When clients talk to me about long-term care late in life, many express a similar worry. It’s usually framed financially at first: not wanting to become a burden to their kids, not wanting to spend down everything they’ve built, not wanting to end up stuck in an expensive facility for years. But I sometimes think there’s a deeper concern underneath that. Not just the fear of poor health, but the possibility of feeling disconnected from the people and routines that make life g

Most people give in a reactive way. A friend asks for a donation. A letter comes in the mail. It’s the end of the year and you realize you haven’t given much, so you write a few checks. There are a few problems with this approach. First, and maybe this is just me, but it feels like an obligation. There’s a little bit of guilt involved. “I forgot to do this. Am I letting them down if I don’t give? What’s the least I need to do to avoid feeling bad about this?” It’s uncomfort

I am convinced that money’s highest use is to support a good life. And one of the best ways to have a better life is to be of service to others. Two of the most vital needs for humans are our need for connection, and our need for purpose. Sadly, I think these are some of the most commonly unmet needs in our society today. But when you get out of your own head, away from your own needs and fears, and instead focus on what you can do to be of service to others, everything els

I’ve been thinking about how I’d like to be when I’m older. It’s a worthwhile question for anyone. Even if you’ve just made it to retirement, you likely have many years ahead to shape your future life. Life is a creative act. Our future comes from how we spend our time today. The choices we make, the habits we form, the attitudes we cultivate. When I find people I admire, or just specific qualities, I try to reverse engineer that back to the present. What would I have to be

I came across a talk from Arthur Brooks on leisure and found it thought-provoking. The biggest shift for me was the distinction between passive and active leisure. Here's the link to that, notes below: https://youtu.be/n0apNHGLBMo Passive leisure looks like watching TV, scrolling, or reading the news. Active leisure is more engaging. It involves creating, participating, or connecting with something in a more meaningful way. And it turns out, it contributes far more to happin

The thing about investing is that markets are volatile. When it comes to that reality, there are two broad approaches. One is to try to outguess the volatility, getting out when markets feel too high and getting back in when they’ve fallen. This tends to become a frantic, all-consuming process, and most people who follow it end up with less than they would have by simply staying invested. The second approach is the opposite. Buy and hold a diversified set of businesses for a

History is full of disruption. War, political upheaval, epidemics, technological change. Open a history book from any era or country, and you’ll see the same forces at play. And yet, the broader pattern is clear: we encounter obstacles, we work through them, and we move forward. My bet is that this continues. At the onset of COVID, markets fell more than 30%. A global pandemic and widespread shutdowns led many investors to take a deeply pessimistic view of corporate profitab

At some point, most investors have an experience that changes how they see markets. Before that moment, it’s easy to get pulled around by headlines. The world feels fragile. Every downturn feels like it might be the one that doesn’t come back. After that moment, you start to see how resilient markets and the economy actually are. The short-term noise doesn’t disappear, but it loses its hold. For me, that moment was COVID. Think about what happened. The global economy is built

A mortgage touches nearly every part of your financial life. It affects your risk, your cash flow, your freedom, and your peace of mind. Some see it as a burden to eliminate as quickly as possible. Others treat it as cheap access to capital and stretch it out for as long as they can. Both views capture part of the picture. But usually one lens will dominate depending on where you are in your financial journey. Early on, a mortgage can offer modest leverage at a reasonable c