TheBucket exists first and foremost as a private family office, an independent steward of our own capital, wealth strategy, and long-term decision-making. Our focus is to allocate capital intelligently, compound it over multiple decades, and position ourselves in front of the major structural shifts reshaping the world.
The greatest of those shifts is artificial intelligence. AI is transforming how we learn, work, produce, and create value. Over the next five years, it will redefine entire industries and reshape the global workforce in ways few truly appreciate. In this environment, relying solely on labour becomes increasingly uncertain, while becoming a capital allocator becomes essential.
As we navigate this transition for ourselves, we choose to openly share our research, frameworks, and lived experience with fellow investors who recognise the same opportunity. We don’t manage external funds or sell financial products, we simply document what we are learning, how we are allocating, and why we believe AI represents the largest secular opportunity of our lifetime.
Our purpose is to help investors understand the forces driving this transformation and to encourage a shift from labour-based income toward ownership, compounding, and freedom of choice. By positioning capital in front of technological change…..rather than reacting to it……we believe investors can build resilience, autonomy, and multi-generational wealth.
True wealth is more than just financial assets……it’s about freedom, balance, and fulfilment in every aspect of life. We believe that true prosperity is achieved when you have full control over your time and live in harmony across the Five Fs.
The Five Fs of Wealth
- Finance – True financial freedom means your passive income exceeds your lifestyle expenses, giving you 100% control over your time.
- Family – Strong, loving relationships with parents, siblings, children, and close family create a foundation of support and connection.
- Friends – Deep, meaningful relationships cultivate a sense of belonging, purpose, and community.
- Fitness – Physical and mental well-being fuel your energy, personal growth, and emotional resilience, enabling you to live vibrantly.
- Fulfillment (Fun) – Purpose gives life meaning, and joy comes from doing what you love while embracing moments of relaxation and play.
When you align these five elements, you don’t just build wealth……you create a life of purpose, freedom, and lasting happiness.
How to Achieve Financial Freedom
Our investment philosophy revolves around the goal of maintaining Financial Freedom via preserving (and growing where possible) the wealth within the Trust. We aim to grow the wealth of the trust by 14% per year. This target is net of any fees, taxes or family annual expenses.
Why Aim for a 14% Net Annual Return?
To preserve wealth in the face of economic pressures, we believe investments must achieve a return that outpaces both currency debasement and inflation. Here’s why these factors matter and how they affect wealth over time.
Currency Debasement
Currency debasement occurs when the value of a currency is deliberately reduced, typically through policies like quantitative easing (money printing). Historically, this meant reducing the precious metal content in coins; today, it refers to central banks increasing the money supply.
- Cause: Actions by central banks, such as monetary easing or balance sheet expansion, which lead to an increased money supply.
- Effect: Debasement erodes the purchasing power of a currency relative to real assets (e.g., gold, real estate, and commodities), even if consumer prices (inflation) do not immediately rise.
Inflation
Inflation refers to the general increase in prices of goods and services over time, directly affecting the cost of living.
- Cause: Driven by supply-demand imbalances, rising production costs, or monetary policies (e.g., changes in interest rates).
- Effect: Inflation reduces consumers’ purchasing power, making everyday expenses like groceries, housing, healthcare, and energy more expensive.
Debasement + Inflation Over 20 years
As the United States is the largest economy in the World, reserve currency and benchmark for western economies we have outlined below their figures for the past 20 years.
Currency Debasement: 10.7% per year
To estimate average annual currency debasement, we examined the growth of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet over 20 years:
- 2004: Approximately $0.8 trillion.
- 2024: Estimated at $8.5 trillion.
This represents a 9.4x increase over 20 years, equating to an annual compounded debasement rate of 10.7%.
Inflation: 2.57% per year
Over the same 20 year period, the United States experienced an average annual inflation rate of 2.57%, reflecting the year-over-year rise in prices for goods and services.
Combined Impact
Average Debasement + Inflation = 13.27% per year.
This means that to maintain the real value of wealth, an investment portfolio must generate returns that exceed this combined rate.
Why a 14% Target Matters
For a family office or individual investor, achieving a 14% annual return after taxes and expenses, ensures that the real value of wealth is preserved after accounting for inflation and currency debasement. Without such a return, wealth risks being inflated or debased away over time.
To realise this objective, we employ a systematic approach, leveraging our expertise and industry connections to identify and manage investments with precision, safeguarding the financial stability and prosperity of the Trust.
TheBucket 