Money isn’t everything. As Sahil Bloom discovered, the high-paying career, the job title, the house, and the car — all the things he thought he needed to be successful — didn’t make him happy. 

“I had spent years with my head down, embracing the long hours, believing that the idyllic land of success was well within reach. At every step along the way, I told myself that I was just one bonus, one promotion, or one fancy bottle of wine away from arriving in that land,” Bloom writes in his book “The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.” 

“Then, one day, I realized I had achieved all of it, and all I could think of was: Is this it?”

Not long after he had this unsettling realization, he decided to ask a dozen 80- and 90-year-olds a few questions, including: What advice would you give your younger self? What do you regret? What’s brought you lasting joy and fulfillment? 

“No one mentioned money,” Bloom writes. “Your wealthy life may be enabled by money, but in the end, it will defined by everything else.” Namely, “time, people, purpose, health.”

Drawing on the wisdom of elders, his own experiences, scientific research, history, and successful people, Bloom’s debut book redefines wealth and helps readers design a “dream life” that truly fits them. (His upcoming “The 5 Types of Wealth Planner,” out in November, translates those ideas into practice.)

CNBC Make It chose “The 5 Types of Wealth” as our October book club pick because we know our readers are striving to be happier, smarter, and more successful — whatever that looks like to each one of them.  

If you haven’t read Bloom’s book, or just want a refresher, here are some key takeaways ahead of Wednesday’s discussion in our private LinkedIn group.

Bloom breaks his book down into sections about:

1. Time wealth: Another catalyst for Bloom was the night a friend told him, “You’re going to see your parents 15 more times before they die,” given the distance between them and frequency of visits. Becoming aware of the limited time you have is the first step in “investing in your time wealth.” Next is directing “your attention to the things that truly matter (and ignoring the rest),” Bloom writes. And finally, “it is achieving control over your time — how you spend it, where you spend it, and whom you spend it with.”
2. Social wealth: One of the best decisions Bloom says he and his wife made was to move across the country to be near their families and closest friends. “Proximity to people you love is worth more than any job will ever pay you.” Social wealth is about that small circle of your most meaningful bonds, the larger circles of community you feel a part of, and “the lasting respect, admiration, and trust of your peers that you receive on the basis of earned, not acquired, status symbols.” 
3. Mental wealth: This type of wealth is all about embracing the curiosity that comes naturally to children. “It is through curiosity that you go on the journey to uncover and live by your purpose, unlock new insights and lifelong growth, and seek out the space necessary to think, reset, wrestle with questions, and recharge,” Bloom writes. It’s about finding what creates meaning for you, and knowing that your purpose doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to your career. 
4. Physical wealth: The 80-year-old father of a friend told Bloom: “Treat your body like a house you have to live in for another 70 years.” Physical wealth is about investing in your body and health through “regular movement, proper nutrition, and thoughtful recovery,” Bloom writes. “If you take care of it today, it will take care of you for years to come.”
5. Financial wealth: Money isn’t everything, but it is something. Bloom covers a few basics about how to generate income, manage expenses, and invest for the long term. Most importantly, however, he urges readers to stop chasing “more” and to start pursuing “enough.” He quotes Mark Twain: “It isn’t what a man has that constitutes wealth. No, it is to be satisfied with what one has; that is wealth.”

We’re all familiar with setting goals. But Bloom encourages readers to set both goals and anti-goals, “the things we don’t want to happen on our journey to achieve our goals.”

“For example, if your long-term goal is to become a CEO, your anti-goals might be spending more than 10 days away from your family per month, allowing your health to suffer from stress and travel, and loosening your moral standards to achieve profit targets,” Bloom writes. “You want to achieve your goal, but not if it means having these three negative outcomes.”

For every goal you set, consider the worst possible outcomes you want to avoid as you pursue it. 

Ultimately, “The 5 Types of Wealth” is about measuring your life and making decisions based not just on financial wealth, but all the types of wealth. “You have it within you to go and craft the priorities you truly care about, and then go and take action to build your life around those things,” Bloom says. 

For him, it was worth it. “I’m sure I gave up money by leaving the track I was on, but as far as I’m concerned, I’m the wealthiest man on the face of the earth,” he writes. “Now it’s time for you to do the same” — but in your own way. 

Ready to dive in? Start reading, request to join our LinkedIn group, and come chat with us and Bloom on Wednesday, October 29, at 10 a.m. ET, at our next CNBC Make It Book Club discussion. 

Any questions for the author? Drop them in the comments of this LinkedIn post (you’ll need to join our private group first, which you can do here). Or email them to us in advance at askmakeit@cnbc.com, using the subject line “Question for Sahil Bloom.”

Have suggestions for future picks? Send them to us at askmakeit@cnbc.com, using the subject line “Make It book club suggestion.”

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When Rick Senko started re-selling used items on eBay, he was “flat broke” — a recently unemployed single father who was desperate to earn enough money to support his 5-year-old son.

That was 2008, and the first item he sold — a cell phone he bought for $35 on Craigslist and flipped on eBay for $75 — felt like discovering a “glitch in the Matrix,” says Senko, now 41 and based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Realizing he could turn a tidy profit by flipping used items online, he went all in. He studied brands and sales trends, exploiting market inefficiencies and often working up to 20 hours a day “just going to the flea market, going to the thrift store, making relationships, studying my craft, learning, listing [items] every single day,” he says.

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What started as a way to make ends meet slowly grew into a reselling empire, bringing in millions of dollars a year in sales as one of eBay’s top sellers. In 2023, Senko started a wholesale business called Technsports that sells up to 5,000 items of used clothing per day to other professional resellers. Technsports brought in more than $6.5 million in 2024 revenue, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

Technsports is profitable overall, with a profit margin of roughly 50% per item sold, Senko says.

“I have not taken a day off in almost 20 years,” says Senko. “It is not lost on me how fortunate I am. But it also took a tremendous amount of work, a tremendous amount of commitment, and a tremendous amount of sacrifice to get from where I came from to now selling millions of dollars per year and living a very, very fortunate life.”

After becoming a father at age 18, Senko worked as a CVS photography lab supervisor for five years to make ends meet for himself and his son. He attended a vocational school to earn a computer repair certificate, which landed him a better-paying job at Circuit City in Fall 2008.

Two weeks later, Circuit City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Senko found himself out of work and unable to find a new job during the Great Recession. Then, his cellphone broke. “I didn’t have a lot of money, so I went onto eBay to get a pre-owned [phone],” says Senko.

He saw one on eBay listed for $75, and then spotted the same model of phone on Craigslist for $35. It was a “lightbulb moment” that seemed too good to be true, he says: “I would double the money. I would get a phone for free, and then I would get my original $35 back.”

Senko bought the Craigslist phone and sold it on eBay for $70, he says. He used the profits to buy another phone on Craigslist, which he flipped on eBay to double his money again. “I’ve been doing that ever since, for almost 20 years. Rinse and repeat,” says Senko, adding: “You don’t need a lot of money to start. You don’t need a lot of knowledge to start. You just need to start.”

He initially focused on electronics — from phones to video games, broken or functional, any low-priced item that he could resell within days, he says. As he learned more about which items sold better than others — and where to find in-demand stock — his earnings grew considerably, topping $100,000 in 2010, he says.

Around that time, he began shifting his focus to pre-owned clothing, which requires far less “customer support,” he says. “A T-shirt is not going to break in the mail.” Clothing required a level of research that Senko was willing to do, he notes: While most people understand that electronics can be valuable, “not everybody knows a particular Polo Ralph Lauren shirt could be worth more [than a gaming console] … Oftentimes those [clothes] are discarded in a pile on the floor at the flea market.”

Senko started leaving home before dawn and spending most of each day picking through piles of used clothing at South Florida thrift shops, consignment shops, flea markets and garage sales, he says. Reselling gave him freedom and control over his schedule, and tapped into his competitive desire to win at all costs, he adds.

Over time, Senko built relationships with sellers at flea markets and thrift stores to ensure he got the first crack at picking through new stock. He listed and sold roughly 250 items per day, or tens of thousands of products each year, and hired up to five contract employees at a time to help him photograph items, list them online and handle shipping.

In 2023, he brought in more than $2.5 million in eBay sales, documents show — up from $500,000 in 2017. But he had a feeling that he’d hit a ceiling of how many items he could list and sell per day, he says.

So, that same year, Senko decided to switch up his business model. Rather than buying select pieces and selling them each individually online, he began buying clothes in bulk and selling them wholesale to other resellers willing to spend time carefully sifting through each batch. Clients sometimes buy up to 1,000 items per week, he says.

“They process it, they fulfill it and they sell it one at a time on eBay,” Senko explains, adding: “The most valuable asset for my business became the inventory. I’m more profitable selling more items at a smaller margin.”

The lesser time commitment also helped Senko fulfill a promise to his wife, who he met during his brief time at Circuit City, he says: that they’d work as hard as they could until his son graduated high school, and then pursue an early retirement. ”[We wanted to] be able to take a 50-year vacation,” says Senko.

He and his wife finally took time off last year to travel the country, visiting places like New York, California and Las Vegas. “We are starting to enjoy the fruits of the labor,” he says. But he’s reluctant to actually retire, he notes: “To say that I am mentally on the 50-year vacation? Not even close.”

Senko says it’s difficult for him to shut off his competitive drive, especially when he knows there is money to be made and that he has the means and expertise to do it. And if he keeps working on Technsports, he could try to ensure that his current level of financial stability lasts for the rest of his life, he says.

“I get after it every single day. Because when you unlock [that] ability to multiply money, to take $5, put it onto eBay and sell something and get $25 back, how in the world can you rest?” he says. “Did I work a lot? Absolutely … I needed to grow the business. And, ultimately, I needed to be the best.”

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Introverts often grow up feeling out of place. After all, we live in a noisy, fast-paced world. But while life may seem to revolve around extroverts, the introverts’ contribution are equally important. 

I’m a brand and storytelling expert, the author of “Personal Branding for Introverts,” and a speaker who’s worked with major corporations and C-level executives from LEGO, Adobe, Microsoft, and more. I’m also an introvert myself — a fact that often surprises people. 

A lot of advice for introverts in the workforce says to fake extroversion to succeed — but that’s not the answer.

Introverts possess many highly coveted qualities that benefit both themselves and those around them. Here are a few of my favorite superpowers that can help introverts excel.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and manage your emotions to communicate well, deal with stressful situations, empathize with others, and overcome challenges. It is the building block that allows introverts to grow healthy relationships, reach career goals, and connect with their feelings so they can make good decisions.

As introverts, we’re able to understand cues in conversations and identify people’s strengths. When we choose to interact with people, we often connect deeply with them. 

Introverts are frequently labeled as quiet and shy, but these traits don’t apply to everyone. In fact, several of my introverted friends are powerful public speakers, hosts, and presenters who can easily command a room of hundreds or thousands of attendees. I’ve seen it happen! 

Introverts may find icebreakers, small talk, and networking challenging, but they can have meaningful conversations with the people they’re close to. Most are good listeners, pay attention to detail, and respond admirably. 

I believe introverts can thrive independently. Independence is different from loneliness. It reflects a fulfilled existence. Although relying on others and socializing are important parts of life, overdependence on others can hinder growth and success. In my experience, introverts often prefer to work quietly and independently to achieve their goals.

When I was very little, I liked to play in a part of the playground that had a flat hubcap. I pretended it was a cooking station and would host an imaginary food TV show using it as a prop. Introverts often enjoy getting lost in our imaginations through reading (I liked to read comics and fantasy books), writing, arts and crafts, and fantasizing. 

Psychologist Hans Jürgen Eysenck has said that creativity and introversion often go hand in hand. During his acceptance speech as winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Ernest Hemingway said that in order for writers to produce their best work, they must spend time in solitude. 

Self-awareness is a rare skill that’s only developed through deep introspection. Research suggests that self-aware people are more self-confident, are better decision-makers, and have better relationships.

I excelled in high school and earned a degree from a prominent university. I used deep focus to achieve success, and if I had been more interested in meeting people and going out, I’m unsure if I would have had the time or resources to accomplish these things. 

In a 2012 study, Avram J. Holmes and other prominent researchers found that introverts have thicker grey matter in their prefrontal cortexes. This area of the brain is linked to abstract thought processes and decision-making, which helps explain why introverts, like myself, spend so much time thinking. Introverts often enjoy spending time alone, which gives them the freedom and space to think deeply and come up with new insights and ideas.

Introverts are naturally great problem-solvers, with an innate ability to consider and process multiple solutions while identifying potential pitfalls. They can frequently see the broader perspective, synthesize information from multiple sources, and connect the hidden dots of a problem, ultimately reaching a clear solution. 

It’s a common misconception that leadership positions are better suited for extroverts. But introverts possess many characteristics that make them highly effective and compassionate leaders. 

Compassion helps develop trust, loyalty, and rapport among team members. Empathy allows them to tune in to the needs and emotions of others. And deep understanding from leaders fosters a welcoming environment where team members feel appreciated, valued, and supported. 

Goldie Chan is a creative, keynote speaker, author, and cancer survivor. She was named the “Oprah of LinkedIn” by Huffington Post and her creative video channel won LinkedIn Top Voice for Social Media. In 2018, Goldie founded Warm Robots, an award-winning social media strategy and creative agency based in Los Angeles with global clients. She wrote a column for Forbes and writes for Archie Comics. She is the author of ”Personal Branding for Introverts.”

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Adapted from ”Personal Branding for Introverts.” Copyright © 2025 by Goldie Chan. Available from Basic Venture, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Often in relationships, opposites truly do attract. Differences can add novelty and spark, and they’re often what draw us to each other at the beginning.

But as a psychologist who studies couples (and as a husband), I can say with confidence: Long-term relationship health depends less on how different two people are and more on what they actually have in common. Shared ground is one of the most important ways for partners to build a rhythm together, and that rhythm can determine how long a relationship lasts.

Here are five things people in the happiest relationships share in common with their partner.

You don’t need to have the same favorite comedian or comedy movie to share a sense of humor. What matters is that you laugh together — and regularly.

Healthy couples usually find the same kinds of things funny in everyday life. They often use humor to their advantage: turning frustrating moments into something manageable, and building a shared bank of inside jokes and references.

Over time, that humor becomes a lighthearted but powerful reminder of everything they’ve endured together.

The healthiest couples tend to approach hard conversations in sync. For some, that means talking things through as soon as problems come up. For others, it means giving each other space to process before regrouping.

Either approach works. What matters is that both partners are on the same page.

No one feels caught off guard or ignored, because they’ve aligned on when and how to revisit tough issues. Shared expectations like these are the only way two people can trust each other not to disappear when things get hard.

Not every couple is made up of two perfectly matched extroverts or two homebodies. But usually, healthy couples are in sync when it comes to how much social interaction feels right.

They rarely argue over whether to go out or stay in because they have similar limits. They’re often on the same page about how much energy they want to spend at parties, dinners, or family events.

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And when they do want different things — say, one wants to see friends while the other needs to recharge — they handle it without guilt or frustration. There’s no dragging each other along, no passive-aggressive comments, no punishment for needing different things.

This sense of balance keeps their social life from becoming a recurring source of tension.

Another thread that runs through strong relationships is shared curiosity about art and culture. Happy couples don’t need to have identical playlists or favorite authors, but they do value exploring together.

They’ll go to concerts, try new restaurants, or watch films neither has seen before. Even when their tastes differ, they’re still curious about each other’s opinions.

That openness means cultural experiences are never met with a dismissive “Why would you like that?” Instead, they’re a source of connection and even healthy debate.

This one is straightforward, but often overlooked: Healthy couples stay genuinely interested in one another.

There’s no “chasing,” no games, no imbalance in who’s keeping the affection alive. The attention just flows both ways. They keep flirting, keep complimenting, and keep asking each other questions, even when they already know the answers.

This pervasive and loving sense of curiosity is what makes them feel both seen and wanted. No one has to vie for the other’s affection; they love each other freely and frequently. Opposites may attract, but shared values and curiosity are what help a relationship last.

Mark Travers, PhD, is a psychologist who specializes in relationships. He holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Colorado Boulder. He is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, a telehealth company that provides online psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching. He is also the curator of the popular mental health and wellness website, Therapytips.org.

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As a posing expert, I’ve worked with thousands of people over the past eight years. My job is to make sure they look and feel their best when taking photos.

When you’re interacting with someone in your everyday life, body language allows for much more nuance: It’s perceived in three dimensions. Photography is a 2D medium, so we have to create movement and depth by positioning the body in very particular ways. These techniques can sometimes feel unnatural.

Whether it’s a professional headshot, a snapshot for a dating app, or in a group photo with friends, here are some rules to feel more comfortable, confident, and powerful in every photo you take.

When you feel self-conscious, it’s natural to want to shrink yourself by rolling your shoulders forward and pulling your arms and legs in close. 

But this can cause your limbs to blend together and making you appear bulkier than you really are. Negative space is what gives your pose breathing room, and you want that in a photo. It’s the space between your limbs that keeps your body from blending together and helps define your shape to the viewer’s eye.

A simple fix is to imagine an invisible string pulling you upward from your heels through the crown of your head. This lengthens your body, opens your chest, and lets your arms fall into a more natural position. 

Do: Stand tall and let your arms fall naturally.

Don’t: Roll your shoulders and shrink yourself.

When you face a camera straight on, it’s easy to look boxier or wider than you do in real life. 

To add more shape and dimension, turn your body to about a 45-degree angle. This positioning is often called the “universally flattering angle,” since it not only adds depth and dimension to a photo, but it also lends a lengthening and slimming effect. 

You can experiment with the placement to your shoulders, either having them follow your hips, or turning them more toward the camera.

Do: Angle your body to add a degree of depth.

Don’t: Look at the camera head on.

Standing with your weight evenly distributed on both feet might feel natural, but it can make your body look stiff and flat. Straight lines tend to translate as rigid, which can leave you looking less dynamic than you actually are.

Instead, shift your weight onto one leg to break up the lines of your body and give a sense of movement to your pose.

I recommend stepping backward with one leg and letting your other leg fall naturally to the front with your heel slightly raised.

Do: Give a sense of movement to your pose.

Don’t: Don’t stand with your weight evenly distributed.

I often remind people that their hands act like two giant arrows, guiding the viewer’s eye through the photo.

When the backs or palms of your hands face the camera, they appear flat and wide. This can distract the viewer and pull focus away from your face and body, while also making your overall stance look less polished.

A simple adjustment is to angle your hands so that either your pinky or your thumb points toward the camera. This creates a slimmer line and keeps your hands looking more natural. The easiest way to achieve this is to roll your shoulders back, which naturally rotates your hands into a better position.

Do: Make your pinky or your thumb face the camera.

Don’t: Leave your hands flat.

When we laugh or smile naturally, many of us instinctively tilt our heads back. While that looks great in real life, it doesn’t translate as well in a two-dimensional photo.

A better approach is to gently push your forehead toward the camera. This subtle shift elongates the space between the chin and neck, and keeps you looking more connected to the lens.

Do: Tilt your forehead toward the lens.

Don’t: Tilt your heads back.

None of us are perfectly symmetrical. In real life, asymmetry isn’t very noticeable because we’re constantly moving and people see us from different perspectives. But when we freeze our face in a photo, those small differences can become more pronounced.

To soften this effect, avoid facing the camera completely straight on. Instead, angle your face slightly to one side. Even a subtle turn helps balance out asymmetry, creates more dimension, and draws attention to your best features.

Do: Subtly shift your face to one side.

Don’t: Look at the camera straight ahead.

Many of us, especially Americans, were taught to say “cheese” as we smiled in front of the camera. 

But this can stretch your smile outward instead of upward. While it may be charming for young kids, it can look awkward or even strained when done by adults.

Instead, try saying “money,” “yoga,” or “hey” as you smile. These words naturally lift the corners of your mouth and create a more genuine expression.

Do: Try saying “money,” “yoga” or “hey.”

Don’t: Say “cheese.”

Remember: Anyone can take a great photo. You just have to understand how to work with your body and the camera to create an image that reflects how confident you really are. 

Christine Buzan is a nationally recognized posing expert and the founder of Photogenic Bootcamp, an online program that teaches the everyday person how to look and feel confident in front of the camera. With over 3 million followers and frequent features in major media outlets, Christine is known for demystifying what it means to be photogenic and helping people build visibility through confidence and self-expression.

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