I actually did all the math on this. I looked up the date of each iPhone release going back to 2007, the price of each phone and the price of Apple stock on that day in history. Then I put it all into a spreadsheet and added it up. They both spent about $14,500 over the years in total. Today, Nate (the stock buyer) has 751 shares of Apple stock worth over $171,000!

Now let me pre-answer all the shouty comments I’m going to get:

• “YEAH NATE’S STOCK DOESN’T HAVE A 48MP FUSION CAMERA! NICK IS ACTUALLY ENJOYING HIS LIFE”. Yeah, of course. But guess what. This is an ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE. The two sides are extremes. Very few people are buying EVERY iPhone. Very few people are making an annual purchase of Apple stock. But maybe YOU can go one more year before upgrading, buy used, wait for a deal, etc and put that extra cash toward assets.
• “NATE SHOULDN’T BE PUTTING ALL HIS MONEY IN A SINGLE STOCK”. Yeah, I agree. AGAIN, just a fun example, but I’d suggest a total stock market ETF like VTI (US stocks) or better yet VT (global stocks) would be a better choice.
• “WHAT ABOUT INFLATION!!!!!1111” These are real numbers! The actual cost of iPhones back then and the actual amount of money Nate would have today. And anyway you squint your eyes and yell about inflation, $171,000 is a lot more than $0.

Also, for a bit of bitter irony, I actually bought a new iPhone last night. BUT, I was upgrading from an iPhone 11 which has definitely seen it’s best days. Plus I use my phone for work. Plus I need the new camera for… YOU KNOW WHAT. I DON’T NEED TO JUSTIFY MYSELF TO YOU. I’M A MULTIMILLIONAIRE AND I’M GONNA BUY A NEW STUPID PHONE IF I WANT.

Sorry for all the caps today. It’s just one of those days.

As always, reminding you to build wealth by following the two PFC rules: 1.) Live below your means and 2.) Invest early and often.

-Jeremy