This week was my birthday
My wife surprised me with a morning at The Estate of Health — a quiet little spa in Kingsville.
(Though honestly, I think the gift was more for her than for me.)
And it was amazing.
Total peace. No connection. No distractions.
While lounging by the pool, I decided to throw on an audiobook:
The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous.
I first started it during the 2020 lockdowns.
Never finished it. (Still haven’t.)
But even just the first 72 pages will change how you think about money.
Here’s the core idea:
“Easy money loses value. Hard money holds value.”
Fiat currencies — like the Canadian dollar — are easy money.
Governments can print more of them any time they want.
And every time they do, the value of the dollars you already hold… drops.
You don’t see it right away.
But over time, your purchasing power erodes.
Just look at this:
We’ve all heard “cash is king.”
But in an inflationary world, cash quietly loses the throne.
So what is hard money?
Gold.
Bitcoin.
Assets that can’t easily be created or inflated.
They hold value because they’re scarce.
And that’s where this really clicked for me…
Real estate — especially single-family homes — fits the same pattern.
We’re not building enough of them in Ontario.
At the same time, our population keeps growing.
Supply is low.
Demand is high.
Scarcity is real.
This is basic economics.
The harder something is to produce — and the more people want it —
the more valuable it becomes over time.
And here’s the real takeaway:
We can’t print houses.
We can’t manufacture land.
We can’t fake demand for housing.
But we can recognize when we’re sitting on one of the best hard-money assets available.
Single-family homes in Ontario are:
- Scarce
- Functional
- Income-generating
- Inflation-protective
- And deeply needed
They may not feel exciting…
But long-term? They’re one of the most reliable wealth-building tools we have.
If you’re holding a lot of cash right now, think carefully.
You might be sitting on something that quietly loses value every year.
Scarcity creates value.
And in today’s world, hard assets matter more than ever.
Until next week,
Vince
P.S. If you’re sitting on cash, take 10 minutes this week to reassess. Ask yourself: is this really the safest place for it long term?
P.P.S. Spa update: I’m 80% sure this “birthday surprise” was really just a creative way for my wife to get a massage and call it a gift for me. Respect.
