The Art of Spending Money

I started a new book last night from one of my favorite authors, Morgan Housel. He wrote The Psychology of Money which was one of my favorite books I’ve read and is one of the books that’s shaped my worldview. Naturally, I thought it would be good to read his follow-up, The Art of Spending Money. While the first book was about mostly around how humans view money and how to build wealth and money, this book seems to be about how to properly spend that wealth.

I’m really enjoying it so far although I’m only a chapter in. It’s a really good refresh for me as I feel like I’ve fallen a bit more into the “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality recently as I moved back to New York.

There was always immense wealth in San Francisco, but the culture was definitely different. Part of that is I grew up in San Francisco and perhaps view it differently than transplants. But culturally, there is something about the amount of wealth in New York that feels different. It’s hard to explain, but the amount of money is just everywhere flashed in front of you living in New York, many more times over than in San Francisco.

I hope reading this book provides a much needed reset in my mentality. Deep down, I know that I’m in a good financial position and have a great head on my shoulders. I don’t like to buy fancy things and I know what things make me happy, like food, experiences, and vacations. At the same time, I feel myself wanting a lot more than I have previously.

I think a lot of that is having a child and wanting to make sure to provide the best for him. While I know money can’t buy happiness, it can provide better access and support for my son. Being around parents who are paying an arm and leg to send their kids to fancy “tech” daycares and having live-in nannies has a negative impact on my psyche. I’ve felt at times that I’m not doing enough. I know Sophia feels the same.

Deep down though, I know my son lives a good life and we’re doing a great job. We’re not rich by any measure, especially in New York, but we live great and happy lives. Comparison is a thief of joy, and sadly that has impacted my mentality recently. Hopefully a good book is exactly what is needed to get my mind right again.

Turning of the page

I’m not a very religious person, but I do love the feeling of Easter with the turning of a page from winter to spring. Easter this year was timely as it also marked the end of the quarter.

I took Friday off and had a nice day with Sophia in the city. I spent the rest of the weekend mostly just being a Dad and try to get caught up on sleep while keeping my mind off of work. It was a short but nice break. I have a longer trip to Puerto Rico in a couple weeks which I’m excited about to really unwind.

I had hoped that 2026 would be the year of new initiatives. Unfortunately Q1 was anything but that with a lot of time spent on wrapping up 2025 and other work. All necessary and part of running a business but it wasn’t the progress that I hoped. Q1 felt like it was about surviving.

Going into Q2, the energy feels a bit different already. I’m more excited and we have a lot in store for the team and company to get excited about. Q2 is about turning the page and building again.

The big unwind

I had planned on taking almost 3 day off this yesterday but as life would have it, I was only able to take today off.

With no set agenda, I thought about working out, filing my taxes, and then perhaps using the time to play around with AI tools or do a Claude boot camp that I’ve been off. Luckily, my Whoop chatbot got me straight and convinced me to take today off from working out and to have an easy enjoyable day.

It could be that the Whoop is telling me what I want to hear, but it does also seem to sort of know me at least. After a stressful quarter of grinding and stress, combined with battling a bug earlier this week, I do need time to really unwind and get my mind off everything.

I’m hoping to take this weekend and keep everything work related to a minimum. What I really need is time to clear my head. It’s time to dust off the cobwebs off my golf clubs, watch basketball, and live a bit.

Our duty of care

One thing I’ve always been proud of with how we built Secfi is our duty of care to our clients. We have always treated our clients as if we were fiduciaries. The care for our clients’ well-being extends beyond the financial aspect to this day.

When I first joined Secfi, the first thing I realized was that this was going to be different than selling consulting projects to companies, or SaaS to companies. We are dealing with real individuals and their personal financial situations, not their companies.

For that reason, we always have done everything to be as transparent as possible and we tell our team to really dig into whether our products fit what someone is looking for. Many of my calls end up in a position where I tell someone to not do a deal as it just doesn’t make sense for them. That’s perfectly okay despite lost revenue.

As such, we’ve always structured our team and compensation to try to align with that as much as possible. This isn’t an “always be closing” type of company because of the nature of our business.

As we head into 2026 with the market in a very volatile state, it’s a good time to remind everyone of the core values that we built this company on. It may not be the most ideal in the short-term, but we’re building a long-term company.

Learning my body more with my Whoop

It was a tough day and night battling this stomach bug. It was a fitting end to the hectic quarter. And I think most of us on the team are happy for a fresh start in April.

This is the first time I’ve been badly ill since getting my Whoop and I was interested to see how it would impact my body. It was able to detect that my skin temperature and my resting heart rate were above elevated levels.

With no surprise, it also detected that I had a really bad recovery score last night and I’m sitting at 14%. I had horrible sleep and high stress sleep due to my body fighting the bug which are the primary contributors.

Out of everything though, I am most impressed with the LLM chat feature. I am not sure how Whoop used to do things, but the chat feature basically gives me an accountability buddy that analyzes my data and then makes recommendations on that day’s activities.

Most notably today, it told me that I needed to rest and recover. This is not usually my MO. After I normally get back to a decent baseline after an illness, my first thing I always want to do is get a good workout or a sweat in as it helps make me feel better.

It turns out that is the opposite of what I should be doing. The Whoop chat bot explained to me with my data why I need to rest today and convinced me that I need to take today off from any sort of strenuous activity. It set-up a plan for me to get back into the swing of things as well perhaps starting tomorrow depending on my recovery.

The data doesn’t lie even when my body sometimes lies to me.

Tuesday thoughts

It’s a gorgeous day here in New York. Fittingly, I woke up feeling a bit off and decided to stay home to ensure that I don’t get my coworkers sick in the case that this is a bug of some sort. It’s a bit of the story of the last few months I suppose.

In a piece of hilarious news, I saw that Pete Hegseth’s broker tried to make a defense investment before the war started. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Politicians seem to love using their classified information to make trades. The hilarious part of this is that the ETF he did try to invest in has lost 12.4% since the Iran War began. It seems that the trade didn’t go through as his broker wasn’t cleared to buy into the ETF, but the thought is hilarious.

On the topic of Iran War, it doesn’t appear that anyone really has a plan on how this will all end. It feels like we’re headed for a weird withdrawal in which Trump will claim victory which may be best case scenario given the circumstances. The alternative is obviously expanding the war with boots on the ground.

The appetite for a prolonged bloody war in America is very low. It’s hard to see anything other than coming to some sort of agreement where both sides can claim “victory.”

For the rest of the week, I hope to wrap up the quarter and start checking off a lot of my to-dos that have been lingering for awhile over the next couple of days. My hope is that by end of day tomorrow, I’ll be able to really log off and take some time to get my head off of work and the world. It’s time for a break and time to unwind after a hectic start to the year.

Living my life versus recovery

One of my goals this year was to try to focus on my health specifically around rest and recovery. So far I’ve had some positives results, but I know that this is going to be more of a journey over time versus a quick fix.

Going into this weekend, I told Sophia that I needed a couple weekends to really recover and did not want to make social plans. I spent most of the weekend just being a Dad and hanging out in the neighborhood. Most of the socializing we did was meeting our friends at a park so our kids could play together on Saturday. On Sunday, we walked around, explored, and just hung out at various parks and bars.

It was a great weekend and I feel rested and recovered going into my work week on Monday. We stayed in both nights and I slept great. That sounds great, but it was definitely a more “boring” weekend. While I loved it, Sophia is much more of an extrovert and I could tell it was a bit dull for her liking.

Finding balance in my life as a Dad has been difficult. I feel that most of my weekends are one or the other. That is I either prioritize my social life and don’t get the rest and recovery I need which is draining. Or I prioritize my rest and recovery and then don’t get to go out and live life much. I know there’s a happy medium there somewhere, but for one reason or another, I’ve really struggled to find that medium.

I’m very focused on finding that balance in the coming months. It’s going to require a combination of life style changes but it’s all related to what I’ve been working on. Life will be better once I do find that happy balance between my family, social, and work life.

The SpaceX Files

This Reuters article covering the SPV craze in SpaceX was fascinating. A former Google executive who is a founder of a space company bought into a SPV to get access to SpaceX. He turned to the SPV as he wasn’t able to get direct access. This is the main problem in this world.

Someone who is a tech entrepreneur and high up at Google presumably with a higher net worth than most of the country could not get direct access to SpaceX. So he turned to buying into a SPV which he admits he has no idea if it actually owns the shares or not.

This is the world we live in so we know this has been happening for years now. There are a ton of legitimate SPVs out there, but they can also be abused. Someone that owns a $1M interest in a legitimate SpaceX SPV may want to sell their interest to 10 people who would each own $100k. Then one of those 10 wants to sell their $100k interest to 100 people at $1k each.

You can see the major issue that happens. Many of these people who invested have no idea what they are actually buying or the fees they will pay. Or if the shares will even hit. There’s unfortunately going to be an awful fallout from this once SpaceX goes public and it will be ugly.

The SpaceX IPO

We’re all awaiting the SpaceX S1 to drop as there’s rumors that it could be this week. The company is reportedly raising $75B at a $1.75T valuation. If this happens, this will be the largest IPO in history by a large margin.

I don’t believe the S1 will have many bombshells as revenue and profitability has been more or less reported. Having exact numbers fully disclosed will be fascinating to see regardless. There’s simply just no other company like SpaceX in the world.

The IPO will have an impact on the broader market both good and bad. Many companies who are contemplating an IPO will be both looking at the SpaceX IPO and also avoiding it. Of course, a high performing SpaceX IPO could help open the window.

One of the many reasons the IPO market is closed right now is because this is such a large IPO that no one will want to go public around the same time for fear of being overshadowed.

Reflecting

At the end of each quarter, I always take time to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how I can improve. This always happens whether it was an overall good, mid, or bad quarter. This time around likely warrants a larger reflection.

From a personal standpoint, I’ve made a lot of strides the last couple months but I’ve really let work and macro events outside of my control really seep into my life and affect things more than it should. That has been a big issue in my day to day despite making it a goal of mine to focus more on my health and stress levels.

On the work angle, we did accomplish a lot. But Q1 will always be a challenge given everything going on such as closing out the prior year, planning for the year ahead, and a naturally slower time frame. Of course, there’s always lots to unpack and I think this quarter will be especially important as there’s been lots of changes in the world and at the company.

I’m looking forward to taking time next week to sit down when the dust settles. It’ll be a good time to unwind, reflect, and get better for the year ahead.

The NCAA Tournament

It’s been an very “chalky” tournament once again this year. That is there is not a lot of upsets and the only “cinderella” is 11 seed Texas who is a large school with many resources and does not fit the bill of small school cinderella.

Of course, NIL and the transfer portal has a large part to do with this.

Since college players can make money, they are more inclined to stay than chase professional opportunities. Most players will make more money in college than they ever will in the rest of their careers playing basketball. So they are staying and also transferring to the big name schools that can afford to pay them.

This does create a situation where the top teams are just simply bigger, better, and deeper than most other teams. There is a clear divide between the top P4 leagues and the rest of the schools that didn’t exist in years past.

Also, Todd Golden who is Florida’s coach also made a great point in that the bigger schools adopted a more old school style of play. That is get bigger players and dominate the boards and paint in order to make them less “upset” proof. Size matters a lot more in college than it does in the pros where everyone is big.

While this may have created a chalky two seasons of the tournament, I do believe that there’s a bit of overreaction right now. What goes around come around. Teams will adapt. Play styles will change. And we will once again get upsets.

For now, it may be best to enjoy the tournament for what it is in the current state. Lots of heavy weights going after each other in very physical games. That’s also as much fun as watching a 13 seed make a deep run. Almost.

Parenthood isn't easy

It was a tough morning at home today. Colin woke up randomly at 5:30am with what appears like a stomach bug. We hoped it was a minor wake up, but had to take him into a bath shortly afterwards. He was inconsolable most of the morning and we decided to keep him home from daycare.

These days are really tough, especially on a Monday. I was already feeling behind from work as we had people in town from this past week, and I didn’t have time over the weekend to catch-up. Sophia did me a solid and let me go into the office in the morning and early afternoon before I we swap mid afternoon.

I’m tired and stressed, and I’ve got a lingering anxiety knowing that Colin is in a tough spot right now. These days aren’t easy, but I know I just need to take a deep breath and know I’ll get through it. Things will get better and some relief is coming at the end of next week with the end of the quarter hopefully.

War

War is hell. My generation had 9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Each situation is horrible in it’s own right, but I do feel fortunate that we did not have a Vietnam like our parents, or a World War like our grandparents generation. There was an impact at home at each of these recent wars, but obviously nothing like a draft where everyday Americans were sent to fight.

Seeing the situation in Iran unfold is scary in it’s own right. I would like to see a regime change, but I do not want to see our country dragged into a brutal war where innocent folks will suffer the worst.

The war is going to start to hit everyday Americans hard soon. While we’re fortunate that Americans likely won’t be dragged to fight on foreign soil, we will soon be fighting an economic battle.

The war just hit another step with Israel attacking the gas fields. The markets have reacted accordingly. Things are unfortunately just beginning.

March Madness

We’re on the verge of one of my favorite sporting events of the year, the NCAA tournament. The storylines, the pageantry, and the unpredictability make this in my opinion one of the most fun times of the year.

Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to watch much college basketball this year. With the move to the east coast and a young kid, I’ve prioritized spending time with my family and sleep over sports. But the beauty behind the tournament is that you don’t need to be a mega fan to enjoy it.

Of course, maybe the star of the show is gambling. Estimated predict that over $3.3B will be gambled on this year’s NCAA tournament. According to the American Gambling Association, the number has grown from $2.7 to $3.1 from 2024 and 2025. I’m taking the over on the $3.3B. Given the rise of “prediction markets” and effectively unregulated sports gambling in these apps, I think we’ll see record breaking growth in gambling this year.

I’ll be mostly sitting on the sideline besides maybe tagging on $20 or so with my friends. I stay away from sports gambling as I know how much I’d love it. I’m not afraid about the money lost, but more of the time spent doing this. Maybe when Colin is a bit older.

Crunch time

It’s that time of the quarter where I feel completely overwhelmed and stressed. We’ve got some people in town this week which is a lot of fun, but it does add a lot of meetings to the agenda and throws off my routine completely. Shake-ups are welcome every now and then, but with the end of quarter rush looming, meetings, and a ton of initiatives, it’s a stressful week and period.

My hope is just to grind these next 2.5 weeks to close out strong and build some momentum going into Q2. It’s crunch time for us and we need to deliver. The good news is that these times don’t last forever and I’m already looking forward to some quality time off in April to recharge.

It’s been an exhausting quarter for different reasons compared to the previous quarter. It will all be worthwhile if we keep our heads down and grind things out in these next two and half weeks.

Sleep and recovery

I’ve had my Whoop for almost 3 weeks now and I’ve really been loving having it. I wrote a bit about the accountability aspect. Of course, at some point, I need to see results to make it all worthwhile.

I’m happy to report that I hit my highest sleep performance and recovery scores this morning on my Whoop. While the score is great, obviously the biggest benefit is that I absolutely feel great today. I’m optimistic and happy. I was a better father and husband this morning. I got into the office ready to crush the workday.

It was small changes that led to a big impact. I had been actively prioritizing sleep recently because of my Whoop. Simple things like getting into bed and starting my wind down routine earlier was helpful. Over the weekend, my Whoop told me I had a ton of sleep debt to make up and after a hard workout on Friday, I knew I wanted to use the weekend to catch-up. I stayed in both nights and kept the drinks to a minimal level in order to prioritize sleep. Low and behold, it worked and I feel like I’ve gotten caught up.

I know this is a small win, but I’m proud of myself for getting here. I made it one of my New Year’s goals to focus on my health and sleep, and I feel like a new person today. Of course, this is just one day and my goal is to be better all around so this is just the beginning. But if I continue to prioritize my sleep and recovery, things will slowly start becoming habits.

Democratization of private tech companies

The private tech market is once again the hottest ticket in town. Just this morning, I was fed another ad for a fund being launched by a former democratization of real estate company. This was on top of Robinhood’s venture fund launch last week. And likely many more that I have just completely lost track of.

It’s what people want right now and there are firms gladly to provide it. Unfortunately, I know how this will all end. It’ll be similar to the democratization of real estate craze but multiples worse. While you can lose money on a real estate investment, the prospects of losing a lot more money on tech investments are much higher.

Most retail investors just do not understand just how risky and volatile a tech stock can be. This age of AI has many folks feeling FOMO including myself at times and I’m not smart enough to go out and call this the “top”, but I do know that there is a good amount of risk right now. A lot of retail investors are going to get burned. I can see the articles in a few years now.

Data as accountability

I never got a Whoop or Oura ring in the past. I didn’t think it would benefit me to really confirm what I already know. I figured that I’d know if I was tired from going out the night before or that I worked out hard and my body has a lot of strain. I had actually thought it would have a negative effect, that is I’d feel worse about myself after a night out with friends.

Turns out I was wrong.

I’ve had my Whoop for about 2 weeks and the only reason I got it was that it was free with my Chase Reserve card. My coworkers convinced me that I might as well try it and I agreed.

I’ve really been loving it. The data that I receive on my body is above and beyond what I thought I would be getting. Yes, there’s some confirmation bias — okay I get it, I slept like shit and I know I’m going to feel like shit today and need to take it easy. But the Whoop’s data has propelled me and acted as a bit of an accountability buddy.

For example, I know I’ve been building up a lot of sleep debt the last week. My Whoop tells me that. Of course, I know and could feel that I’m more tired. But seeing that I have an hour of sleep debt allows me to actively try to make that up. I’ve been consciously in bed earlier and earlier ever since having my Whoop.

Yes, it does make me feel worse about myself when I do things that are counterproductive to my health, but I also suppose that is part of why it’s effective. Perhaps I should be resting more and having a few less drinks in order to maximize my sleep.

I can’t believe I’m saying it, but maybe I just took the entry level drug into biohacking like the other tech bros.

Self-inflicted wounds

I had a tough day yesterday which translated into a horrible night of sleep. Despite having a good start to my day with a workout, my brain started spiraling a bit throughout the day. It started with just a negative (and baseless) thought given everything going on, and then my monkey brain decided to cling on and the spiraling followed.

Unfortunately it followed me to bed as well and I spent a few hours just tossing and turning thinking about work. It wasn’t a fun evening and obviously I’m impacted a bit today. I am most frustrated that this was all self-inflicted.

It’s been a stressful couple of months for me with work and the events of the world. It’s one of those periods where seemingly nothing is going out way. It’s felt like we’ve worked incredibly hard on multiple workstreams all to hit a roadblock at the end. Simply put, I’ve been working my ass off and there hasn’t been many results to show. It’s a frustrating place to be when things out of your control impact your direct results.

Of course that’s part of the gig and will continue to happen so I need to do a better job at embracing the downturns. Dwelling in work stress all day does no one any good and I can’t let these things get to me and ruin my day.

Networking

I met a fellow UW alumni at the gym today. He noticed my UW workout shirt and he was also wearing a UW shirt. Despite graduating 42 years apart, we bonded over our school and he invited me to the Dawgs on Wall Street event. It was really nice seeing UW alum in New York. There’s quite a few of us here, but despite being a large school, we do not have as big as representation compared to some of the other schools. A large part of that is that I’d imagine most of our alumni are on the west coast.

It was also a good reminder that I need to do a better job at networking and attending events. It’s something I’ve deprioritized especially over the last year and half given my busy personal life with a kid. But in general, I have done a horrible job going to events and conferences over the years. You just never know who you may meet or what you will learn, and I seldom regret attending these events.