Journal
New entryBusiness, the field, the rest of the week.
Public notes live here. Short, on the record, from the shop and the field.
Business / November 14, 2026
The Tough Buyer, and Why I Built It
I built The Tough Buyer so my team could practice against a buyer who pushes back. AI Business Plays wrote it up, including the result from our shop.
Lending / November 11, 2026
VA Home Loan Myths, and the Truth, This Veterans Day
I come from a family of veterans. Veterans Day is not just a date on the calendar at my desk. Here are seven VA loan myths, checked against VA.gov.
Lending / November 9, 2026
Market Minute: 22% Credit Cards vs. Home Equity (Mon, Nov 9, 2026)
Credit cards are running around 22%. Money secured by your home usually costs a lot less. A HELOC or fixed-rate second can roll holiday balances into one lower payment.
Lending / Nov 2, 2026
Market Minute: Rates at a 5-week low, and what to do with it
Mortgage rates just touched their lowest level in five weeks. If you are in contract, talk about locking. If you are carrying expensive debt, ask about home equity that leaves the first mortgage alone.
Lending / October 26, 2026
Home Equity Loan vs. HELOC: Same Equity, Two Very Different Tools
If you've owned your home for a few years, you're probably sitting on real equity. And if you locked in a low first mortgage rate, the last thing you want to do is refinance it away.
Coaching / October 8, 2026
Fall ball, and the part I like most
Fall ball with Sherman Oaks has started. I am assistant coaching the Tigers with the same crew from last spring.
Lending / Sep 25, 2026
Is a VA IRRRL worth it? The break-even math
A lower rate is not the same thing as a better loan. On a VA IRRRL, the question is whether the new payment earns the cost back before month 36.
Business / Jun 12, 2026
I built HELM because the desk was still analog
Loan officers don’t need another dashboard. They need something that actually does the work when they talk.
Coaching / Apr 18, 2026
Dream first. Then the work.
Little League is not a farm system. It is where a boy learns whether an adult will tell him the truth and still believe in him.
Lending / Feb 3, 2026
Twenty years of roadblocks
The mission has not changed: honesty, integrity, competence, and helping borrowers through the part of the file that usually kills the deal.
Life / Nov 21, 2025
The long game is the only game
Golf, the beach, Los Angeles and Cleveland on Sundays. The rest is compound interest, in capital, in character, in the boys.