It’s been a long time since I’ve sat down to write like this. Life has been loud, unpredictable, transformative; and honestly, I’ve missed contributing to this blog more than I can explain. But here we are… back at it again. A little older, a lot wiser, and definitely stronger.

So much has happened during the break that it almost feels like I lived three different lifetimes.

I crossed $1 million in total investments. (Although I didn’t stay there long 🙃)

Not the freedom number, not the point where work becomes optional forever; but still a powerful moment. A checkpoint. A reminder that consistency pays off and compound interest is real. And even though I hit that mark, I’m still stacking, still investing, still pushing toward the point where work is something I do only because I want to.

But the bigger changes weren’t financial; they were personal.

2023 was an incredible year. I finally got passports for the kids, mapped out big family travel plans, and pictured a life of exploring the world together. I thought 2024 would be a continuation of that momentum.

Instead, it started with the ending of my 20-year marriage.

I won’t go into the details today; that chapter deserves its own space, in its own time; but navigating that change shook everything. It forced me to rebuild, to rethink who I was as a father, a man, and a human being trying to find peace in a season I never expected.

Like many people do when life hits hard, I tried to anchor myself by going back to work. In August 2024, I stepped into a new role hoping it would help me stabilize. I gave it everything I had, but something in me knew it wasn’t the right fit. By February 2025, I stepped back into a second mini-retirement; this time intentionally, this time focusing on healing, clarity, and rediscovery.

And that’s exactly what happened.

I started finding my footing again. My rhythm. My purpose.

I leaned deeper into financial coaching, fitness, mindset, and helping people build lives they don’t want to retire from. But I also realized I still wanted a team, colleagues, a place to sharpen my skills; and yes, the practical benefit of health insurance.

So in August 2025, I returned to the field I know best and truly love: IT Audit and Risk, the environment where I do some of my best work. And this time, I came back not because I needed to work, but because I wanted to. That alone changed everything.

Life is stabilizing now. Systems are back in place. The habits are dialed in.

The investment engine is running on compounding autopilot.

And even though I’m continuing to contribute the maximums into tax-advantaged accounts to keep pushing toward true freedom, I’ve fully separated myself from the mindset of working out of necessity.

I work because I add value.

I work because I take pride in doing things well.

I work because it supports the lifestyle and future I’m designing.

And now that the dust has settled… I’m back.

Back to writing.

Back to creating.

Back to sharing this journey with you.

Back to helping people build lives filled with strength, clarity, freedom, and intention.

This is just a brief reintroduction; a checkpoint letting you know that I’m here, I’m healed, and I’m ready to keep going. There’s so much more I want to share, and I can’t wait to take you along for the next chapter.

Save. Stack. Invest. Repeat.

And keep building a life you never need to retire from.

— Tim