Rules that survive headlines

Written rules beat mood. This is the series checkpoint.

6 min read · Intermediate · Updated 2026-09-06

Write five rules in a note you can find when you are scared or greedy. Examples - labelled personal, not commandments:

• I add on the SIP date. I do not add because a reel told me to.
• I do not hold more than one thematic extra, and it stays a small slice.
• I wait 72 hours after a viral story before I touch the portfolio.
• I rebalance on a calendar, with new money first.
• I will not sell the core to fund a tip.

Your five may differ. They must be written. A rule in your head is a wish.

You are ready for Independence if

You can watch a loud week without opening a new folio. The machine from 201 is still running. You want arithmetic about work-optional life, not a new personality called FIRE.

**Note:** Rules are how 301 stays a school and not a trading floor.

• Write the rules before the weather.
• Fewer rules you keep beat many rules you edit weekly.
• Headlines pass through rules; they do not write them.

Key takeaways

• Write the rules before the weather.
• Fewer rules you keep beat many rules you edit weekly.
• Headlines pass through rules; they do not write them.

Try next: Market Insights

Previous: Hot themes and FOMO · Series: Markets with Judgment · All Guides · Market Insights

Educational only — not investment advice. Part of Markets with Judgment on Finnass Guides. Prefer hands-on tools? Open Calculators or the FIRE calculator.