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  • Ironman. Why?

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    Brian Melekian

    Wyatt Earp: What makes a man like Ringo, Doc? What makes him do the things he does?Doc Holliday: A man like Ringo has got a great big hole, right in the middle of him. He can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it.Wyatt Earp: What does he need?Doc…

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  • 8.3 Checking In After 1 Month

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    Brian Melekian

    I launched this site on July 1 with intention – (1) to track my journey from $60,000 to $200,000 by December 31, 2026; (2) to provide a roadmap for others to pursue their own, similar paths; (3) to track my triathlon journey as I navigate aging as well as the health concerns that come with…

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  • On Budgeting

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    Brian Melekian

    In preparing for this blog, I looked at a lot of other sort of “DIY” personal finance blogs – and there are a lot of them out there. Some good, some terrible, some easy to follow and many confusing. I will show you how I use a personal budget to track and grow my wealth,…

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  • July 27 Weekly Check-In

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    Brian Melekian

    Each Sunday I post these updates – what went well, what did not and what is my goal for the upcoming week, equal to a 1% increase of my account balance from the prior week, leading to $100,000 at the end of 2025 & $200,000 at the end of 2026. I post my weekly wins…

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  • The Trials of Time

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    Brian Melekian

    What stuff does it take to race an Ironman Triathlon? Start with why. Recently I went to a new yoga place in Palm Desert. The first thing the front desk guy says to me – are you an Ironman? Well, yes, how did you know that? I recognized the name.  I smile politely, offer a…

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  • Week 3: The Hawthorne Effect

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    Brian Melekian

    The Hawthorne Effect is an academic term referring to the tendency of some people to work harder and perform better when they are participants in an experiment. How does an awareness that I am being watched boost my motivation, affect my decisions and ultimately, improve my results? If I know you are watching me, I…

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  • Getting out of the RUT: The 1% Plan Origin Story

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    Brian Melekian

    The 1% Plan: A Love Story Last week I laid out the origin of the blog and the 1% plan. I looked at covered calls but didn’t dive too deeply into Index Trading, which is what started it all. Why not? Because it’s complicated and slightly overwhelming, which is probably why I made so many…

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  • The Origin of a Blog

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    Brian Melekian

    What’s this blog all about? To answer that, I go back to my therapist and his recommendation that I have an exit strategy. I’m in my 5th year at my job, a good job, a job I “had to have” during the interview process but what I don’t have is a good answer as to…

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  • weekly check in #1

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    Brian Melekian

    July 6, 2025 Welcome to the first weekly recap of this 18 month plan. Each week I will recap (1) Profit and Loss for the week, (2) Deposits and/or Withdrawals, (3) Current holdings, (4) Progress towards the $200,000 goal and dive into some specifics about trades.  This was a short week due to the July…

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