April 23, 2026

Oh man, it’s been a while.

On the health front — things are going, let’s say, interestingly. I was going to say better than ever, but let me keep it real: I’m still having symptoms, and they actually got a little worse recently. Today, I’m on my way to a doctor’s appointment. Hopefully she’s going to do a tilt test so we can finally get to the bottom of what’s going on. But here’s the bright side — my weight. I am officially the lowest I’ve been in probably ten years. I’m sitting at 197 right now, and that’s huge for me.

I’ll be honest though, I did slow down with the diet. When I first started I was around 215, and those first two to three weeks I dropped about 15 pounds just from the changes I was making. But here’s the thing — and I think most people who’ve ever been on a weight loss journey know this — you can’t sustain an extreme program long-term when you’ve been living a certain way for years. Breaking old habits is hard. It’s basically the same reason New Year’s resolutions don’t work when you go back to the gym all hyped up. That initial excitement fades, and old patterns creep back in.

So yeah, that’s kind of what happened with me. I haven’t gone back fully. But there are certain things I’ve kept and I genuinely think they’re permanent now. Plain yogurt with walnuts? That’s a staple. Egg whites, whole wheat bread, reduced-fat cheese, apples — still on it. I need to get back to eating more salads and beans though, because beans are high in protein, great for cholesterol, and loaded with fiber. That one slipped a little but I’m aware of it. Anyway, I don’t want to make this another diet post — I’ll talk about that another time.

What’s really been on my mind lately is parenting — specifically, the financial side of it.

So we finally — finally — opened up investment accounts for both of the kids. This is something we’ve been trying to do since they were born back in 2022, and here we are in 2026, four years later, just getting it done. We opened two custodial accounts, put some money in them, and actually started trading in their accounts yesterday. And I just sat there thinking to myself — man, I’m in my forties and I’m still figuring things out. It almost feels like I’m starting over in a way. But honestly? I think that’s okay. I could have stayed on that same linear, comfortable path and looked up at 50 or 60 wondering where the time went. This wake-up call I had is actually a gift, because now I’m actively working to build something for my kids — real generational wealth.

It got me thinking about something people always say: it’s better to have kids when you’re older because you’re more financially stable. And sure, I get it. When you’re older, you can buy more gifts, take more trips, put better food on the table. But there’s a flip side to that too. When you have kids young, you can keep up with them physically. You have more energy, your body can handle the chasing around, and you can genuinely relate to them on a different level. The tradeoff is financial stress. When you have kids older, the money is there, but physically it costs you more — you need more sleep, you can’t always keep up the same way. Although I will say, patience might actually improve with age. You might get less irritable, which counts for a lot.

Here’s what I’ve been thinking about though — and this is what kind of keeps me up at night in a good way. Let’s say ten years from now, when I’m 50, we’re finally in a comfortable place financially. My oldest will be 13 by then. And my first instinct was to worry: will he be spoiled? But then I thought about it more, and you know what? Having less is humbling. It forces you to think critically, find workarounds, and figure things out without just throwing money at problems. That’s a foundation you can’t buy. So if he is building that foundation right now — going through the lean years with us — and then at 13 things open up a little? I think that’s actually fine. He’ll still carry those early lessons with him. He’ll just also get to buy a fresh pair of Jordans for school without stressing about it. I’ll take that.

And then there’s the bigger picture. When these boys turn 18 or 21, they’re going to have a nest egg sitting there waiting for them. Literal generational wealth. They can use it to pay off college, buy a car, or just get a head start on adulthood. Could be 50K, could be more — even 50K is enough to cover most college debt or get someone started in life without the crushing weight most young adults carry. And if they actually listen to me and reinvest that money? By the time they’re my age, they could genuinely be millionaires. That’s the play. That’s how we do it.

I’m also working on putting the house into a trust. Slow and steady. The goal is for everything we’re building now to eventually become something perpetual — something they pass on to their kids, the same way I’m trying to pass it on to them.

It’s a lot to think about. But it’s the right kind of thinking.