FIELD NOTES // Episode 4

Field Notes on Generational Changes: From Grandparents to Grandkids

DATE: August 22, 2026

LOCATION: Somewhere between inheritance and reinvention

OBSERVATIONS

• Every generation inherits a model for work, family, and responsibility — then decides what to keep.

• Average annual work hours are decreasing over the past 75 years - why did it change, and is it good or bad?

• The role of dads has shifted from protect and provide toward a fuller kind of presence.

• Company loyalty still matters, but it looks different when companies and careers feel more transactional.

DISCUSSION

Jarad, Brandon, and Travis explore how life has changed across generations, from grandparents who worked long hours and stayed in one lane to kids growing up in a world shaped by flexibility, technology, AI, and new expectations.

The conversation moves through work hours, four-day work weeks, hybrid work, regional hustle culture, fatherhood, household roles, emotional presence, workplace loyalty, and the question of what kind of future their kids may inherit. Along the way, the hosts wrestle with what progress really means — and whether more time, more tools, and more options will actually make people more free.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

→ Progress is real, but it rarely moves in a straight line.

→ Technology can create more time, but it does not decide how we use it.

→ Being a good dad now means more than providing; it also means being present.

→ Work can be meaningful, but it should not become the whole measure of calling.

→ The next generation may have more flexibility, but they may also feel more pressure.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

Ask yourself: What did I inherit from the generation before me — and what do I want to pass on differently?

WHERE TO FIND US

Brandon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brmiddle/

Travis - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlzimbelman/

Jarad - www.myoldnotebooks.com

END OF NOTES

FIELD NOTES // Episode 3

Field Notes on Housing: The American Dream and the Safety Net

DATE: August 9, 2026

LOCATION: Somewhere between the American dream and the safety net

OBSERVATIONS

• Everybody needs housing, but not everyone has the same path to finding stability.

• Homeownership can be a powerful financial tool, but affordability has changed the equation for many families.

• Homelessness is not one problem with one solution; it is a web of housing, services, community, trust, and support.

DISCUSSION

Jarad, Brandon, and Travis explore housing from several angles: homeownership, investment properties, market trends, affordability, and the long-standing idea of the American dream.

The conversation then turns toward the growing homelessness crisis in Mountain View and across Silicon Valley. The hosts wrestle with the limits of government, nonprofits, and fragmented social services, while asking what kind of safety net people actually need. Along the way, they discuss community, social trust, universal basic income, and why building more homes alone will not solve every part of the problem.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

→ Housing is both a financial issue and a human issue.

→ The American dream of homeownership feels different when affordability keeps moving out of reach.

→ Homelessness requires more than shelter; it requires services, community, and individual understanding.

→ Government and nonprofits both have a role to play, but the current system can be fragmented and inefficient.

→ A better safety net may require new approaches, including some version of universal basic income.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

Ask yourself: What responsibility do I have to the people in my community who are closest to the edge?

WHERE TO FIND US

Brandon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brmiddle/

Travis - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlzimbelman/

Jarad - www.myoldnotebooks.com

END OF NOTES

FIELD NOTES // Episode 2
Field Notes on Money: Saving, Spending, and Retirement

DATE: August 3, 2026
LOCATION: Somewhere between financial independence and a life well spent

OBSERVATIONS
• Financial freedom is less about retiring early than having the freedom to choose.
• The habits that help us build wealth can also make it difficult to enjoy what we have built.
• Children learn about money from what families model, discuss, and leave unsaid.

DISCUSSION
Jarad, Brandon, and Travis take a wide-ranging look at money: how we earn it, save it, spend it, teach it, and eventually use it to shape the lives we want.

The conversation moves through the FIRE movement, budgeting, real estate, debt, financial education, and the lessons inherited from parents. The hosts explore how to teach children about spending, saving, giving, and delayed gratification...and why openness about money may be one of the most valuable lessons a family can offer.

They also reconsider the traditional idea of retirement. Rather than simply stopping work, what would it mean to build a life around purpose, relationships, meaningful contribution, and work that feels more like a calling?

KEY TAKEAWAYS
→ Financial independence is ultimately about optionality, not idleness.
→ Knowing your numbers matters more than following a perfect financial system.
→ Saving is important, but being unable to spend can become its own form of scarcity.
→ Children benefit from practicing real financial decisions while the consequences are still small.
→ Retirement works best when we are retiring toward something, not merely away from work.
→ Money is most meaningful when it supports purpose, generosity, relationships, and time well spent.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
Ask yourself: Am I building wealth simply to have more? Or to create greater freedom, purpose, and connection?
WHERE TO FIND US

Brandon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brmiddle/

Travis - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlzimbelman/

Jarad - www.myoldnotebooks.com

END OF NOTES

FIELD NOTES // Episode 1

Field Notes on Measuring Success: What We Measure Shapes Us

DATE: July 16, 2026

LOCATION: Somewhere between comparison and contentment

OBSERVATIONS

• The things we measure have a way of shaping the lives we build.

• Lifestyle creep often starts as convenience before it becomes pressure.

• Comparison is easier than ever, and rarely makes us more whole.

DISCUSSION

Jarad, Brandon, and Travis explore a deceptively simple question: what are we measuring in life, and how is that shaping who we become?

The conversation moves from financial stress, lifestyle creep, and the pressure to keep up with others into bigger questions about social media, screen time, family habits, work, rest, and success. Along the way, the hosts wrestle with what happens when net worth becomes a scoreboard — and what better measures might look like instead.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

→ Many of the easiest things to measure are not the things that matter most.

→ Convenience, comfort, and status all come with emotional tradeoffs.

→ Social media can turn comparison into a daily habit.

→ A better life may require better metrics: connection, purpose, presence, and peace.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

Ask yourself: What am I measuring right now that may be shaping me more than I realize?

WHERE TO FIND US

Brandon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brmiddle/

Travis - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlzimbelman/

Jarad - www.myoldnotebooks.com

END OF NOTES