Heavy week. Still showing up. That's the whole thing sometimes.

Work was chaotic. Something came up with family in Montana. October doesn't care. The newsletter went out anyway.

20 issues in. Here's what I didn't expect to learn.

Proud of sticking with it. Wish it was growing faster. Surprised by what writing this every week has actually taught me. All of it at once.

It's October and I'm already stressed about Christmas. You probably are too.

The average parent will spend $521 per kid on gifts this year. 58% will go into debt to do it. Here's how to not be in that group.

She rode the bus to Bend with her team. She came home with us. That's junior year.

3 wins, 1 loss, an injured foot, and what the drive across Oregon with just my wife reminded me about watching our kids grow up.

Today would have been my dad's 73rd birthday. Here's what I do with that.

September 5th. September 10th would have been my parents' anniversary. This is the week that's always hard. And always meaningful.

I sent my son bow hunting without me this weekend. Here's how that felt.

First bow hunt. New gear to check. Cousins, an uncle, and grandpa waiting for him in the mountains. And a dad who couldn't be there this time.

Open enrollment is coming. I haven't looked at mine yet. Here's what we're both probably missing.

Most people auto-renew their benefits without reading a word. That decision is worth thousands of dollars a year. Here's how to do it right in under an hour.

Fall sports just started. I haven't budgeted for them yet. Let's fix that together.

The average family spends $1,016 per kid per sport. I have two kids in two different sports this fall. Here's the real number and how to plan for it.

Back to school with 3 kids. Multiply everything by 3. Then remember the one who just graduated.

The average family spends $864 per household on back to school. I have three kids heading back and one who just closed that chapter forever. Here's the survival plan.

We're home. 4,700 miles, Yellowstone, the Tetons, and 17 people on the Snake River. Here's how it ended.

The final road trip report — real memories, real moments, and what a week in Wyoming actually costs when you split it with family.

Quad rides on a Montana cattle ranch. My kids just had the best day of their summer.

Live from Minneapolis — real road trip numbers, a cattle ranch in Grass Range, and what family hospitality actually saves you on a $4,686 trip.

We made it to Montana. The budget is holding. The snack bag did not survive Idaho.

Writing this from my mom's porch in Western Montana. Real numbers, real chaos, real road trip update.

Managing but running on fumes. If that's you too, this one's for you.

Work has been crazy. The road trip is coming. Four kids are home. Here's what I'm actually doing to hold it together financially this summer.

We're driving to Montana, Minnesota, and the Grand Tetons this summer. I finally added up what it costs.

The number surprised me. And I work in finance. Here's the full family road trip budget breakdown.

I lost my dad at 18. This Father's Day I watched my oldest graduate. Here's what 25 years taught me.

Grief and gratitude at the same time. That's Father's Day when you lost your dad young — and the financial lesson buried inside it.

Four kids home. Sports still running. Trying to save for vacation. Here's the system I'm using.

Summer is the most expensive unplanned season on the family budget calendar. Here's how to stop letting it happen to you.

I work in finance and I barely read my own benefits package. Here's what that's probably costing me.

Only 1 in 10 employees understands the true value of their benefits. The other 9 are leaving real money on the table every single year.

My oldest graduated this weekend. It was expensive, emotional, and worth every penny.

The real cost of a high school graduation — plus the financial conversation every parent needs to have the summer after.

We drove 560 miles for kids sports last week. Here's what it actually costs.

Plus the insurance policy most dads are underbuying and a free family activity budget spreadsheet.

Four Kids Later - Issue #001