02/09/2026
Maybe, just maybe….Stop getting the parmi. Start investing 👩🍳
Actually, get the parmi. But is it worth it?
It’s the same schnitzel.
Someone has put napoli sauce and a slice of ham on it and charged you four dollars.
$32 becomes $36.
It’s small enough to ignore, so everyone ignores it 🤫
But this chart asks a stupidly simple question:
What if that four dollars a week went into the S&P 500 instead?
Two outcomes since 1993:
You get the parmi 😋You get the schnitty, and invest the difference 🧐
$4,013 of napoli sauce → $27,493
In 1993 that surcharge was $1.21 on a $9.65 schnitzel. It’s been quietly compounding ever since.
This chart assumes:
• $32 schnitzel, $36 parmigiana — a $4 surcharge
• one a week, 52 weeks a year
• premium Sydney pub prices 💸
• only the $4 gets invested — you still eat 🍽️
• 2026 dollars, wound back at 3.7% a year
• monthly contributions instead of spending
• S&P 500 total return, in Australian dollars
• distributions reinvested
• less 0.04% p.a. in fees and ~0.26% p.a. in US withholding tax
• no leverage, no timing, no tricks
The point is not that the parmi isn’t better. It is. 🤭
The point is that it’s better by four dollars and $23,480.
Is it worth it?
Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.
Not fine print: We’re proud to provide this general information, and just want to remind everyone to do their research because when you invest, your capital is at risk. Also, you and your approach to investing, your goals and needs are much more important than any fake urgency apps may try to create in order to get you to trade. The same goes for apps that try and make it seem so simple that it doesn’t matter. Before considering any financial product, make sure you read the relevant disclosure documents, including the product disclosure statement and, if relevant, the Target Market Determination. Of course, if you’re unsure, seek out a licensed adviser.
