The AI Performance Review Scandal That Wasn’t
Updated July 2026: This post was written when AI-assisted performance reviews were a visible controversy in early 2024. Two years on, the practice has become widespread and largely normalized —…
Death by Subscription
I did the audit for the first time properly about eighteen months ago. Not the casual “I should probably check what I’m paying for” scroll through a bank statement —…
The Interest Rate That Made You Feel Smart Is Disappearing
Updated July 2026: The rate decline predicted here has arrived and stabilized. The Federal Reserve settled at 3.50–3.75% and has held there through four consecutive 2026 meetings. Most HYSAs are…
The Business Checking Account Decision Most Freelancers Make Too Late
Note on 1099-K thresholds (July 2026): The 1099-K reporting threshold has changed under the OBBBA. If this post references the $600 threshold or earlier transition figures, the current 2026 rules…
The IRS Spent Three Years Refusing to Enforce a Law. Congress Finally Killed It.
Updated July 2026: The 1099-K threshold story has continued to evolve since this was written. The OBBBA (signed July 4, 2025) addressed the threshold, though the final structure differs from…
“Renting Is Throwing Money Away” Is the Most Expensive Cliché
I’ve heard some version of this at almost every family gathering I can remember. The concern is genuine — it comes from people who watched homeownership build wealth for a…
The Roth IRA Is Excellent. The HSA Is Better. Here’s the Math.
Most personal finance writers hedge this into meaninglessness. I’m not going to do that. The Roth IRA is one of the best retirement accounts in the US tax code. If…
The “Zero Tax State” Move Is One of the Most Expensive Mistakes
The pitch sounds airtight. California taxes your income at 13.3%. Texas taxes it at zero. Move from Los Angeles to Austin and you’ve given yourself an automatic 13-point raise without…
You Think You Own “The Market.” You Mostly Own Seven Companies.
There’s a number that changed how I think about passive investing: 34%. That’s the share of the S&P 500 that the ten largest companies represent as of 2026. In 2010…
Nobody Told You the Front Door Was Decorative
Last year I spent some time mapping how people I know actually got their last job. Not the official version — “I saw the posting and submitted my application” —…
