There is a certain kind of investor who doesn’t need spreadsheets, valuation models, or macroeconomic forecasts. They need a windshield. These are the people who invest the way early humans hunted: by sight, proximity, and gut instinct. They don’t ask, “What’s the CAGR?” They ask, “Is that place always busy?” They don’t read earnings transcripts. They notice parking lots. They don’t care about discounted cash flows. They care whether the drive-thru line wraps around the building at 11:37 a.m. on a Tuesday. And frankly, they may be onto something. The Windshield Index Most investing advice assumes you live your financial life in Excel. But some people live it at stoplights. For them, the market isn’t abstract—it’s concrete, literal, and frequently visible from the left turn lane. This is the Windshield Index : How many cars are there? How fast are they moving? How irritated do the customers look? Is the place expanding sideways into what used to be a gas stat...