i’ve been trying to make a video explaining treasury direct for the past week or so and i always forget that you can’t use ANY browser buttons to navigate because it will immediately log you out which https://t.co/ZHB671Cw2t

— Kyla Scanlon (@kylascan) September 6, 2023

It’s hard to invest directly in Treasury bonds if the site doesn’t work well. Given your other options it’s just not worth the hassle. However hassle is much more than a working website. Khe Hy at Rad Reads has a good definition of ‘return hassle.’

The way I think of Return on Hassle is with a simple life value that drives countless decisions for our family.

We value simplicity over complexity… even if it means leaving money on the table.

There is a multitude of assets in which you can invest your financial capital. (We are leaving the whole non-financial aspect of our lives aside.) You need some way to sort through these options and the amount of hassle involved matters.

Nick Maggiulli at Of Dollars and Data wrote about the this topic in light of what it takes to own (and run) a portfolio of rental real estate. Nick’s chart sums it up well.

Source: Of Dollars and Data

Everybody’s definition of hassle looks different. For some people investing in stocks is more like a hobby than a hassle. Some of these things you have to learn on your own time (and dime). What wasn’t a hassle in one phase of your life could turn into one a big one in another phase of life. In the end, your portfolio should be working for you, not the other way around.