USOB Portfolio Boosting Tactics
A sad truth lies hidden between the columns of the typical USOB ledger*… The system is rigged, and – as a responsible, gainfully employed, parent and spouse with obligations and expectations – not in your favor. Thrift and a disciplined deposit schedule are, as we’ve discussed, fundamental aspects of any successful USOB wealth building strategy, but alone they can’t deliver the sporting opportunity fortune that you fantasized about as a kid. That type of time afield requires risk and real hustle. To get ahead, you have to change the arithmetic. Recent outings have reintroduced me to two accessible tactics for doing just that.
Tactic 1: Embrace Your Darkside
Steven and I had spent the day wade-fishing with the kids, and the next was slated for a family float trip, but why not, we asked ourselves, carve out a couple more hours of opportunity. You gotta make hay while the sun shines, we decided around the campfire, even if it’s only reflected off the moon.
Talking about it over camp-cups of boxed wine is one thing. Execution is another matter. Unfamiliar at noon, the river was distilled mystery come midnight. Each shuffling step against the current was an 8-inch adventure into the unknown. Fixated on new feedback, my mind wrought havoc with cast after cast. But then the big, round moon rose from the opposite bank’s bluffs. Gulps and splashes joined the river’s burbling melody, and there I stood grinning into the darkness, wondering why I usually waste these hours on a 0% yield activity like sleep.
Tactic 2: Dawn Patrol
***Text Message Transcript***
Lat: Matthew, what do you say about meet 7 pm fish til after dark followed by sipper of whiskey. Matt: Sounds great but I forgot I’m booked tonight. How about tomorrow. Lat: Lets make it happen. Lat: Sick wife. No Evenings. Can you pull off dawn patrol? Matt: I’m game. What’s the plan? Lat: Meet 4:30ish fish (location censored) hard till 7:30 – 8 back in time for breakfast? Matt: Uh… Lat: Best big fish close Matt: Uh… Lat:??? Matt: What time’s sunrise? Lat: What time are you sprouting a pair?
Did the 4 a.m. alarm sting a little? Of course. Was it a worthwhile investment?
Early risers Photo by Matthew Copeland
Yeah, we saw a healthy return.
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* USOB = Universal Sporting Opportunity Balance. A unit of measure, used to evaluate the strength of a sportsman’s claim to the time and resources required to get out and do cool stuff. This tool is particularly useful as life increases in complexity and competing claims become more numerous.
USOB Accounting = the method by which USOB is calculated.