Good morning {{first_name|Reader}}.

You look around your house and wonder: where did all this stuff come from?

The water bottles. The coffee mugs. The bags. The gear you bought because some account you follow made it look essential. And now it's all sitting there, taking up space, reminding you of money you spent on things you barely use.

This week: the most overconsummed items keeping you from your financial goals, a dive watch that's actually worth the price, and what the average American's net worth means for you.

(Thoughts on this newsletter? Send me your feedback)

You're drowning in water bottles.

Between tumblers, coffee mugs, and travel mugs, you probably own 10-15 of them. Maybe 20. Every time a brand releases a new colorway or a creator you follow posts about "the best one yet," you buy it. Then it sits in your cabinet with the other 19 while you use the same one every day.

It's not just drinkware. It's bags. Backpacks. Work bags. Gym bags. Travel bags. Phone upgrades every year. Cars you trade in before they're paid off. Watches you buy and never wear.

According to research from The Minimalists, the average American home contains over 300,000 items. Most of them unused. A study by UCLA's Center on Everyday Lives of Families found that clutter and excess possessions are directly linked to elevated stress hormones in women who describe their homes as "cluttered" or "full of unfinished projects."

You're not just wasting money. You're buying stress.

Here's what's actually happening: social media and YouTube accounts are designed to make you spend. Every post, every video, every "review" is pushing you to buy something. And the more you follow these accounts, the more you spend. Studies show that exposure to social media increases impulse purchasing by creating perceived urgency and FOMO.

The world wants you to be poor. Because poor people keep buying things to feel better about being poor.

I've been guilty of this too. I own about 20 water bottles and coffee mugs. Every time a new one came out, I bought it. Used it once. Then went back to my favorite. I also collect bags, because I travel constantly for work. After years of buying different backpacks, I finally found one that works for everything: daily commutes and airplane travel. The rest sit in my closet, reminding me of money I wasted trying to find "the perfect one."

A few months ago, I looked around my house—1,500 square feet for a family of five—and wondered where all this stuff came from. Then I looked at who I was following on Instagram and YouTube. Accounts pushing sales. Creators encouraging buying. Every post was designed to make me part with my money.

So I started unfollowing them. Not all at once. But gradually, I removed accounts whose only purpose was to make me want things I didn't need.

Here's what you should do this week:

Set a limit. Pick a category. Water bottles? Five max. Bags? Three. Watches? Whatever number makes sense for you. Then stop.

Audit your follows. Go through Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, wherever you spend time. Ask yourself: "Is this account trying to get me to buy something? Is it making me feel bad for NOT buying?" If yes, unfollow.

Run the math. If you buy 10 water bottles per year at $30 each, that's $300/year. Over 10 years, that's $3,000. If you invested that same $300/year at an average 7% return, you'd have $4,144 after 10 years. That's $1,144 in gains, just from not buying water bottles you don't use.

Most people won't do this. They'll keep following accounts that push spending. They'll keep buying things. And they'll wonder why they're not getting ahead.

Don't be most people.

You're looking for a dive watch that doesn't feel like you're trying to prove something. Something tough, affordable, and actually worth wearing.

The Monterey Black Tip Pro might be it.

I've been wearing this for the last two months as part of a partnership with Monterey. There was a three-week stretch where I didn't take it off. Not because I was testing it. Because I didn't want to and it could handle everything that my life was throwing at it.

What works: The design is clean without being boring. It's robust—feels like it can take a beating. The date window is positioned well. Easy to read in any light. At $359, it punches above its weight class.

What doesn't: The strap takes some getting used to. When I sweat (which is often), it traps moisture. Not a dealbreaker, but worth noting.

Is it worth $359? Yes. At this price, you're getting a solid automatic dive watch from a brand that's focused on quality over hype. If you're in the market for an affordable diver, this is worth considering.

Full review coming next week with more details, wrist shots, and how it holds up after two months of daily wear.

You're looking at $620,654 and thinking one of two things: "I'm nowhere close" or "That seems lower than I expected."

Both reactions make sense.

According to the 2025 UBS Global Wealth Report, the average wealth per adult in the United States is $620,654. Switzerland leads at $687,166, and Hong Kong sits at $601,195.

Here's what that number actually means: it's skewed by the ultra-wealthy. Billionaires and multi-millionaires pull the average way up. The median wealth—what the person in the middle actually has—is much lower. According to the Federal Reserve's 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, the median net worth for U.S. households is around $192,900.

So if you're sitting at $50K, $100K, or even $200K in net worth, you're closer to average than you think. And you're ahead of half the country.

But here's the real question: how do you get there?

Let's run the math. Say you're 35 years old with $50,000 saved. You want to reach $620,654 by age 65. That's 30 years.

If you invest $10,000 per year at an average 7% annual return, you'll have approximately $1,010,730 by age 65. You'd blow past the average.

If you can only invest $5,000 per year, you'd have about $555,365—still close to the average. (I use Wealthfront)

The key isn't just earning more (though that helps). It's having healthy money habits. Maxing your Roth IRA. Investing consistently. Not financing your lifestyle. Not buying 20 water bottles.

Small decisions compound. That $3,000 you'd spend on unnecessary drinkware over 10 years? Invested, it becomes over $4,100. Do that across multiple categories—bags, car upgrades, phone financing, eating out constantly—and suddenly you're looking at tens of thousands of dollars that could have been working for you.

Here's what you should do this week:

Track your net worth. You can't improve what you don't measure. As management consultant Peter Drucker said, "What gets measured gets managed." Use a spreadsheet, an app, or a notebook. Just start tracking. Assets minus liabilities. That's your number.

Track your spending. Where is your money actually going? Not where you think it's going—where it's actually going. Look at the last 30 days. How much on eating out? On stuff you didn't need? On subscriptions you forgot about?

Focus on habits, not income. Making more money is great. But if your spending rises with your income, you'll never get ahead. Build habits that work at $50K so they still work at $150K. Live below your means. Invest the difference. That's how you reach $620K.

Most people won't do this. They'll keep spending. They'll keep comparing themselves to the wrong people. They'll wonder why they're not building wealth.

You don't have to be most people.

Three things this week: overconsumption, an affordable dive watch, and what average wealth in America actually looks like.

They're all connected by one idea: intentional choices compound.

You can keep buying water bottles, bags, and gear you don't need. Or you can set a limit, unfollow the accounts pushing you to spend, and redirect that money into something that grows.

You can keep financing your lifestyle and wondering why you're not getting ahead. Or you can track your spending, track your net worth, and build habits that compound into wealth.

The average American has $620,654 in wealth. You can get there. But not by doing what most people do—spending on impulse, following accounts that push consumption, and ignoring where your money actually goes.

What gets measured gets managed. Start measuring.