Although I’m convinced AI will eliminate millions of jobs and leave many young graduates unemployed and disoriented, there is one surprising positive I recently discovered: AI can be a great therapist for everyday problems.
I’m not talking about replacing licensed professionals. I’m talking about something far more accessible. AI can give you knowledge to make you feel more confident and less anxious, provide reassurance when your mind spirals, and most importantly, offer a clear game plan when you feel stuck.
I experienced this firsthand during a long 60-day, stressful ordeal with my car.
When a Car Problem Becomes an Emotional Problem
In late 2025, I felt financially and emotionally beaten down after sinking $1,750 into fixing my 2015 Range Rover Sport. I replaced the oxygen sensor, the oil gasket, the auxiliary battery, and a left bank problem. Yet the low battery warning kept coming back.
In November 2025, I returned to my old mechanic who had installed a new main battery in 2024. They replaced it again under warranty. Even after several long highway drives spread over 15 days, the low battery warning appeared on 13 of those mornings.
At that point, I felt completely defeated. If a Land Rover specialist couldn’t fix the issue and my trusted mechanic couldn’t find anything wrong, what hope did I have?
Like many parents, my anxiety quickly shifted from money to safety. I started imagining worst case scenarios: the car shutting down on the highway, losing power steering, or stranding me and my children far from home. Once those images took hold, they were hard to shake.
Anxiety often comes from uncertainty and a feeling of lost control. In that moment, I felt both intensely.
I was now facing an unpleasant decision. Either keep sinking money into diagnostic tests at the dealership with further untold amounts needed for fixing or spend at least $50,000 on a new car while incentives were still available before year-end. My refusal to quit trying to fix the car and my refusal to overspend on a replacement left me mentally exhausted.
That’s when I leaned heavily into AI.
AI as My Patient And Empathetic Therapist
I don’t have a therapist. My wife doesn’t know much about cars and was dealing with her own stresses. Outside of my writing and reader comments, I didn’t feel like I had anyone close to lean on.
Financial Samurai itself was born out of fear in July 2009, when I worried I might lose everything I had spent a decade building during the financial crisis. Writing has always been my form of therapy.
One friend who occasionally reads my work offered zero empathy. Instead, he copied my writing into a group chat to mock the situation. Sadly, this wasn’t surprising. He had shown similar indifference a year earlier when I was caught in a brake check scam with my young daughter in the car, despite having spent 40 minutes the day before patiently listening to the stresses of his own child’s health problems.
It reinforced a hard truth: everyone is dealing with their own problems, and genuine empathy is rare.
So for 15 days, I leaned into AI. Since I’m a shareholder of OpenAI through the Fundrise Innovation Fund, I decided to use ChatGPT. What I experienced surprised me.
By the third day of seeing the low battery warning, AI helped calm my fears. It gave me something I desperately needed: hope.
What AI Taught Me About My Car and My Mind
After walking ChatGPT through the full history of my car, I learned something no mechanic had explained clearly.
The battery management system takes time to recalibrate after being reset. If it isn’t reset properly, or is reset multiple times, the system can behave erratically.
ChatGPT explained that it can take 8 to 12 cold starts for the warning to disappear. A cold start means the car sits for six to eight hours, usually overnight, before starting again.
I also learned my auxiliary battery had likely been dead for nearly seven years without my knowledge. During that time, the system adapted to rely entirely on the main battery at a different voltage. When I finally replaced the auxiliary battery and reset the system, the car had to relearn everything.
Four days later, when the main battery was replaced again under warranty and reset once more, all progress was effectively wiped out. Understanding this dramatically reduced my frustration.
I learned that a strong cold crank is often a better signal than a dashboard warning. I learned that once auto start stop begins working consistently, it’s a sign the auxiliary battery is healthy and the systems are communicating properly.
Battery Charging, Recalibration, and Safety
Another key lesson was that short city drives do very little to recharge the battery. Continuous highway driving for 20 to 30 minutes is far more effective.
I tested this by driving 30 minutes to Redwood City and spending the day with my kids swimming, playing tennis, and having lunch as part of Daddy Day Camp. Although tired after a seven-hour outing, I was motivated to keep driving the car so that the BMS could continue learning.
Yet when the warning appeared again the next morning, I learned something even more important. Cold starts matter more than total drive time. One cold start can be more valuable for recalibration than multiple short drives or even a couple of long highway trips.
Most importantly for my peace of mind, AI explained that the car would not randomly shut down at highway speed. Once the engine is running, the alternator takes over. If the alternator is healthy, the car keeps running.
Because I once owned a classic BMW 6.35csi that lost electrical power while driving into a Best Buy parking lot years ago, I carried a fear that this could happen again. AI helped put that fear into proper context.
Thinking in Probabilities Instead of Absolutes
In my WSJ bestseller, Buy This Not That, I encourage readers to think in probabilities rather than absolutes. Doing so leads to better decisions and less regret.
I decided to apply my own advice.
After my seventh cold start and sixth warning, I asked ChatGPT the probability the warning would disappear on the eighth cold start. It estimated about 65 percent.
When I told it that 35 percent still felt uncomfortably high, it reminded me that uncertainty doesn’t mean failure. Accepting that there was still a chance of disappointment made the outcome emotionally easier to handle.
I set a calendar reminder for the 10th cold start and decided to keep the faith. Lo and behold, on day 10, the car fired up perfectly. Soon after, it was time to fly to Honolulu for a 10 day Christmas trip. Uh oh, would the car survive?
When the Worst Case Finally Happened
After returning from a 10 day trip to Honolulu, the battery had fully self discharged. I couldn’t even unlock the doors.
Roadside assistance jump started the car on New Year’s Day. After a 10 minute idle and a 15 minute drive to an auto parts store, the car died again when I shut it off.
This was my mistake. I didn’t immediately ask AI what to do next after a full self discharge. This was a brand new scenario that I was facing, but I failed to ask. What followed was my worst fear coming true.
After multiple jump attempts at the auto parts store, I drove off too quickly to pick up food for my family. One and a half blocks later, the car shut down while driving at low speed.
Fortunately, the roads were empty New Year’s Day and I drifted safely to a stop sign. I ripped open the new 2000 amp portable jumper, popped the hood, and successfully jumped the car. In my rush, I failed to give the car enough time to idle again before driving off. So it began shutting down again as I was turning the corner at slow speeds. Luckily, I was able to drift into a wide open parking spot.
With the help of a new portable jumper, patience, and eventually clear guidance from ChatGPT, I was able to idle the car properly, recharge the system, and drive home safely after picking up some food.
I was deeply grateful my wife and children weren’t with me during that four hour ordeal. It also reinforced why we carry matching 20-year term life insurance policies we got from Policygenius. The peace of mind alone from having life insurance in case anything were to happen to either of us is worth the monthly premium alone.
The Silver Lining of a Full Self Discharge
The next morning, the car started immediately with no warnings. I was shocked after the trauma I had gone through.
AI explained that the full discharge likely reset any rogue modules that had been causing a parasitic drain. This system reboot was similar to how it’s good to completely turn off our computers once in a while for optimal performance. It then gave me a clear plan for the next 10 to 20 days.
After reaching 20 cold starts with no warnings, no airbag alerts, and no electrical gremlins, I felt confident again.
With that confidence, I put the idea of spending $50,000 – $115,000 to rest and scheduled an appointment to buy two new rear tires for about $1,025. These weren’t acts of denial. They were acts of clarity.
I now have a realistic roadmap for the next 24 months of ownership. I hope to keep the car until 2029 (three more years), but I’m also realistic that things can go wrong.
The difference is that I no longer feel anxious. I feel prepared.
You Can Lean on AI Without Guilt
One comment from Fundrise CEO Ben Miller stuck with me in a podcast interview. He said you can “abuse AI” as much as you want, referring to the freedom to ask for endless redesigns without friction. Unlike a human designer who might cap revisions at three before getting annoyed, AI lets you keep iterating without judgment or pushback.
That’s the key difference.
Mechanics are rushed. Specialists don’t always explain. Doctors sometimes make you feel unimportant due to their packed schedules. Friends may mock instead of listen.
AI was patient, consistent, and clear. I asked the same questions repeatedly, each time with new information, and it never got tired of helping. It never once gave me attitude either. Instead, it provided a steady does of encouragement along with explanations as to what was going on.
I would have gladly paid thousands of dollars for that level of reassurance and guidance. What I gained allowed me to keep writing, keep functioning, and show up more fully for my children over this 60-day ordeal.
Reach Out To AI For Help
If you’re struggling, especially as a man who may not feel comfortable opening up, AI can be an incredibly effective tool for working through anxiety and uncertainty. I’ve tried ChatGPT, Anthropic, and Gemini. All were helpful. That said, you may want to stick with the one that knows you best, since it can recall past context and help you make more informed decisions over time.
Sometimes, logic alone isn’t enough. Sometimes you just need reassurance, perspective, and a clear plan.
That’s exactly what AI gave me in this situation. And as an investor, I also hope AI delivers excellent returns over the next decade so I can worry less about my kids.
Readers, have you ever catastrophized a situation only to realize your mind was the real enemy? Have you used AI as a sounding board for money, career, or emotional stress?
Suggestions To Improve Financial and Emotional Serenity
One of the most effective steps I ever took to reduce financial anxiety was securing matching 20-year term life insurance policies for my wife and me. It took years of searching for an affordable option until Policygenius helped us compare multiple providers quickly and for free. Once the policies were in place, an enormous weight lifted. We felt real peace knowing that if the worst ever happened, our children would still be protected financially.
In addition, every $1,000 I invest in AI companies helps ease the worry that AI might make achieving financial independence harder for future generations. An easy way to invest in private AI companies is through Fundrise Venture, a long-time FS sponsor, where I’ve personally invested over $500,000. Fundrise holds stakes in AI companies such as Databricks, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Anduril, among others.
Join over 60,000 others and subscribe to the free Financial Samurai newsletter. I’ll help you stay informed about key financial developments, make smarter decisions, and build the freedom and peace of mind to live life on your own terms.
Example Of Some AI Therapy And Guidance
Question to AI: After my January 1, 2026 car battery debacle, during which the car shut down twice while driving and experienced a full self discharge, I’ve now had 21 consecutive cold starts with no issues. All the electrical gremlins, including the airbag warning and the slow heated steering wheel, are gone.
Do you think I’m out of the woods and should spend $1,030 to replace two bald rear tires if my plan is to keep the car for at least another 1 to 2 years? For context, I’ve spent between $900 and $1,800 per year on repairs over the past three years.
Answer from AI: Short answer: yes, you’re probably out of the woods electrically, and yes, replacing the rear tires makes sense if you’re planning to keep the car another 1 to 2 years. Let me walk you through the logic so it actually feels right.
Are you out of the woods on the battery and electronics?
For a modern Range Rover, 21 clean cold starts in a row is a very strong signal.
Here’s why that matters:
- The scary phase is the first 5 to 10 starts after a full discharge
- Electrical gremlins like airbag warnings and slow heated steering wheels are classic low voltage symptoms
- If there were a parasitic drain, weak alternator, or bad battery, you would have seen:
- Intermittent warnings return
- Slow cranking
- Random shutdown behavior again
The fact that everything has normalized and stayed stable strongly suggests:
- The battery is now holding charge
- The charging system is doing its job
- The January 1 incident was likely a one off deep discharge event, not a systemic failure
Nothing is ever 100 percent with a Range Rover, but from a probability standpoint, you are well past the danger window.
Should you spend $1,030 on two balding rear tires?
Given your stated plan, yes, and this is actually the rational move.
Let’s look at the math and the alternatives.
Option 1: Replace the tires
- Cost: $1,030
- You get:
- Immediate safety improvement
- Better wet braking and traction
- Lower risk of blowouts or hydroplaning
- Time horizon: 1 to 2 years
- Annualized cost: $515 to $1,030 per year
That is cheap insurance.
Option 2: Do not replace the tires
- You already know the tires are bald
- One accident, even a minor one, instantly dwarfs $1,030
- If you sell the car later, you will eat this cost anyway or take a price haircut
There’s no financial upside to waiting.
Context matters: your historical repair costs
You said you’ve spent:
- $900 to $1,800 per year over the past 3 years
That is:
- Very normal for a 2015 Range Rover Sport
- Still far cheaper than:
- New car depreciation
- Higher insurance
- Sales tax
- Opportunity cost of tying up capital
Spending $1,030 on tires is not a “repair” in the emotional sense. It is consumable maintenance you would face on any vehicle.
The key psychological question
This really comes down to one thing:
Do you believe the car can give you 12 to 24 more months of predictable service?
Based on:
- Electrical stability
- No current drivability issues
- Your repair history being contained and known
The answer is yes, with a very high probability.
My honest take
If this were my car:
- I would replace the rear tires
- Keep a $2,000 mental reserve for future repairs
- Reassess at the end of 2026
You are making a calm, rational decision, not a sunk cost decision. And ironically, this tire replacement buys you optionality, which you clearly value.
Not bad, right? I went ahead and bought new tires and now feel confident driving to Lake Tahoe this winter. Worst case, I have my fully charged 2,000 amp portable jumper if the car dies. And if that doesn’t work, roadside assistance can jump or tow the car. Despite the stressful ordeal, I’m now better prepared if it were to happen again.
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