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  • The State of the American Dream: Average Income vs. Average Cost of Living Across The US

    Is the American Dream still within reach for the average American today? For many Millennialsand Gen Z, it feels farther out of reach than ever. 

    In the 20th century, the American Dream centered on owning a home, securing a good job, and maintaining financial stability. But does that dream still match today’s financial realities? Recent maps comparing state incomes and living costs reveal just how far many Americans are from achieving financial comfort.

    via visualcapitalist

    The average full-time salary for all adults as of Q2 2025 is approximately $62K. Predictably, that figure rises in higher-cost metropolitan areas and dips in rural regions, with Washington, D.C., standing out as a notable high point.

    However, income alone reveals little about the actual quality of life or whether someone can live ‘comfortably’. That’s why Visual Capitalist looked at how well individual needs are met across America using the classic 50/30/20 rule — allocating 50% of income to essentials,30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to saving or investing.

    via visualcapitalist

    In many states, single earners face a sizable gap between median pay and what’s needed for comfort. For families, the math becomes even more challenging.

    via visualcapitalist

    For more context, see:

    Clearly, being “middle class” doesn’t mean being “comfortable” in today’s economy. Households in the five most expensive states need nearly twice the average incomejust to meet basic comfort levels. Unsurprisingly, housing costs are a major part of this gap.

    It raises important questions: How have these disparities changed since the 1980s or ’90s? Have wage increases failed to keep up with the rising costs of essentials, even as technology and living standards have advanced?

    These charts also point to practical strategies. Decades ago, moving to a big city often meant earning higher wages and finding better opportunities. Today, for many workers, the opposite might be true: pursuing remote-friendly roles and relocating to more affordable areas can lead to a better standard of living. Likewise, developing skills in tech-related or future-proof fields can also give workers more leverage.

    Ultimately, the data emphasizes the growing significance of location, flexibility, and early career choices — while highlighting a larger challenge: ensuring that economic growth and productivity gains turn into real purchasing power.

    While innovation and economic growth have transformed our lives, they haven’t yet led to true financial security for the average American. To make the American Dream more accessible again, we need to address the widening gap between paychecks and the cost of living — even as our economy continues to expand. Recognizing this gap is the first step toward closing it.

    The challenge: how do we turn today’s progress into tomorrow’s prosperity?

    Onwards.

  • Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – September 28th, 2025

    Here are some of the posts that caught my eye recently. Hope you find something interesting.

    Lighter Links:

    Trading Links:

  • A Look at the American Dollar Compared to Global Currencies

    In 2025, the U.S. Dollar has experienced its biggest decline in over twenty years. A drop of more than 10% in a primary global currency is always significant — and this decrease is sending shockwaves through markets, policy discussions, and consumers’ budgets. But what’s truly driving this change, and what does it mean for you?

    While substantial, the Dollar’s decline is just one of several significant moves among major currencies. For a broader perspective, here is a chart highlighting key global currency trends this year.

    via voronoi

    The Brazilian Real is up 15.4% YTD, while the Swiss Franc, the Euro, and the Mexican Peso have each gained more than 10% this year.

    Nevertheless, the U.S. Dollar continues to assert its dominance as the world’s primary reserve currency, a status it has maintained since the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement. This means it is the main currency held by central banks to support international transactions and reduce exchange rate risk. Additionally, it remains the global benchmark against which other currencies are measured.

    So, why is the U.S. Dollar down, and why does it matter?

    View Full Image via visualcapitalist

    A strong currency benefits consumers by making imports more affordable and helping to keep inflation under control. A weaker currency, on the other hand, can be a tailwind for exporters by lowering the global price of their goods, but it also drives up import costs and can stoke inflationary pressures.

    The Dollar’s movement reflects not only U.S. conditions but also global ones. As the world’s reserve currency, it responds more directly to worldwide economic forces than most others. This year, soft U.S. GDP projections, high inflation, and the Fed’s shift toward lower interest rates have all contributed to downward pressure on the dollar. But that’s not the whole story. 

    Of course, no single factor explains the market. The Dollar’s decline isn’t a death knell, just as a surge wouldn’t be proof of perfect health. It’s one signal among many in a complex economic picture.

    When discussing negative indicators, it’s just as important to highlight the positive ones — including America’s historical resiliency. While headlines often focus on the dollar’s decline, history shows it has weathered many challenges and thus remains the world’s dominant reserve currency.

    For investors and consumers, the lesson is: stay informed, understand the broader economic context, and avoid overreacting to short-term swings. Currency markets move in cycles, and the dollar’s influence won’t disappear overnight.

    ‘Intentional patience’ often outperforms impulsive action, in trading and in business. By tracking market trends, understanding the underlying factors, and recognizing how currency shifts impact trade, prices, and investments, you can respond strategically rather than reactively to the news cycle.

  • The Current State of AI Chatbots

    Chatbots have come a long way from the quirky digital curiosities of the early 2000s (like AOL Instant Messenger’s SmarterChild) to the sophisticated AI chatbots and agents we see today. They’ve become essential tools in both business and daily life.

    These tools are having an increasingly global impact, answering customer service questions on retail sites, guiding patients through scheduling in healthcare, providing instant support in banking and insurance, and even acting as digital concierges for travel and hospitality. Inside companies, they streamline HR requests, provide IT troubleshooting, and deliver training. Beyond business, they power personal assistants on our phones, manage smart home devices, and help people learn new skills and appear more caring to those they care about. This widespread adoption reflects how quickly these tools have become part of our daily lives. 

    Chatbots have transformed how we interact with digital services, but their uptake varies significantly around the globe. What do current usage trends say about the future of this rapidly evolving technology? A recent chart from Visual Capitalist sheds light on “The 10 Most-Used AI Chatbots in 2025,” showcasing the swift adoption and dominance of major platforms.

    via visualcapitalist

    ChatGPT now averages over 5 billion monthly visits and accounts for nearly half of global chatbot traffic. 

    DeepSeek, Gemini, Peplexity, and Claudefollow relatively closely behind. 

    While Poe has experienced a significant decline in usage, Xai’s Grok, Meta, and Mistral are gaining steam. 

    It’s also interesting to look at which countries are adopting the technologies, and which ones remain the most resistant. This chart shows “How Often People Use ChatGPT.”

    via visualcapitalist

    Today, in the US, fewer than 20% of citizens report using chatbots daily. Meanwhile, India, Pakistan, and Kenya all poll at over 25%. 

    At the lower end of the spectrum, countries like Chile, Argentina, Germany, Italy, and Australia all report daily chatbot use by fewer than 10% of the population. Japan has the lowest rate, with just 6% of people saying they use chatbots daily, and a notable 42% saying they hardly ever interact with the technology. These differences are probably due to factors such as cultural attitudes toward technology and how people report their own habits.

    In contrast, “weekly usage” rates are notably more consistent across different countries, suggesting broader but less frequent interaction. 

    Just as search engines, social networks, and smartphones each converged on a few dominant players, the chatbot landscape is likely to consolidate, offering a clearer and more streamlined experience for users. 

    As chatbots advance, their impact will depend not just on technological advancements, but also on how well they build trust, integrate seamlessly, and adjust to different cultural norms. The question still stands: which platform will become the go-to digital companion?

    Let’s turn this into a conversation. I’m curious about your favorite AI platforms and reasons why.

  • Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – September 21st, 2025

    Here are some of the posts that caught my eye recently. Hope you find something interesting.

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  • Will Artificial Intelligence Really Give Us A Three-Day Work Week?

    Zoom CEO Eric Yuan recently suggested that artificial intelligence could usher in the era of a three-day workweek. He’s not alone … Bill Gates, Jamie Dimon, and many others have made similar projections. This vision of the future, powered by AI, holds the promise of a more balanced and fulfilling work-life dynamic. 

    Is the Three-Day AI Workweek a Realistic Future?

    While tech leaders hint this is on the horizon, history suggests that reality is rarely so straightforward. 

    Progress tends to promise leisure, but often fuels increased expectations of acceleration and more output, rather than more downtime.

    Technology is not destiny. We shape our tools and, in turn, our tools shape us.

    Henry Ford’s assembly line often gets credited with cementing the “eight hours, five days” workweek. However, breakthroughs like the steam engine, electricity, typewriters, calculators, and even the personal computer drove greater output and higher expectations, rather than less time on the job.

    I’m still not convinced that less work is better.  It seems uncertain whether dramatically reduced work hours would truly improve individuals’ mental health and sense of purpose — or whether companies would support this shift.

    What do you think … Will AI deliver more free time, or simply reshape how we work?

    Historical precedent suggests AI may paradoxically increase workplace demands rather than reduce them. In this scenario, freed from tedious tasks, employees find their new bandwidth quickly filled with additional responsibilities, tighter deadlines, and loftier goals. In this future, workers don’t clock out early; they do more in the same amount of time.

    We’ve seen this pattern before. Email and smartphones made communication easier, speeding up tasks. Instead of creating more leisure time, they have blurred work-life boundaries, resulting in an increasingly demanding always-on culture.

    Is the ultimate goal of AI making us richer or more fulfilled — and are these actually the same thing?

    At the other extreme, AI could go further, making many roles wholly unnecessary. Humans might be relegated to the edges of the curve: overseeing AI systems, or handling the industries and exceptions AI still can’t get right. Just recently, Fiverr cut 30% of staff in an effort to be “AI-First”, and they’re not the only ones.

    Such a shift would necessitate significant social and policy changes to support displaced workers and reevaluate the connection between income and employment purpose. Trials in places like Iceland and the U.K. suggest that shorter workweeks can boost well-being without hurting productivity. But scaling that globally would demand a fundamental reimagining of how we value work.

    It also raises even bigger questions about global relations and the vast disparity in GDP between countries. Could AI become a great global equalizer?

    Why the Middle Path Isn’t Guaranteed

    The three-day week sounds like a reasonable compromise, but there’s nothing inevitable about it. Left to market forces, companies may prefer to capture the gains for growth rather than distribute them as leisure. On the other hand, rapid advances could push automation so far, so fast, that society is forced to adapt—whether by shrinking hours or by creating new safety nets.

    I know many of my friends are using this as a force function to dream bigger and play harder, building new businesses and changing their legacies.

    In other words, AI won’t decide our workweek for us. It’s the collective decisions of businesses, governments, and people that will shape our future workweek. Nonetheless, changes are coming!

    The Real Choice Ahead

    AI may offer new possibilities for work and leisure, but harnessing its benefits will require thoughtful planning, not passive hope.

    What Yuan’s prediction highlights isn’t just a future of fewer days at the office — it’s the need to consider who benefits from AI, and how. It’s also a call to action for us to think deeply about the societal implications of AI’s promise and peril … and to use that to plan for a better future.

    Do we use these tools to build more balanced lives, or do we let them push us toward more output and potentially more stress? Do we cling to structures designed for a bygone era, prepare for a world where human work is scarce, or do we dream of something bigger?

    AI is powerful, but it won’t deliver a three-day weekend on its own. That future depends on choices we haven’t yet made … choices we should be thinking about now.

  • Lessons From My Son’s Rugby Career …

    As most of you know, my son Zach and I co-write this newsletter.  

    Recently, while talking about articles, Zach opened up about what’s been going on in his life and how it’s affected him. I thought his story would make a great post, so I asked him to share his thoughts. Looking back, it’s easy to relate to where he’s at … Interesting how that happens.  

    Here it is: 

    If you asked me to describe myself, rugby would be one of the first words out of my mouth. Honestly, if you asked me about almost anything, I’d probably find a way to sneak in a rugby reference. More than my time in the gym, my love of books, or my penchant for word games, rugby has always been the anchor of my identity.

    But life has layers. I’m now a 32-year-old husband, three ACL tears deep, working in the family business, and serving as President of the Dallas Harlequins — my rugby club. And while I still lace up, I know my time on the field is running short. Priorities change, bodies break down, and after 17 years of rugby, mine has plenty of miles on it.

    I actually thought I was done at 28. My body wouldn’t bounce back anymore. I’d wake up after practices or games barely able to walk. I had one more big tournament, where I was going to represent the USA, so I decided to fight through the pain, train for the following six months, and let that be my swan song.
     
    Then I bought a Normatec, started drinking a protein shake after practice, and (shocker) started stretching more. Suddenly, I was young again. 
     
    Sure, kids learn to stretch in elementary school, but the Getsons have always been slow learners.
     
    Since then, I’ve only gotten better. I’m running harder, tackling more, and understanding the game at a deeper level. My speed isn’t what it was at 21, and I’m definitely not the indestructible college kid I once thought I was. But I’m playing well, and not only are my coaches and teammates noticing, but even my competition is noticing. This past season, I was team MVP, “man of the tournament” at a 7s event, and earned another shot to represent the USA. My coach (who’s been with me since 2019) called it my best season yet.
     
    Still, the signs are there. Recovery is slower, random injuries creep in (yes, even from sleeping wrong), and I know I’m gambling with my body. I’ve been here before: in 2015, fresh out of college, I tore my ACL for the third time while representing the USA in Chile. I “retired,” and it nearly broke me. I had to rebuild my sense of self without rugby, and by the time I returned in 2019, I thought I’d made peace with the idea of walking away.
     
    But now that the day is actually approaching, it stings again. I lost rugby once — and it feels strange to know I’ll lose it again, this time for good. I’ll still be President, I’ll still have my team, and rugby will always be part of me. But I can feel the shift coming, and I know soon enough, these won’t be moments I’m living, but memories I carry.
     
    Are you ever truly ready?
     
    I have to remind myself that life is a gift, aging is a gift, and so is change. Rugby may be slipping away, but there are plenty of other mountains to climb. I might not compete in the same way, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop being a competitor.
     
    At the core, rugby wasn’t just about the sport — it was about pushing myself, playing through pain, and trying to outdo the person next to me. I’d love to say my only competition is with myself, but let’s be honest, I’m not that mature.
     
    The truth is, I can still channel that drive anywhere: in the gym, at work, in writing, in my marriage, and in the everyday choices that make up my life. I can still choose to be better every day. 
     
    Hopefully that’s enough! 

    Watching Zach reflect on rugby reminds me that the lessons we learn in one arena often carry over to every part of life. The field may change, but the drive, discipline, and the will to turn possibility into reality remain — and those are the qualities that matter most. May your best thoughts become things.

    Onwards!

  • Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – September 14th, 2025

    Here are some of the posts that caught my eye recently. Hope you find something interesting.

    Lighter Links:

    Trading Links:

  • Time To Switch Blog Platforms … The End of Typepad

    I knew this day would come, eventually. 

    Back in 2008, the big decision for anyone starting a blog usually came down to three platforms: Blogger, WordPress, or Typepad. Each had its strengths—Blogger was free and straightforward, WordPress was flexible but required a bit more knowledge and effort to use well, and Typepad promised quick polish and professional tools for a reasonable price. At the time, choosing Typepad felt like betting on the premium option. But here we are 17 years later, and the landscape looks very different. WordPress has not only endured but become the backbone of the modern web, while Blogger has faded into a relic of Google’s forgotten experiments, and Typepad is little more than a time capsule.

    Photo of my Typepad Profile Page; taken the day Typepad shutdown (9/30/25) | Profile Page Created in 2008

    Looking back, it’s a little ironic. The platform I avoided because it was too complex and open-ended is the one that grew, evolved, and ultimately dominated. WordPress didn’t just survive — it became the standard. Meanwhile, almost 3000 posts later, I got a message last week that Typepad is shutting down at the end of the month. In the meantime, they’re clearly struggling to keep the lights on … and attempting to publish posts has become an exercise in futility. 

    So, bear with us as we make the transition to a new blogging platform. If you have any tips or expertise in maintaining SEO & images as we do, please reach out. 

    Now I’m forced to make this decision again — this time with more and better options. 

    Do I follow the crowd to Substack or Medium? Choose a design-first solution like Wix or Squarespace? Try something newer like Ghost? Or go with the safer, proven route: WordPress?

    Substack tempts part of me because many of my friends and favorite bloggers use it. The pragmatic side of me leans toward WordPress. 

    In a real sense, this mirrors the choice Capitalogix (or any business) has in its approach to emerging technologies. I love experimenting with the new, but the real edge comes from recognizing what endures. Timeless wisdom matters more than chasing the next shiny thing, especially if it’s distracting you from your ‘why’. 

    Blogging is a fun project for me. It’s a natural result of the research I do. It’s an outlet, and a way for me to share ideas. It’s not my business, and I’m not trying to be a market-leader in the space. So, playing it safe makes sense. 

    We’ll see how it plays out in another 17 years. 

    Weigh in and let me know what platform you recommend.

    Onwards.

  • Emerging Markets: A 2019 Prediction, Revisited

    For decades, the United States has stood at the forefront of the global economic landscape. Beneath the surface, a power shift is reshaping the future faster than most imagined.

    Volatility and unpredictability, typically seen as risks, are actually catalysts for growth in emerging economies. This tension—between chaos and opportunity — underscores why linear forecasts often fail.

    Revisiting 2019’s Bold Prediction

    Back in 2019, the prospect of India surpassing the U.S. economy seemed far-fetched. Yet, only 6 years later, India’s meteoric rise is undeniable, with India ranking as the world’s fifth-largest economy.

    via visualcapitalist

    Economic scoreboards look nothing like they did in 2019 … some countries have soared, others stalled, and a few have leapfrogged expectations entirely. In 2019, the world watched as trade wars rattled markets and headlines predicted that the US-China rivalry would drive the global order. But beneath the noise, we were already seeing a new world order emerge. In 2019, Standard Chartered projected that by 2030, 7 of the world’s 10 largest economies would be “emerging markets.”

    Fast forward six years. The story is now unfolding in real time.

    Where the Predictions Landed — and Missed

    India stands out—it’s become the world’s fifth-largest economy and shows impressive GDP growth, fueled by a massive digital expansion.

    Meanwhile, Indonesia has continued its steady climb (and is much larger and more formidable than many Americans realize), Brazil has stabilized after a turbulent decade, and Turkey and Egypt have faced more mixed results due to inflation and currency crises—but they remain on growth trajectories that keep them relevant.

    Still, China and the U.S. are the two dominant powerhouses. However, the narrative has shifted: China’s growth is slowing, and India is increasingly seen as the next global growth engine. Meanwhile, Africa’s rapid population growth and urbanization signal its emergence as home to several future megacities. The point … the global balance of power is indeed shifting, just not as evenly as those early forecasts suggested.

    While 2019’s more sensational forecasts (such as Egypt’s predicted 583% growth) were overly optimistic, the core thesis — demographics and maturing economies reshaping global markets — has largely proved accurate.

    Emerging markets are growing rapidly. However, despite progress, many emerging markets face growing pains, especially as global debt levels rise and climate shocks intensify. Regardless, it’s clear that “emerging markets” have already arrived. 

    What’s Next for Emerging Markets?

    Looking forward, it’s worth watching countries that didn’t make those early lists but are now outperforming expectations.

    Vietnam has become a manufacturing powerhouse and a prime beneficiary of supply-chain shifts. Companies wanted a backup to China, so they picked Vietnam. Now, it’s making phones, clothes, and more—helping the country’s economy grow quickly.

    Gulf economies, such as those of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are leveraging their energy wealth to diversify their strategies. The goal is to move beyond just oil. They’re building new cities, inviting tourists, and investing in clean energy, so their future isn’t just about pumping oil—but about new ideas and significant changes.

    Even smaller economies in Africa, such as Nigeria and Kenya, are experiencing digital and demographic tailwinds that could significantly reshape their trajectories. Young people are leapfrogging old industries and jumping straight into tech. With creative ideas and energy, they’re making apps and online businesses, turning into new world tech hotspots.

    Add in unpredictable forces … geopolitical realignments, AI-driven productivity, climate resilience, and energy transitions … and the map of global economic power could look even more surprising by 2030 than any chart we saw back in 2019.

    The next decade isn’t just about who ascends fastest — it’s about who can adapt and endure. In the age of disruption, resilience may be the new measure of power.