500 days to the finish line

And so it begins. Here and now.

Not at a starting line, but at the midpoint of my life—where reflection meets intention, and purpose gets a deadline.
For years, I’ve chased plans and checklists. Big ones. Small ones. Life plans. Training plans. Budgets with 15-year horizons. I’ve written plans that never finished, checklists that never got checked, 90-day resets that fizzled out in 9 days, and more than a few “get rich quick” ideas that turned into “get poor slowly” experiences.

But two threads have woven through it all:

A disciplined passion for triathlon—especially the long races, Half and Full Ironmans.

An undisciplined passion for investing and trading—something I believe can fund the life I want.

These passions aren’t separate. They pull water from the same well. The flexibility and potential of trading complement the structure and grit of endurance training. And each teaches lessons that inform the other.

This blog is the starting line of my second half.

After more than 30 years in high-performance sport, leadership, and business, I know I don’t have another 30 years of work in me—and probably not another 30 years, at all. In fact this is the season of my life where I face my own mortality. Turning 50 and facing my mortality has led me to this: If I’ve got another 5,000 or 10,000 days and the choice is give or take – maybe focusing on giving is better than taking. And living with clarity and purpose is more attractive to me than living in fear.

That’s what this blog is about. It’s part outlet, part mirror, part filter—and a place to track this journey honestly. It’s for me, and maybe, for you too.

The Journey: 500 Days, Two Finish Lines

We’re going on a 500-day journey. You’re invited to come along.
I know I’m not the only 50-year-old stuck in the middle—too young to retire, too old to keep grinding it out like this. That’s what sparked this blog: a 500-day plan to reshape my financial future and race a Half Ironman again, after a brutal crash in April 2025.

Why 500 Days of Trading?

Because 500 days—about 18 months—is long enough to build something meaningful, but short enough to demand urgency. I don’t want to drift into retirement. I want to train for it the way an athlete trains for a season: with intention, discipline, and joy.

I’ll walk you through my trading philosophy: what works, why it works—and maybe more importantly—what doesn’t work. Spoiler: that list is long.

Why 500 Days of Triathlon?

Because I love triathlon and it is the most honest sport I know. You either do the work, or you don’t. You track your data truthfully, or you lie to yourself. It rewards consistency more than talent, and punishes shortcuts every time. It mirrors life:

Swim through chaos.
Bike through the grind.
Run toward your purpose.

I’m training for a Half Ironman in late 2026—my first race back since my shoulder broke in that Oceanside crash. I’m 50, still healing, and still dialing in my bike fit—but I’m showing up.

Why This Blog?

Because I know the road can be lonely.
This space is for anyone who:

What You’ll Find Here

• Weekly Financial Goals & Trade Setups
• Weekly Training Plan (starting in October)
• Weekly Reflections
• Weekly Recap on both training & trading, with ‘receipts’
• Lessons in trading, saving, and investing
• Leadership insights from 30+ years in Olympic sport
• Honest stories about aging, ego, injury, and what really matters

Triathlon Training

Beginning in October, I’ll post my weekly plan every Sunday, along with results from the prior week. For now, my key training goals for first four months (July – November):
Swim – Attend one form-focused swim camp

Bike – 1,000 miles (Zwift during the week + slow weekend rides)

Run – 500 miles (with a Half Marathon in September)

Strength – 2x/week, mobility-focused

Recovery – 1x/week (massage, stretch, hot/cold therapy)

Other: Lose the 10 pounds gained since Oceanside

The Financial Finish Line: Turning $60k into $200k

Most blogs about money suggest making your own toothpaste or flipping couch cushions for loose change. Not this one. This blog is not about cutting your expenses to the bone; this blog lays out a real plan to steadily increase revenue—without a finance degree or full-time commitment.

Other blogs, Youtube videos and podcasts are curated by experts with their fancy charts and big words and are almost always touting their one true “system”. The guaranteed path to riches and a yacht. This is not that either.

This blog is going to follow my journey in real-time with complete transparency towards my goal: Turning a $60,000 nest egg (as of July 1, 2025) into a $200,000 income machine by December 31, 2026. Starting in 2027, it should generate $2,000 per week in cash flow.

That’s the 1% Plan. I’ll explain it all, piece by piece. Trading. Side hustles. Smart saving. Small bets. Big lessons. And no, you don’t need an MBA, a Series 7 license, or to stare at charts all day. Actually, those things might hurt more than help.

The real value here? You’ll benefit from every mistake I’ve made—hopefully without repeating them.

I think about these two things—triathlon and money—a lot. I’ve built countless spreadsheets and big dreams around both. And I’ve found that a problem shared isn’t just halved—it’s shattered into pieces that others can help carry.

This isn’t a training plan.
It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme.
This isn’t just about the bike or the stock chart;

It’s a new way of living:
Clear on my why.
Structured in my how.
Wide open to what’s next.

To not think about money – that would be success.
And that is our destination. That’s the finish line – to not think about money.

Thanks for being here.
– Brian