What's in store for you:

1. Photo From My Life
2. Financial Thought: Five to One Ratio
3. Life Thought: This is Water
4. Good Sh*t: Celsius

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Photo From My Life:

Financial Thought:

5-1 Ratio: Another young wealth manager told me this week that he always strives to deliver five times more value than what his clients pay. I love that mindset. It forces you to go above and beyond.

Now, that ratio might not apply to this newsletter (the only cost here is five minutes of your time), but I still want every issue to feel like it’s worth far more than what you put in. Even during a packed week like this one where I don't have a ton of time to write, I wanted to share a few quick thoughts that I hope deliver that kind of value:

1. Still think you can time the market? If I had told you earlier this year that the S&P would be near all-time highs after tariffs, the Middle East conflict, and rising interest rates, would you have believed me? Predicting the market is a fool’s errand. Stay invested.
2. Check your retirement accounts. I’ve seen too many people unknowingly holding large cash or money market positions inside their IRAs and 401(k)s. That’s dead weight. Long-term compounding only works when you’re actually investing.
3. Don’t sleep on Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Contributions are tax-deductible (or pre-tax through payroll), the funds grow tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are also tax-free. In 2025, you can contribute up to $8,300. It's a small habit with a huge long-term impact.
4. Simplify your financial life. Consolidate old accounts. Automate your savings. Unsubscribe from alerts you never read. The fewer decisions and distractions you have, the more energy you’ll have to focus on what matters.
5. Define your rich life. Why the hell are you working so hard and saving? Define your goals so you're motivated and inspired to put in the work. What is your why?

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Life Thought:

This is Water: I'm tired this week after a long drive and not much sleep. So, instead of writing, I wanted to share one of my favorite speeches in both audio and transcript form. "This is Water" was a speech by David Foster Wallace for Kenyon College's 2005 graduation. It's dense, but the message is important. I hope you enjoy. If you don't have time to read or listen to the full speech, I wanted to share two of my favorite quotes below.

Listen to the speech here. Read the speech here.

“There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says "Morning, boys. How's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes "What the hell is water?”

"Because here's something else that's weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship."

Good Sh*t:

Celsius: I don’t drink a ton of caffeine. Green tea in the morning and an occasional espresso when I'm feeling wild. But, I've never been a 4-cups of coffee every day guy. That said, there’s one tool I now swear by for long drives: Celsius.

I’ve used it on my last three trips between MI and GA. 17-hour days behind the wheel and it’s officially become my secret weapon. I usually only drink half a can around 2pm, and like clockwork, I get a boost of focus and energy that powers me through the second half. It's also surprisingly tasty.

It can’t be good for you, but sometimes you need to choose functional over perfect. Highly recommend tossing one in the glove box.

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