What's in store for you:

1. Photo From My Life
2. Life Thought: Philosopher or Tennis Player?
3. Financial Thought: The S&P500 is Overrated
4. Good Sh*t: Monarch Money

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Photo From My Life:

Life Thought:

Philosopher or Tennis Player?: I’m a big tennis fan. I grew up in a tennis family and continue to play once or twice a week. It’s one of the few sports I actually follow. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I may have cried during the Federer retirement documentary.

Tennis is such a mental sport. There's no team to back you up. It's just you on the court. The top players have all found a way to control their brain. I don't think someone can be top 10 without having a certain level of mental toughness.

After a big win that earned him a spot in the quarterfinals of the French Open, Alexander Bublik gave one of the most thoughtful post-match interviews I’ve seen. It was a unique insight into a different way to compete. There was a certain philosophical tone to it.

So much of what he shared aligned with how I think about life, work, and balance. It reminded me that some of the most meaningful insights don’t come from self-help books or keynote speakers. They come from people who are deeply engaged in what they do and honest about how they feel.

You can watch the full interview here, but here are a few of my favorite quotes:

• "Will I put my life and health on the line to maybe win a grand slam? No, but I will continue my path. I will work my way. I still practice and do the exact minimum and maximum at the same time in order to be the player that I am."
• "I prioritize tennis and life in equal ways. For me it's 50%/50%. It's not like tennis takes 90%. If I can't walk okay at 40, it's not okay."
• "It's about finding the balance and doing what I have to do in order to be able to compete against the top of the game. But, will I put my health on the line? No."
• "I'm talking about myself. That's how I think and that's how I approach life. For me, that's important."
• "There is no way around hard work. Don't get me wrong, I work hard, but on my terms. I do what I'm capable of doing with my body, but I will not push through a knee injury in order to have a certain chance to win a match."
• "Every young tennis player needs to decide if the sacrifices he's making to have a phantom chance to be top 50 is worth it. If it's worth it, great go for it. But don't complain if it's not. There are a lot of things (skill) above the hard work to be a top 50 player. For everyone it's different."

Financial Thought:

The S&P500 is Overrated: Okay, that headline isn’t entirely fair. The S&P 500 isn’t actually overrated. It’s just a bit overhyped right now. I've had a number of calls with folks over the last two weeks that have their entire portfolio invested in just an S&P500 ETF.

My response to their situation is that I don’t believe anyone should blindly invest their entire portfolio in a single index, even if it has been the star performer lately.

Yes, the S&P 500 has crushed it over the last decade. If you went all-in on U.S. large-cap stocks, especially tech, you've likely had a great ride. But strong past performance isn’t a long-term investment strategy. It’s a snapshot in time.

I believe in diversification. Not because it makes for exciting dinner conversation, but because it builds resilience. Concentrating your entire financial life in one country and one style of company is essentially betting on the same horse over and over again.

Here’s the nuance I think most people miss: there’s no such thing as a universally “correct” portfolio. Everyone should have a different allocation based on their goals, timeline, income needs, and even personality. A 45-year-old entrepreneur, a 28-year-old software engineer, and a 70-year-old retiree should all be investing differently. The idea that there’s one magic asset mix that fits everyone is lazy advice.

Global diversification hasn’t won the performance race recently, but that doesn’t mean it won’t. In fact, history shows that leadership rotates. Over the long term, being globally invested reduces risk.

So no, the S&P 500 isn’t bad. It’s just not your whole answer.

Good Sh*t:

Monarch Money: I’ve been testing a few tools to help my clients better budget and manage cash flows. After trialing a variety of softwares (and more spreadsheets than I’d like to admit), I finally landed on a winner. Monarch Money.

It’s hands down the best budgeting platform I’ve used. The interface is intuitive, the syncing is reliable, and it finally makes budgeting feel manageable. I’ve always believed that good tools make good habits easier. Monarch is a perfect example of that.

If you’re trying to get a clearer view of your spending habits, I'd suggest you give it a try. My clients get this as part of their services, but if you want 50% off your first year, you can leverage this link.

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