Creating Expensive Wee, or Actually Protecting Your Brain?

There's an age-old debate about supplements: are you investing in your health or just filtering gold-plated nutrients into the plumbing – aka creating expensive wee?

For me, I've always leaned towards the latter camp. I don't like the idea that because we can medicate away the health problems our poor lifestyle habits are creating, we can throw discipline to the wind. Why bother with boring vegetables and 10,000 steps when you can just pop a pill?

However, I heard a podcast this week that gave me pause. On supplements, specifically.

The podcast was about Alzheimer's disease. To date, there is still no cure for this disease. The expert, Dr. Nicola, shared about how to prevent Alzheimer's – exercise, sleep, and some supplements like omega-3, vitamin D, and creatine.

Creatine is the one that caught my attention – perhaps because it was most enthusiastically recommended.

Dr. Nicola shared about a study published last year where Alzheimer's patients were given a high dosage of creatine. In this group of people with severe brain dysfunction, creatine was proven to preserve their cognitive function, gave them more energy, and allowed them to exercise more. A proof of the power of creatine.

So what is creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in our muscles and brain. Our body makes it from amino acids, and we also get small amounts from foods like red meat and fish. Creatine's main job is to help our muscles produce quick energy.

Our muscles use a molecule called ATP for energy. In short, intense activities like sprinting and weight lifting, ATP gets used up in seconds. Creatine stored in our muscles helps rapidly regenerate ATP, which allows our muscles to keep producing force.

Apart from this basic function of creatine – which gym bros have known about forever – higher doses of creatine above the traditional 5g dosage also benefit the brain. This is because the first 5g of creatine are usually all absorbed by the muscles, leaving nothing for upstairs.

Dr. Nicola was adamant that creatine can reverse the negative effects of sleep deprivation and protect against stress. And since sleep deprivation adds to the risk of Alzheimer's, and I'm perpetually a little sleep deprived, this piqued my curiosity.

I know, after what I said earlier about my belief about supplements, this is like shooting myself in the foot. The irony isn't lost on me – I've spent years rolling my eyes at supplement aisles, and now here I am, genuinely curious about joining the creatine crew.

But hey, I'm being open-minded and standing to be corrected. And this is what L-Plate Retirement is about: staying open to new ideas and concepts and being willing to try them. Especially since I don't purport to know everything or have all the answers.

Besides, if there's one disease worth making expensive wee to prevent, Alzheimer's is probably it. The gym bros might have been onto something all along – they just didn't know they were also accidentally protecting their brains while chasing bigger biceps.

So I'm going to try it, I think. Not because I've suddenly become a supplement evangelist, but because the evidence on this one seems compelling enough to overcome my skepticism. And if it turns out I'm just creating very expensive, creatine-enriched wee? Well, at least I'll know I tried something that might actually work, rather than dismissing it out of hand because it doesn't fit my preferred narrative about discipline over pills.

Sometimes being wrong is the first step to being less wrong. And in retirement, that's probably as good as it gets.

Your Turn:
Have you been dismissing supplements entirely because you're philosophically opposed to "medicating away" lifestyle problems – but secretly wondering if you're leaving real health benefits on the table?
If creatine can preserve cognitive function in Alzheimer's patients and reverse sleep deprivation effects, are you willing to try it despite years of eye-rolling at supplement aisles – or does your skepticism run too deep?
Are you sleep deprived enough to care about supplements that might protect your brain, or are you still clinging to the belief that discipline and lifestyle fixes alone will save you from cognitive decline?

👉 Hit reply and share your thoughts – I’d love to hear what’s resonating with you.

☕ If this musing helped you see that being open to changing your mind – even about something you've dismissed for years – is what L-Plate Retirement is all about, consider buying L-Plate Retiree a coffee on Ko-fi. Your support helps me keep sharing honest reflections, even when they make me look like a hypocrite.

The Portfolio Tune-Up – Rebalancing & Tax Smarts

Monitoring your portfolio's performance is only half the battle. The other half is taking action when necessary. This is where Rebalancing comes in. Rebalancing is the disciplined process of restoring your portfolio to its original Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA).

Why rebalance? Because over time, your asset classes drift. If stocks have a great run, they'll grow to represent a larger percentage of your portfolio than your target, increasing your overall risk. Rebalancing forces you to sell high (the overperforming asset) and buy low (the underperforming asset) to bring your portfolio back to your desired risk tolerance. It's the ultimate anti-emotional investment strategy.

There are two main ways to rebalance:

1. Calendar-Based: You rebalance at fixed intervals, like every quarter or every year. This is simple and predictable.

2. Tolerance Band-Based: You rebalance only when an asset class deviates from its target weight by a certain percentage (e.g., 5%). This is often more tax-efficient and reduces transaction costs, as you only trade when necessary.

Tax-Efficient Maintenance: Taxes are a major drag on returns, so your maintenance strategy must be tax-aware.

• Asset Location: This is a clever strategy where you place tax-inefficient assets (like high-yield bonds or actively managed funds with high turnover) in tax-advantaged accounts (like 401(k)s or ISAs) and tax-efficient assets (like low-cost index funds) in taxable accounts.

• Tax-Loss Harvesting: This involves selling an investment that has lost value to offset capital gains realized from other investments. This is a popular strategy in regions with capital gains taxes.

Regional Differences: Remember that tax laws vary wildly. In some countries, there is no capital gains tax, making tax-loss harvesting irrelevant. Always factor in your local tax laws, which you should be aware of from your Personal Financial Assessment.

Rebalancing and tax-efficient maintenance are the operational keys to keeping your portfolio on track, minimizing costs, and maximizing your after-tax returns.

L-Plate Takeaways

• Rebalancing is Discipline: It forces you to sell high and buy low, keeping your portfolio aligned with your SAA and risk tolerance.

• Choose Your Method: Calendar-based is simple; tolerance band-based is often more tax-efficient.

• Asset Location is Smart: Put tax-inefficient assets in tax-advantaged accounts.

• Tax-Loss Harvesting: Use losses to offset gains where applicable, but be aware of local tax rules.

• Maintenance is Key: Consistent monitoring and rebalancing are essential for long-term success.