What’s Spookier: Hurricane Milton or Halloween Spending?

On top of Florida weather, we are also still struggling with inflation. Thank you transportation costs and insurance rates. I saw eggs at Walmart yesterday for over six dollars. Halloween candy prices are experiencing an increase, yet consumers are still splurging with many incorporating candy purchases into their grocery budgets this month. The latest figures reveal that prices for sugar and sweets have risen by 0.8% annually, with sugar and sugar substitutes seeing a notable 3.3% increase.

Continue reading →

Is Your Home a Risk?

This is a repost from the September 15th An Email By Steve Last year, a couple clients of mine said they wanted to purchase a fixer-upper, not something they necessarily needed a renovation loan for, but something they could move into and tinker with. And this past January, we closed…

Continue reading →

The Costly Mistake That Left Me Owing the IRS—and How I’m Fixing It

I thought making more money would solve everything. After transitioning from teaching to real estate, I watched my income jump from $17K to $50K, but the financial relief I expected never came. Instead, I was blindsided by a $3,000 tax bill that wiped out my savings and left me questioning how I got here. It wasn’t just the IRS that caught me off guard—it was the lifestyle inflation creeping in and the realization that more income didn’t mean more security. I thought I was building a better future, but I was on the verge of financial collapse. So, how did I fix it?

Continue reading →

Why I Ditched Time Blocking (And You Should Too)

Time blocking is hailed as the ultimate productivity hack, but for me, it’s a rigid system that stifles creativity and spontaneity. In this essay, I explore why this popular method fails to work for everyone—especially in fields where flexibility and flow matter more than strict schedules. I’ve found a different approach that blends structure with freedom, allowing for both productivity and the joy of unexpected moments. But what exactly is this alternative method, and how does it change the way we think about time?

Continue reading →