a quick update from me
it's been a while since I've written anything
Hey everyone, I’m Jeff and thanks for reading Second Generation — a newsletter where I share my evolving thoughts on wealth from the perspective of a first-generation college graduate.
TL;DR
Way back when, on Second Generation: Money Flows
I bought an apartment! It was stressful, exciting, humbling and a big part of why I didn’t have time to write these newsletter issues.
I took a short hiatus, but I’m back to writing these issues (and things will be a little different). Achievement is a tricky subject and I want writing these to be fun as opposed to some to-do list item; it’s just me and my thoughts.
I told you all that I would finally get consistent about writing newsletter issues — last time, even outlining what I think are the core components of building Financial Security — and ... I failed spectacularly.
But, as strange as it may sound, I'm glad I did. The past few months have been a bit of a rollercoaster for me, and I've been thinking about how to revamp this newsletter, so I just wanted to drop a note here on how I've been and what to expect from me moving forward.
Living The American Dream
First off, I bought an apartment! I got a real estate agent, applied for a mortgage, hired expensive lawyers who just told me where to sign stuff and now have a place I can call my home. I had been dreaming of the day for what feels like forever, and the more I think about it, the less I believe it.
In the spirit of transparency and honesty though, this achievement was bitter-sweet. In addition to the financial discipline it took to live with my parents to save and invest my money, the constant emotional battle of balancing my needs and the expectations of others was increasingly weighing me down to say the least.
I was already a full-time software engineer, an involved son taking care of my aging parents and an aspiring entrepreneur trying to make every new habit and side hustle a reality. To top it all off, it turns out that looking for a home I'm willing to stay in for years, taking out a ton of debt, risking a ton of my savings, proving years worth of my finances and furnishing the place without breaking the bank was kind of stressful? Go figure 😅
Taking a Step Back
Soon after starting the home-buying process, I realized I wasn't really doing anything well anymore — I was neglecting my health, half-assing my day job (don't tell my manager), and writing each newsletter issue with barely any mental energy left in the tank.
So I took a step back.
I let the aspirations for this newsletter take a back seat because I made the decision that everything else was more important for once. I pride myself as a "high-achiever" that has to do everything right or not do it at all, but that's just not sustainable — what's the point of achievement if you forget to live afterwards?
The excitement of chasing a dream, building new skills and putting out new issues was still there, but I accepted that it didn't need to happen all at once. The goals that I set out to achieve didn't have to go anywhere just because it didn't happen when I thought it would.
I knew that when I was in a better place, I could pick up where I left off — restart this conversation, continue learning with you all, and (hopefully) help anyone that stumbles on these issues with my learnings.
Second Gen
So, here we go again — except this time, I'll be a lot more honest: I have no plan.
I'll write when I have time on my hands and about the topics that I think are most helpful first — not some perfectly curated series, and not scheduled to send every two weeks on Monday mornings.
I’ll still want to talk financial security, building wealth — heck even cryptocurrency — so if you’re still interested in listening, I’m looking to make writing these a lot more fun. It’ll just be me and my thoughts (feat. some funky diagrams).
See you at some later point ✌🏼
— Jeff