What's in store for you:

1. Photo From My Life
2. Financial Thought: What Should I Do For My Kids?
3. Life Thought: Why I Do This
4. Good Sh*t: An Amazing Quote

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Photo From My Life:

Financial Thought:

What Should I Do For My Kids? If you're a parent, you’ve probably asked yourself the question: "What should I be doing financially to support my kids?"

It’s a great question. It’s also a deeply personal one.

At the risk of sounding like a flight attendant, I firmly believe in the airline philosophy: put your oxygen mask on first before helping others. You can’t provide financial stability for your kids if you don’t have it for yourself.

If you’re expecting or have a newborn and want to get a head start, I created a quick checklist to manage the logistical/financial items. You can see it here.

Once those basics are handled, it’s time to think about how you want to support your kids and to what extent. There’s a wide range of views on this. Some parents want to cover every expense from preschool to retirement. Others focus on building independence and covering only the essentials. Most people fall somewhere in the middle.

There are typically two account structures families leverage:

1. 529 Plans: These are tax-advantaged accounts for education expenses. You can use your contributions as a tax deduction (up to a limit) and assets can be withdrawn tax-free. They’ve become more flexible over time (some funds can now be used for K-12 tuition or even transferred to a Roth IRA in certain cases). If college support is part of your plan, a 529 is worth considering.
2. Custodial Accounts: These are standard investment accounts in your child’s name. You maintain control until they reach a certain age (typically 18-25), at which point they get full access. Useful if you want them to have funds for general use (not just education), but less control once they’re adults.

When gifting to kids, don’t forget the IRS rules. For 2025, you can gift up to $19,000 per child (per parent!) without filing a gift tax return. That means a couple could shift $38,000/year into their child’s name if they wanted to.

If your total assets are approaching or exceeding the federal estate exemption, things get more complex. At that point, you're well past saving for college. You should be thinking about strategic estate planning. That’s when tools like gifting strategies, trusts, and long-term wealth transfers become essential.

Bottom line: figure out your own goals first, then decide how much support you want to provide and in what form. There’s no universal right answer. Just do what’s right for your family.

Life Thought:

Why I Do This: When I first started writing this newsletter, it was mostly for selfish reasons. I wanted to become a better writer and thinker. I hoped this newsletter would help me clarify my ideas and act as a diary I could revisit later. A digital paper trail of how I saw the world and something I could share with my kids or grandkids one day.

But something unexpected happened. This newsletter became a way to stay connected with close friends, extended family, old coworkers, and people I’ve never met in real life.

I'm not great at staying in touch. I wish I were the person who called friends out of the blue or sent thoughtful texts just to check in. But life gets busy. Between work, family, and everything in between, I rarely make the time to reach out to everyone I care about.

There’s something weird and slightly uncomfortable about sending your thoughts into the void. But each week, people reply. Maybe they laughed at a dumb story, maybe they asked a question, or maybe something I wrote actually resonated. And these connections have been the best part of this newsletter. It makes the 1-2 hours of writing, editing, and thinking worth it.

So no, I may not be the best at staying in touch. But this newsletter has become my way of doing just that. And for everyone who reads along: thank you. I really mean that.

Good Sh*t:

An Amazing Quote:

My brother-in-law shared this great quote with me this week and I thought it was worth sending to the broader community. No commentary needed. I'm sure you get it.

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