The Bridge Years

So many people are unhappy at work. Focus on life outside of work. Find a hobby that you look forward to when work is done. It can be free like running or hiking. You just need something that gets you out of a negative spiral. Work is just a means to an end.

Read a study that said 43% of people said they cut or stopped 401(k) contributions this year to cover living costs, and 12% took early withdrawals with penalties. It’s getting rough out there.

I heard an interview this weekend where someone said that the SP500 is essentially 492 bonds and 8 call options.

HSA limits are 4500 for single and 9000 for married. Who maxes out this super account?

Canva is restructuring 1,271 roles, or 22% of the company. Employees leaving get at least six months of salary and 12 months of healthcare where Canva already offered coverage. These buyout packages are getting pretty aggressive.

In a taxable account, return-of-capital distributions are often how you pull cash without the same MAGI hit as ordinary dividends. This is why I like having a portion of my portfolio in NEOS funds.

The best high-yield savings accounts are still around 4.70% APY as of Nov 4, while the FDIC national average sits at 0.38%. I can’t believe people still keep cash in regular banks.

I wonder if all the BTC miners that switched to AI will switch back to mining BTC?

I have been busy in meetings today but I kept seeing text messages from friends about the market crashing. I finally checked. Pretty red. But doesn’t really change anything for me. Long term I think we will be fine. A good cleansing is healthy.

Lots of buyout headlines lately. Would you take the buyout or wait until the layoffs come?

This is the chart I think about the most.

No matter who is in office, they all keep printing money. The big K shape will continue on. Assets will go up.

The best thing about FinX is no politics. I’ve made money with democratic leadership and I’ve made money with republican leadership. It doesn’t matter to me. Control what you can control

Disney ran a voluntary early retirement offer in August, and more managers took it than expected. A friend of mine said that they sweetened the deal multiple times. I hear more cuts are coming.

The 2027 ACA benchmark silver plan averages $704 a month for a 40-year-old. That's up 13%, on top of a 26% jump this year. If your income is above 400% of the poverty line, about $63,840 for a single person, you get no subsidy at all. Retiring early without managing your income gets expensive. This is where return of capital dividends can be a huge benefit to an early retirement plan.

Don’t be this guy. You can always make money. You can’t make time.

Disney offered early retirement to directors aged 50 and up with 10+ years, and now it's cutting 159 Imagineering jobs effective Dec 29. When a company offers a voluntary exit, forced cuts usually come next

The classic script is work to 65, then enjoy it. CDC says male life expectancy is 76.5. IHME says healthy years stop around 63. So the "enjoy it" window already overlaps the decline. I want my 50s. Do you?

Had a conversation with my Mom the other day. My parents are 78. Their health is not what it used to be. My Mom has energy but now has rheumatoid arthritis and my Dad is not in great shape. She has always dreamed of traveling but now they are thinking of using the money to remodel their house so they can convert a room downstairs into a bedroom. You can never replace time and experiences. She is sad that they won’t be able to do the things she wanted to do and instead are going to spend 50k+ on a remodel so they can stay in their two story home.

I was just on a call with about 30 business leaders in my industry and everyone is still figuring out how to get the best ROI from AI. The companies that are born tomorrow and start out with AI native workflows are going to have a much easier time scaling. Legacy companies have to deal with people and processes that are slow to change. Which companies are you seeing who are furthest along?