enough to say f you to things you do not want to do. 

My f you money definition is $4.0 million dollars. That’s how much you need to politely say f you to annoying work. You can focus on being creative and doing high-quality work. With the extra $1.5 million dollars, you can drop the uck. 

• Fuck you money = $2.5 million dollars
• F you money = $4.0 million dollars

Benefits of “f you money”

Build your base. Build your fortress of solitude, invest wisely, and don’t overspend. When you do this, you create a life of certainty. You no longer need to worry about being employed. You no longer need to worry about impressing your boss. You no longer need to do meaningless work. 

1. Work with integrity

With f you money it’s important to walk before you run. Don’t jump right to f you. Start with, no I’m not doing that. Or, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Try out, you can do that, but I don’t want my name associated with that. 

Choose work that’s important to you. Choose work that matters to you. 

2. Take risks

With f you money you can take calculated risks. You have your base. You can take a little extra risk with your work, your time, and your investments. Low probability and high payout opportunities are exciting. They will challenge you, excite you, and make you richer than you ever imagined. 

““The United States of America is based on fuck you. You’re a king? You have an army. The greatest navy in the history of the world. Fuck you blow me. We’ll fuck it up ourselves.””

— JOHN GOODMAN (THE GAMBLER)

Recommendations

1. Leave your soulless job

First, be professional and polite. Be more like Lily Allen and less like Half Baked. Politely tell your job f you. Don’t go full postal and say, “fuck you fuck you you’re cool,” and then quit.

Quitting because you don’t need the money is a rare life event. Enjoy it but don’t be an ass about it.

2. Find your art 

Work that provides you with a channel of expression is your art. Art takes many forms. It’s not limited to drawings and paintings.

Find your art, choose good work and pursue it seriously. Do what you love. Why? Because you can. 

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