Raise your hand if you're self-made...
Both hands are in my pockets, bruh.
☀️
Livin' La Vida Luna y Luca
Bring May Flowers
5 Quick Shares
We're keepin' it light and breezy this week.
Books
I've been on a hot streak with books so I thought I'd share what's been on my nightstand.
I'm currently reading American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road. I read ~7 chapters the first time I opened the book. I could not put it down.
I just finished The New Kings of New York: Renegades, Moguls, Gamblers and the Remaking of the World’s Most Famous Skyline. This book summarizes the transformation of NYC from a combat zone into the land of Billionaires’ Row and Hudson Yards.
Before that I read, Raising Children Compassionately: Parenting the Nonviolent Communication Way (Nonviolent Communication Guides) This book was way too short, but it left an impact. It really helped me navigate how I talk to my kids while they're distressed.
The last recommendation is Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. I shared this one before, but it's so damn good it's worth sharing again and again. My dream scenario: Christopher Nolan buys the movie rights and casts Tom Hardy as Shackleton. 🤞
Cholesterol
Four people asked me how I reduced my cholesterol in the past month.
I don't believe in coincidences. Something is making my peers pay more attention to their health right now. Maybe it's our age?
Either way, I'm not a doctor, nor do I care to play one on the internet.
I did, however, reduce my Total Cholesterol from 224 in Feb 2022 to 181 in Feb 2024. All of that change came from lowering my LDL (bad cholesterol) from 160 to 119 in the same period.
Here's the protocol I followed:
- Supplement: Red Yeast Rice (2 pills 2x/day)
- Supplement: Krill Oil (1 pill 2x/day)
- Supplement: Magnesium (1 pill 2x/day)
- Food: Carrots - 8oz/day
- Food: Celery - 8oz/day
- Food: Hummus - 4oz/day
- Exercise: Strength 3x/week - 1 hour each
- Exercise: Conditioning 2x/week - 1 hour each
I also introduced more white rice and beans to my diet. I don't know if it was the rice and beans that lowered it, or what the rice and beans were replacing.
Finally, I traded in my nightly ice cream or cereal for a Ninja Creami. I have ice cream pretty much every night, but it's not Ben & Jerry's. It's an almond milk + whey protein base.
Selling Project Washington
I originally built Project Washington for my family.
Although it was difficult to let it go, selling it was the best thing I could have done for my budding career as a developer.
People in the local real estate industry know that property. They're either impressed with the design, the quality of the build, the price it sold for, or all 3.
Having that project as part of my portfolio makes people take me more seriously.
Getting taken seriously is highly underrated. It's fricken awesome.
ARMs
Part of my process when analyzing deals is looking up the seller's existing mortgage.
^ This is not some secret hack. I don't think it does anything for me except satisfy my curiosity.
There are SO MANY people selling their homes today because they didn't refinance their Adjustable Rate Mortgages between 2020 and 2022. 🤦♂️
I'm seeing countless houses come to market right now that are ticking time bombs.
These people originated 5, 7, or 10-year Adjustable Rate Mortgages back in 2019, 2017, or 2015, respectively.
All of their monthly payments are about to double.
WHY DIDN'T THEY REFI INTO FIXED LONG-TERM DEBT WHEN RATES WERE DAMN-NEAR ZERO?
Makes me feel a little better about not buying a house 2 years ago.
Interest Rates
I'm done with interest rates.
I spent the last 6 months banking on rate cuts and obviously, they're not happening.
If you talk to me about the direction of rates, I will mentally slap you and turn off my brain.
Goodbye. ✌️
