7 Mental Models That Changed How I Think About Wealth

Mental models are thinking tools. The right ones change everything.

1. Leverage (from Naval Ravikant)

"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." — Archimedes

Modern leverage: code, media, capital, labor. Use them to multiply your output.

2. Compound Interest (from Buffett)

"My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest."

Small advantages, consistently applied, create massive outcomes over time.

3. First Principles (from Musk)

"Boil things down to the most fundamental truths and reason up from there."

Don't copy patterns. Understand fundamentals.

4. Opportunity Cost

Every yes is a no to something else. Every dollar spent is a dollar not invested. Choose wisely.

5. Skin in the Game (from Taleb)

Don't take advice from people who don't have skin in the game. Don't give advice without putting your own money/reputation on the line.

6. Antifragility (from Taleb)

Build systems that get stronger from stress and volatility. Fragile systems break. Robust systems survive. Antifragile systems thrive.

7. Systems Thinking

Outcomes are produced by systems. To change outcomes, change systems. To build wealth, build wealth-producing systems.

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Philosophy guides me. Execution defines me.