My family has been among the ranks of backyard chicken farmers for about 15 years. We’ve raised batches of baby chicks in our garage under a heat lamp, battled hawks, snakes and other predators, and celebrated when the first egg appeared about nine months later. There is something universally charming about chickens. They are curious, oddly expressive, and, perhaps most importantly, remarkably productive. Spend even a few minutes around a backyard coop, and you will witness one of nature’s simplest yet most consistent miracles: the daily egg.
Hens are creatures of both routine and quiet discipline. Most will lay about one egg every 24 to 26 hours, and they do so without fanfare or financial planning spreadsheets. Interestingly, a hen’s egg color is determined by her breed; some lay brown eggs, others white and a few even produce blue or green eggs. Despite what the grocery store might suggest, color does not change nutritional value. In other words, chickens do not overcomplicate things.
Children are often fascinated by this steady production. Feed the chickens, collect the eggs, repeat. There is a built-in lesson here: small, consistent actions lead to meaningful results over time. It is a lesson that translates surprisingly well into the world of personal finance.
In financial planning, we often refer to savings as a “nest egg,” a fitting metaphor when you consider the humble hen. Over time, careful saving and investing allow individuals and families to build something of real substance—an accumulation of resources meant to support them later in life. Like a coop full of eggs, it does not happen overnight. It is the result of patience, consistency and discipline.
But this is where humans differ from chickens. While hens are perfectly content to produce and move on, people often struggle with what comes next. After decades of carefully building their nest egg, many retirees find it surprisingly difficult to start using it. There is a persistent fear: What if I run out? What if I take too much too soon? What if there are not enough eggs left for tomorrow?
This hesitation is understandable. The very habits that helped build wealth—saving diligently, avoiding unnecessary spending, planning for the long term—can make it psychologically challenging to reverse course. The result is that some individuals live more cautiously than they need to, leaving experiences, travel and enjoyment on the table.
Chickens, of course, have no such concerns. They are not worried about future egg-supply forecasts or inflation-adjusted laying rates. They simply continue their cycle, trusting the process.
Whether you are collecting eggs from a backyard coop or reviewing a retirement portfolio, the principle is the same: build steadily, protect what you have and understand its purpose. In my experience, that last part is the most difficult. The solution is to build a system that gives objective feedback. A system that helps protect the long-term goal of never running out of resources while also giving you the confidence to use those resources along the way.
At PYA Waltman, we help clients gather their eggs, help them protect their eggs, and most importantly, remind them to enjoy their eggs.
PYA Waltman Capital is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about PYA Waltman Capital’s investment advisory services can be found in its Form ADV Part 2 and/or Form CRS, which is available upon request. PYA-26-39