The gear survives two kids. The math checks out. The rest is parenting.
Long-term teardowns of gear we actually own, money math from five years of running a solo business, and quiet notes on the everyday - two kids, a bernedoodle, and the Bay Area.
Gear Review UPPAbaby Cruz vs Vista: Why We Skipped the Double The Cruz vs Vista decision from a family that picked the cheaper one on purpose: the Mesa system, the weight you can feel in the store, the sell-and-upgrade plan for kid two - and how it held up four years and two kids later. Read the review Money Notes
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Solo 401(k) vs SEP IRA: Why I Picked the Complicated OneA solopreneur's real Solo 401(k) vs SEP IRA comparison with 2026 limits and S-corp math: roughly double the shelter at $100k of income, the Roth option a SEP can't match, and the provider transition nobody puts in the chart.
Self-Employed Health Insurance: Take the Spouse's Plan (Mostly)A solo parent's real benefits math: about $200 a person on a spouse's plan versus $500+ on the marketplace, a 30-year term life policy for $57 a month, and the dependent care FSA that quietly matters more than all of it.
Trump Account Statistics: Enrollment, Claim Rates, and the $1,000 GapEvery meaningful Trump Account number in one place, each with its source: how many accounts exist, how many kids are being auto-enrolled, what the $1,000 seed costs, and the claim-rate gap. Updated monthly.
Trump Account vs UTMA vs Custodial Roth: Which First Account for Your Kid?Three ways to invest for a child, compared honestly: the new Trump Account, the old UTMA custodial account, and a custodial Roth IRA. Who controls the money, when the kid gets it, the tax bill, and the order we'd fund them.
Baby Gear Reviews
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· 🖍️🖍️🖍️🖍️✏️4.5/5UPPAbaby Cruz V2 Stroller ReviewFour years in, our UPPAbaby Cruz is still going strong. Is the $900 stroller worth it? Our honest review from newborn to toddlerhood.
· 🖍️🖍️🖍️🖍️✏️4.5/5UPPAbaby Mesa V2 Infant Car Seat ReviewThe UPPAbaby Mesa V2 kept our newborn safe and clicked from car to stroller without waking her. Our honest infant car seat review after years of use.
· 🖍️🖍️🖍️🖍️🖍️5/5Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO Baby Monitor ReviewAfter our smart baby monitor was hacked, we switched to the non-Wi-Fi Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO. Our honest review after years of nightly use.
· 🖍️🖍️🖍️🖍️✏️4.5/5Stokke YOYO Travel Stroller ReviewMultiple cross-country flights later, our Stokke YOYO still fits in the overhead bin. Our honest review of the cabin-size travel stroller for everyday life.
Everyday Notes
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The 5 Toys That Survived Our Baby's First YearMost baby toys get five minutes of attention before landing in the donation bin. These five earned their shelf space all year - from a tummy time mat to the Radio Flyer walker still going four years later.
Starting Solids: The Only 5 Things You Need Before the First BiteBetween the gadgets and the guilt, starting solids gets overwhelming fast. These five essentials - from the Stokke Tripp Trapp to a full-coverage bib - cover everything you actually need.
The Baby Medicine Cabinet: 5 Things to Have Before the First ColdThe first baby cold finds every parent unprepared. Stock these five essentials now - from the NoseFrida to a cool mist humidifier - and skip the 2 a.m. pharmacy runs.
The 5 Things That Actually Helped Our Baby SleepNewborn sleep is chaos and everyone has a theory. These five essentials - from the Hatch sound machine to Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit - are the ones that actually survived our first year.