Stephen Kump

CEO @Charityvest (YC S20): fintech to make giving purposeful // former philanthropy advisor, Bain, & US Army // Jesus follower

[Paul Graham Essays 📝 @pgessays]

"If you want ideas for startups, one of the most valuable things you could do is find a middle-sized non-technology company and spend a couple weeks just watching what they do with computers." — @paulg

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

A lot of good wisdom here.

[Kevin Dahlstrom @Camp4]

On their 50th birthday some people turn 70 and some turn 30.

What makes the difference?

There’s no silver bullet. It’s a million little things done right—a bunch of 0.1% wins stacked up.

Here are 50 simple things you can do to make sure you’re still young at 50. I bet you’ll adopt at least one…

1. Walk 15 miles a week, even if you do other exercise. There’s something special about walking that is distinct from running and other cardio. Humans are made to move slowly over long distances—it’s critical to longevity.

2. Develop a writing practice. It’s the single best way to sharpen your mind. And remember, you don’t have to be a good writer to write. Start with 10 minutes a day.

3. Swap out your toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, soap, shampoo, and other personal care products for natural versions. Here’s the rule of thumb: Don’t put anything on your skin you couldn’t safely eat.

4. If you have a positive thought about someone, don’t keep it to yourself—share it immediately. Encouragement defies the laws of physics: When you give energy you also receive it.

5. Wear shoes with a wide forefoot (I like Topo Athletic) and wear toe spreaders around the house (search “yoga toes” on Amazon). Spine health begins with the feet.

6. Get sunlight regularly. Moderate sun exposure (without sunscreen) is hugely important for overall health.

7. Do 3 sets of deep (“ass to grass”) squats every morning. Deep squats are often called “the anti-aging exercise”. It’s been said that “it’s not that you can’t do deep squats because you’re old, it’s that you’re old because you can’t do deep squats.”

8. Explore minimalism (it’s not what you think it is).

9. Set boundaries on toxic relationships. We tend to cling to relationships past their expiration date and it takes a bigger toll on our health than we recognize.

10. Eat real food. Not too much. Don’t eat garbage. Binge occasionally. Fast occasionally. That’s the diet.

11. Learn about FIRE. It’s a great framework for financial success. Start with @mrmoneymustache’s website.

12. Don’t take antibiotics except in emergency situations. They’re massively over-prescribed and aren’t needed in most cases. Antibiotics have done untold damage to our guts, which is where health begins. Great natural alternatives are out there.

13. Get at least 7 hours of quality sleep each night and 8-10 hours if you’re under a lot of physical and emotional stress. To optimize sleep:
—Don’t eat after 6pm
—Get blackout shades and cover LEDs with black tape
—No screens 2 hours before bed
—Go for a long walk after dinner
—Try ashwaganda (an herb) to calm the nervous system

14. Stop drinking, even in moderation. People find all sorts of ways to justify drinking but there’s no escaping the simple fact that alcohol is a toxin and it limits your potential. People who lead a rich, full, health-centered life don’t have space for alcohol.

15. Travel as much as possible. Nothing expands the mind like seeing the world. And travel doesn’t have to be expensive—the best experiences happen outside of fancy resorts, when you live like a local.

16. Let go of resentment. When you forgive someone you release the prisoner, and the prisoner isn’t them… it’s you.

17. Show up on time, every time. Poor time management limits success more than most people realize. If you struggle with punctuality, stop everything else and fix that first.

18. Spend lots of time in nature and touch the earth. Humans evolved over 300k years to live in harmony with nature and only recently have we retreated indoors. If you don’t spend time outside you’re fighting biology (Hint: You won’t win.).

19. Stop doing dumb things. As Leo Tolstoy said, “People try to do all sorts of clever and difficult things to improve life instead of doing the simplest, easiest thing—refusing to participate in activities that make life bad.”

20. Find your happy place and (eventually) move there. Most people live where they live because... that's where they live. Don't underestimate the power of living in a place that inspires.

21. Find a hobby and pursue mastery. You can’t have a happy life without a passionate pursuit that isn’t your vocation. Your work—even if you enjoy it—isn’t enough for fulfillment.

22. Avoid mainstream medicine except as a last resort. The results are in—our heathcare (or more appropriately, sick care) system is badly broken and only makes people sicker.

23. Have a mindset of abundance. There is no advantage to being a pessimist, with a scarcity mindset—even if you’re right it’s a miserable way to live and takes years off of your life. In a very real way… whatever you believe, you’re right!

24. Choose to do hard things. Everything you want is on the other side of fear and hard work. As Jerzy Gregorik said, “Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.”

25. Ignore haters. Hurt people hurt people. Negative/toxic people live in a prison of their own design. Don’t join them!

26. Say no. Protect your time and energy like it’s your most precious asset… because it is.

27. Get a whole house water filter (we use the Aquasana Rhino) and become a water snob. As an alien said on Star Trek, humans are “ugly bags of mostly water.” You are what you drink—literally! We have Mountain Valley Spring water delivered in glass 5 gallon jugs.

28. Stop drinking sodas and sugary energy drinks. After a few weeks you won’t miss them and a few months later they’ll seem disgusting. Sugar is enemy #1—it causes inflammation, which is the root of most disease.

29. If you’re over 40 find a good functional/longevity medicine doctor (NDs are great) and start tracking your hormones. Modern life is hell on the endocrine system and restoring healthy hormone levels can change your life. As we get older we either accept a slow decline in performance or we do something about it—choose the latter! 

30. Develop a morning routine and follow it faithfully. Win the morning, win the day!

31. Organize your life around experiences, not things. People frequently regret buying things, but rarely regret investing in great experiences (especially when shared with loved ones). Remember, there’s nothing you can buy in a mall that you’ll remember in ten years.

32. Explore spirituality. It’s arrogant and small-minded to believe there’s nothing going on in our universe that is beyond our comprehension. We know less about our universe than an ant meandering on a sidewalk understands about its world.

33. Have a strong bias toward action—DOING rather than talking. If you ask a bunch of old people about their regrets they’ll talk about the things they DIDN’T do—the shots they didn’t take—more than the things they did do (even if it went wrong). As Wayne Gretsky famously said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. Most people don’t take enough shots.

34. Stay lean. Men in particular are obsessed with muscle mass these days but bulk doesn’t age well. The goal is to be strong but lean. The fittest guys in their 50’s and beyond aren’t meatheads, they’re lean guys who are serious about a sport.

35. Curate your inner circle carefully. Surround yourself with people you admire and who challenge you to grow. Remember, we’re the average of our 5 closest relationships.

36. Be the fittest version of yourself. Your body is your only vessel for experiencing life—so treat it as such. Fitness isn’t working out a few times a week, it’s a lifestyle. The older you get the more time you need to devote to your health.

37. Take the time to appreciate art and beauty in all its forms.

38. Think globally but act locally. Too many people put their energy into far-away problems they don’t understand and can’t impact, while ignoring problems right under their nose. Talk is cheap—BE the change you want to see in the world.

39. Try psychedelics. It’s one of those things everyone should do at least once and it might be the breakthrough you’ve been looking for.

40. Limit bad habits, including unhealthy thought patterns. We all have them—practice avoidance and find substitutes. Get professional help if needed.

41. Be a life-long learner. Your brain is just like a muscle—if you don’t feed and flex it regularly it will atrophy.

42. Find your purpose. People with a strong sense of purpose are happier and live longer. Lack of purpose sucks energy and magnifies depression.

43. Only take advice from people who embody the traits you want to have. Talk is cheap—emulate those who have DONE it. (Especially important here on X where charlatans run rampant.)

44. The goal is not to retire and do nothing, it’s to build a great day-to-day life that you don’t want to escape. A life of leisure is a slow death. Happiness isn’t possible without a little struggle, uncertainty and skin in the game.

45. Have fun! Do frivolous and silly things that make you smile. As George Bernard Shaw famously said, “We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

46. Whatever you want to do or achieve in life, start NOW. Don’t fall victim to “someday thinking” because someday never comes.

47. Accumulate assets—things that grow in value over time. It’s the #1 habit of rich people and it can be done in tiny chunks. Instead of spending $100 on an impulse purchase that has no lasting value, put that money into an index fund, buy a collectible, or save for a down payment on a house. It becomes addictive (in a good way).

48. Don’t ignore the big 3 canaries in the coal mine for health:
—Low libido (and ED)
—Frequent sinus & respiratory issues
—Depression
These usually aren’t medical conditions in themselves, they’re symptoms of an underlying problem. Find a good doc (outside of the mainstream) and figure out the root cause.

49. Have a clear vision for your future. How can you decide which direction to go if you haven’t clearly defined the destination? It sounds obvious but 95% of people haven’t defined their “Ideal End State” in detail and in writing. (Check out my thread on this topic.)

50. Make your own decisions. We live in an era where most of what society tells us is wrong. YOU DO YOU and don’t be afraid to break from societal norms—it’s probably a sign that you’re doing something right.

If you made it this far… thanks for your time! I have a quick ask:

I write all my content from scratch and it takes a lot of work. Would you help spread the word by liking, commenting and REPOSTING this post?

Follow me @camp4 and sign up for my free mailing list (link in bio).

🤙

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering. -Victor Frankl

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

Any candidate running for a relevant political office on a platform of making it illegal for TV commercials to be louder than the normal programming — they would have my vote.

Or you could just make this happen, @FCC.

[Andy Crouch @ahc]

Applications are open for @praxislabs business and nonprofit accelerators — offering $100K opt-in capital and $50K grant respectively. Highly selective but for the right founders motivated by Christian faith to build redemptively, an amazing opportunity. https://t.co/MkivWDIBLi

[Adam Grant @AdamMGrant]

We haven’t lost the capacity to pay attention.

179 studies, 32 countries: on tests of concentration from 1990 to 2021, children didn’t decline—and adults actually improved.

When we want to focus, we can. Our distraction issues are a matter of motivation, not ability.

[Charityvest @Charityvest]

This partnership also marks the public launch of Charityvest for Advisors. Charityvest for Advisors enables any wealth advisor to offer a comprehensive charitable giving program leveraging Charityvest’s modern financial technology for DAFs under their own brand.

@StephenKump, our Co-founder & CEO, says, “In a world where advisors are looking for more ways to add value, Charityvest's vision is to empower every wealth management firm to launch their own ‘giving practice’ for their clients. Giving should become a standard offering, and OneAscent is taking a market leadership role and setting that standard. We’re proud to partner with them.”

We are thrilled to announce this partnership, and continue to catalyze generosity through our new capability.

You can read more from our press release below via @BusinessWire. 🔗

https://t.co/nSvaZ0Er1U

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

@jjen_abel What a truth bomb 💣

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

@LeslieMinesIII Otis Nixon

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

@BCFox4 @smartereveryday @smartereveryday is the bomb dot com. Helping to create a love for learning in our house!

[Charityvest @Charityvest]

DAFs are changing philanthropy, and we will continue to see this play out in 2024.

🚀 Thank you to @Philanthropy for featuring us in their recent article about some donor-advised funds that are disrupting the space.

https://t.co/ABb7hASgvK
#DonorAdvisedFund

[The Chronicle of Philanthropy @Philanthropy]

New players in the DAF market — many of them started by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs — include @DaffyGiving, @Charityvest, Chariot, and https://t.co/WCbFE09GIu. https://t.co/virAPi8kJO

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

@timkellernyc on prayer this AM 🔥

Building/leading something raises the stakes on your spiritual life.

Priority of outer life —> hypocrisy, anxiety.

Priority of inner life —> satisfaction in God.

Inner life drives how we experience life and lead others, like it or not.

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

His mercies are *new* every morning

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

My most valuable skill as an entrepreneur?

Handling pain

while staying focused on opp’ties to serve / grow

Building what you believe in is a joy, but repeated disappointment in the process is counter-formative to the heart even if it goes well

Building is a spiritual journey

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

Sign of getting older: how excited I am the city is repaving my neighborhood streets

[Paul Fairie @paulisci]

A List of Predictions Made in 1924 About 2024

🧵

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

PSA: today’s the last day to give in tax-year 2023. 🗓️

Bank and card contributions to your donor-advised fund (@Charityvest), or any charity, are tax-deductible up until midnight local time tonight. 🏦

No better way to close out the year than giving.

Happy New Year! 🥳🥂

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

"If dissatisfaction can be learned, so too can satisfaction. Instead of treating satisfaction as a consequence of particular outcomes, the whims of unhealthy correlations with things like wealth, status, or more trophies, we should treat it like a skill"

https://t.co/rjGKw9JvI0

[Stephen Kump @StephenKump]

@GrindeOptions Costco