Filip Filatov's Blog - Posts Tagged "cushion-method"
The Cushion Method — Wealth as a Workflow
Most people chase wealth the way they chase headlines — restlessly, reactively, and without rhythm.
They think money is a hunt, not a harvest.
So they move faster, subscribe to more alerts, and open more tabs —
until their portfolio becomes a reflection of their anxiety instead of their intelligence.
The truth is simpler — and quieter.
Wealth is not a mystery; it’s a workflow.
It grows from systems that repeat themselves in peace.
In my new book, The Cushion Method: Minimalist Investing for Modern Minds (available now for pre-order, releasing February 12 2026), I explore how to turn financial chaos into calm automation — through rhythm, not reaction.
It’s not about picking the perfect stock.
It’s about designing a system that keeps you steady while the world shakes.
What the Cushion Method teaches
Automation as peace: set rules once, live by them always.
Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA): invest a fixed amount every month, without emotion.
The 80/20 flow: 80 % for living, 20 % for lasting — a rhythm that keeps your mind clear.
Three tiers of calm: Flow (daily liquidity), Safety (one year’s peace), and Power (capital for opportunity).
Minimalist portfolios: fewer funds, fewer fears, more freedom.
You don’t need to predict the market.
You just need to stop negotiating with your emotions every time it moves.
Why Minimalism Wins
Minimalism in finance isn’t deprivation; it’s design.
Every unnecessary product, account, or “strategy” you remove reduces noise.
Complexity multiplies motion; simplicity compounds clarity.
When money moves with rhythm instead of panic, life begins to breathe again.
The Core Idea
Your benchmark is not the S&P 500 — it’s how you sleep.
If your system lets you rest, it’s already outperforming.
Because wealth, at its highest level, isn’t the reward for calmness.
Calmness is the wealth.
— Filip Filatov
(From The Cushion Series — where philosophy meets finance and rhythm replaces reaction.)
They think money is a hunt, not a harvest.
So they move faster, subscribe to more alerts, and open more tabs —
until their portfolio becomes a reflection of their anxiety instead of their intelligence.
The truth is simpler — and quieter.
Wealth is not a mystery; it’s a workflow.
It grows from systems that repeat themselves in peace.
In my new book, The Cushion Method: Minimalist Investing for Modern Minds (available now for pre-order, releasing February 12 2026), I explore how to turn financial chaos into calm automation — through rhythm, not reaction.
It’s not about picking the perfect stock.
It’s about designing a system that keeps you steady while the world shakes.
What the Cushion Method teaches
Automation as peace: set rules once, live by them always.
Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA): invest a fixed amount every month, without emotion.
The 80/20 flow: 80 % for living, 20 % for lasting — a rhythm that keeps your mind clear.
Three tiers of calm: Flow (daily liquidity), Safety (one year’s peace), and Power (capital for opportunity).
Minimalist portfolios: fewer funds, fewer fears, more freedom.
You don’t need to predict the market.
You just need to stop negotiating with your emotions every time it moves.
Why Minimalism Wins
Minimalism in finance isn’t deprivation; it’s design.
Every unnecessary product, account, or “strategy” you remove reduces noise.
Complexity multiplies motion; simplicity compounds clarity.
When money moves with rhythm instead of panic, life begins to breathe again.
The Core Idea
Your benchmark is not the S&P 500 — it’s how you sleep.
If your system lets you rest, it’s already outperforming.
Because wealth, at its highest level, isn’t the reward for calmness.
Calmness is the wealth.
— Filip Filatov
(From The Cushion Series — where philosophy meets finance and rhythm replaces reaction.)
Most People Don’t Have a Money Problem — They Have a Meaning Problem
People talk endlessly about money:
how to earn it, save it, invest it, multiply it, protect it, optimize it.
But the longer I observe it — in myself, in friends, in readers — the more one truth becomes painfully clear:
Most people don’t actually have a money problem.
They have a meaning problem.
That’s the part no financial book, no YouTube guru, no index fund chart wants to say out loud.
But it’s the part that determines everything.
⸻
The Quiet Truth Behind Every Money Struggle
People say they want wealth.
What they really want is relief.
From stress. From confusion. From the discomfort of not knowing who they are or where they’re going.
Money becomes the lightning rod for all that inner noise.
When someone says,
“I don’t know how to save,”
“I can’t stop overspending,”
“I feel behind,”
what they often mean is:
“I don’t know what I’m living toward.”
Because when your life lacks direction, money becomes emotional fuel — burned fast, burned blindly, burned to keep the emptiness warm.
In that sense, money isn’t the fire.
It’s the smoke.
⸻
Consumption Is Not a Financial Behavior — It’s an Existential One
We buy things not because we want them,
but because we want to feel something.
Progress. Distraction. Identity. Status.
A momentary sense that something in life is moving forward.
This is why consumerism is addictive:
it promises meaning without requiring growth.
For a few minutes — buying feels like becoming.
But when the object loses novelty, the meaning evaporates,
and we begin again:
scroll, crave, buy, repeat.
It’s not a money loop.
It’s a meaning loop.
⸻
Why More Money Never Solves the Real Issue
I’ve spoken to people earning €800 a month and people earning €6,000 a month.
Both groups say the same thing:
“If I only made a little more, everything would calm down.”
It never works.
Because until you resolve the meaning problem:
– earnings rise
– spending rises
– anxiety rises
– dissatisfaction rises
– and peace remains exactly where it was: untouched.
Money amplifies who you are — it doesn’t replace what’s missing.
⸻
The Cushion Method Was Never About Money Alone
People think I write about investing.
But I don’t.
Not really.
Don’t Try to Rush Your Wealth,
The Ten Sacred Rules,
The Cushion Method —
all of them were written for one deeper purpose:
To help people remove noise long enough to hear what they truly want their life to mean.
The whole system — Flow, Safety, Power — exists for one reason:
to create space.
Because without space, you cannot think.
Without thinking, you cannot feel.
Without feeling, you cannot choose.
And without choosing, you have no meaning — only momentum.
⸻
The Real Work Is Not Financial — It’s Human
The real transformation doesn’t happen when you save your first €100.
Or when your ETF grows.
Or when your Safety Cushion is full.
It happens when you ask, honestly:
“What would I do with freedom if I finally had it?”
Most people never ask that question.
It’s safer to chase money than to chase meaning.
But if you’re brave enough to answer it,
your entire financial life reorganizes itself automatically —
because your choices finally have direction.
Money becomes a servant, not a substitute.
⸻
In the End, Wealth Is Just a Mirror
It reflects your structure, your desires, your fears, your values.
If those are unclear, money will always feel chaotic.
If those are aligned, money becomes simple — almost boring — because it follows the same rhythm you do.
Financial peace is not created by income.
It’s created by clarity.
Income simply amplifies it.
When people fix the meaning problem, the money problem usually dissolves on its own.
— Filip Filatov
(From The Cushion Series — where calmness is the currency, and meaning is the real wealth.)
how to earn it, save it, invest it, multiply it, protect it, optimize it.
But the longer I observe it — in myself, in friends, in readers — the more one truth becomes painfully clear:
Most people don’t actually have a money problem.
They have a meaning problem.
That’s the part no financial book, no YouTube guru, no index fund chart wants to say out loud.
But it’s the part that determines everything.
⸻
The Quiet Truth Behind Every Money Struggle
People say they want wealth.
What they really want is relief.
From stress. From confusion. From the discomfort of not knowing who they are or where they’re going.
Money becomes the lightning rod for all that inner noise.
When someone says,
“I don’t know how to save,”
“I can’t stop overspending,”
“I feel behind,”
what they often mean is:
“I don’t know what I’m living toward.”
Because when your life lacks direction, money becomes emotional fuel — burned fast, burned blindly, burned to keep the emptiness warm.
In that sense, money isn’t the fire.
It’s the smoke.
⸻
Consumption Is Not a Financial Behavior — It’s an Existential One
We buy things not because we want them,
but because we want to feel something.
Progress. Distraction. Identity. Status.
A momentary sense that something in life is moving forward.
This is why consumerism is addictive:
it promises meaning without requiring growth.
For a few minutes — buying feels like becoming.
But when the object loses novelty, the meaning evaporates,
and we begin again:
scroll, crave, buy, repeat.
It’s not a money loop.
It’s a meaning loop.
⸻
Why More Money Never Solves the Real Issue
I’ve spoken to people earning €800 a month and people earning €6,000 a month.
Both groups say the same thing:
“If I only made a little more, everything would calm down.”
It never works.
Because until you resolve the meaning problem:
– earnings rise
– spending rises
– anxiety rises
– dissatisfaction rises
– and peace remains exactly where it was: untouched.
Money amplifies who you are — it doesn’t replace what’s missing.
⸻
The Cushion Method Was Never About Money Alone
People think I write about investing.
But I don’t.
Not really.
Don’t Try to Rush Your Wealth,
The Ten Sacred Rules,
The Cushion Method —
all of them were written for one deeper purpose:
To help people remove noise long enough to hear what they truly want their life to mean.
The whole system — Flow, Safety, Power — exists for one reason:
to create space.
Because without space, you cannot think.
Without thinking, you cannot feel.
Without feeling, you cannot choose.
And without choosing, you have no meaning — only momentum.
⸻
The Real Work Is Not Financial — It’s Human
The real transformation doesn’t happen when you save your first €100.
Or when your ETF grows.
Or when your Safety Cushion is full.
It happens when you ask, honestly:
“What would I do with freedom if I finally had it?”
Most people never ask that question.
It’s safer to chase money than to chase meaning.
But if you’re brave enough to answer it,
your entire financial life reorganizes itself automatically —
because your choices finally have direction.
Money becomes a servant, not a substitute.
⸻
In the End, Wealth Is Just a Mirror
It reflects your structure, your desires, your fears, your values.
If those are unclear, money will always feel chaotic.
If those are aligned, money becomes simple — almost boring — because it follows the same rhythm you do.
Financial peace is not created by income.
It’s created by clarity.
Income simply amplifies it.
When people fix the meaning problem, the money problem usually dissolves on its own.
— Filip Filatov
(From The Cushion Series — where calmness is the currency, and meaning is the real wealth.)
Most People Don’t Want Financial Freedom — They Want Permission to Stay Comfortable
Everyone says they want financial freedom.
It’s one of the most repeated wishes in modern life.
But watch how people behave —
and a more uncomfortable truth emerges:
Most people don’t want financial freedom.
They want permission to stay exactly where they are…
without feeling guilty about it.
That sentence hurts because it’s honest.
Freedom sounds exciting in theory,
but in practice it requires discipline, responsibility, patience, and self-respect.
And comfort hates all four.
⸻
Comfort Is Easy. Freedom Isn’t.
Comfort is immediate:
spend now, relax now, distract now.
Freedom is delayed:
save now, simplify now, automate now, wait now.
Comfort asks nothing from you.
Freedom demands everything.
Comfort is emotional sugar.
Freedom is emotional protein — you need it, but it’s not always pleasant to consume.
So most people quietly choose comfort
while loudly claiming they’re chasing freedom.
It’s a beautiful self-deception.
And capitalism is built to reward it.
⸻
The Hidden Addiction: Being “Comfortably Stuck”
Being stuck is painful.
But being comfortably stuck?
That’s seductive.
You don’t advance, you don’t collapse —
you hover in a warm middle space where nothing changes and nothing is required of you.
You can complain about money without having to do anything about it.
You can dream about freedom without having to earn it.
You can fantasize about success while remaining safely in the familiar.
Comfort becomes a cocoon.
But cocoons only protect things that want to grow.
They suffocate everything else.
⸻
The Cushion Method Is Not Comfortable — It’s Transformational
The Cushion Method isn’t made for comfort seekers.
It’s made for people who are tired of avoiding themselves.
It asks you to:
• automate what you fear,
• simplify what you complicate,
• save before you spend,
• invest when you’re anxious,
• stay patient when the world is screaming at you to react.
This isn’t comfortable.
It’s responsible.
And responsibility is the first doorway to calm wealth.
Freedom is not built in pleasure.
It’s built in discipline you don’t feel like practicing.
⸻
Freedom Requires Self-Respect
Here’s the real paradox:
You cannot be financially free if you keep lying to yourself.
If you live beyond your means,
if you avoid structure,
if you treat saving as punishment,
if you chase dopamine instead of direction —
your lifestyle is your captor, not your income.
Freedom begins where self-respect begins.
Self-respect begins where excuses end.
⸻
Comfort Is the Real Enemy — Not Poverty
People think the opposite of wealth is poverty.
It isn’t.
The opposite of wealth is comfort addiction —
the quiet habit of choosing the familiar pain
over the unfamiliar growth.
Comfort slowly removes your courage.
It makes your life predictable, but not meaningful.
It keeps you alive, but not awake.
And the cruel irony?
Comfort feels like safety right up until the moment you need real safety —
and discover you never built any.
⸻
If You Truly Wanted Freedom, You’d Already Be Moving Toward It
Freedom doesn’t begin with a miracle, a raise, or a breakthrough.
It begins with one simple internal shift:
“I am responsible for my future peace.”
Once you believe that,
saving becomes self-love,
automation becomes liberation,
discipline becomes identity,
and calm becomes your natural state.
Comfort loses its power.
And you gain yours.
⸻
The Hard Truth Nobody Wants to Admit
If you’re not free yet,
it’s not because you don’t know how.
It’s because comfort feels safer than change.
But safety without growth is just a well-decorated cage.
Escape is possible —
but only for people willing to trade comfort for clarity.
Freedom costs you your excuses.
— Filip Filatov
(From The Cushion Series — where discipline is calm, clarity is wealth, and comfort is the real thief.)
It’s one of the most repeated wishes in modern life.
But watch how people behave —
and a more uncomfortable truth emerges:
Most people don’t want financial freedom.
They want permission to stay exactly where they are…
without feeling guilty about it.
That sentence hurts because it’s honest.
Freedom sounds exciting in theory,
but in practice it requires discipline, responsibility, patience, and self-respect.
And comfort hates all four.
⸻
Comfort Is Easy. Freedom Isn’t.
Comfort is immediate:
spend now, relax now, distract now.
Freedom is delayed:
save now, simplify now, automate now, wait now.
Comfort asks nothing from you.
Freedom demands everything.
Comfort is emotional sugar.
Freedom is emotional protein — you need it, but it’s not always pleasant to consume.
So most people quietly choose comfort
while loudly claiming they’re chasing freedom.
It’s a beautiful self-deception.
And capitalism is built to reward it.
⸻
The Hidden Addiction: Being “Comfortably Stuck”
Being stuck is painful.
But being comfortably stuck?
That’s seductive.
You don’t advance, you don’t collapse —
you hover in a warm middle space where nothing changes and nothing is required of you.
You can complain about money without having to do anything about it.
You can dream about freedom without having to earn it.
You can fantasize about success while remaining safely in the familiar.
Comfort becomes a cocoon.
But cocoons only protect things that want to grow.
They suffocate everything else.
⸻
The Cushion Method Is Not Comfortable — It’s Transformational
The Cushion Method isn’t made for comfort seekers.
It’s made for people who are tired of avoiding themselves.
It asks you to:
• automate what you fear,
• simplify what you complicate,
• save before you spend,
• invest when you’re anxious,
• stay patient when the world is screaming at you to react.
This isn’t comfortable.
It’s responsible.
And responsibility is the first doorway to calm wealth.
Freedom is not built in pleasure.
It’s built in discipline you don’t feel like practicing.
⸻
Freedom Requires Self-Respect
Here’s the real paradox:
You cannot be financially free if you keep lying to yourself.
If you live beyond your means,
if you avoid structure,
if you treat saving as punishment,
if you chase dopamine instead of direction —
your lifestyle is your captor, not your income.
Freedom begins where self-respect begins.
Self-respect begins where excuses end.
⸻
Comfort Is the Real Enemy — Not Poverty
People think the opposite of wealth is poverty.
It isn’t.
The opposite of wealth is comfort addiction —
the quiet habit of choosing the familiar pain
over the unfamiliar growth.
Comfort slowly removes your courage.
It makes your life predictable, but not meaningful.
It keeps you alive, but not awake.
And the cruel irony?
Comfort feels like safety right up until the moment you need real safety —
and discover you never built any.
⸻
If You Truly Wanted Freedom, You’d Already Be Moving Toward It
Freedom doesn’t begin with a miracle, a raise, or a breakthrough.
It begins with one simple internal shift:
“I am responsible for my future peace.”
Once you believe that,
saving becomes self-love,
automation becomes liberation,
discipline becomes identity,
and calm becomes your natural state.
Comfort loses its power.
And you gain yours.
⸻
The Hard Truth Nobody Wants to Admit
If you’re not free yet,
it’s not because you don’t know how.
It’s because comfort feels safer than change.
But safety without growth is just a well-decorated cage.
Escape is possible —
but only for people willing to trade comfort for clarity.
Freedom costs you your excuses.
— Filip Filatov
(From The Cushion Series — where discipline is calm, clarity is wealth, and comfort is the real thief.)
