FUND IT · OPTIMIZE IT
$603.11 in interest
from May–December 2025 after under one hour of setup.
Rate term: APY = annual percentage yield, an annualized percentage return that includes compounding.
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A New Chapter
I love my life. I just want to be the one paying for it.
For years, my health limited how much I could work, and my family helped support me financially. I'm grateful they did—it gave me room to focus on my health and still build a life I love.
Now my health is more stable, and I finally have the capacity to tackle the next problem:
The Engineering Problem
How do I finance a life I love without sacrificing my health to do it?
I'm Megan, a mechanical engineer. I'm approaching this the way I know how: understand the problem, respect the constraints, follow the data, test solutions, and keep what works.
I share the numbers, tradeoffs, and results—including what doesn't work.
Results So Far
Some questions already have answers.
OPTIMIZE IT
Paying by credit card: not worth it
The July 2026 credit-card test was financially positive, but credit-card autopay wasn't available. Capturing the extra rewards would require a manual payment every month, so I chose automatic direct withdrawal.
Should I pay my electric bill by credit card or direct withdrawal?
OPTIMIZE IT · LIVE IT
Costa Rica: $4,017.32 cash paid vs. $13,147.56 in captured prices
225,000 Hyatt points + 44,000 AAdvantage miles used.
Can I build the Costa Rica trip I want around high-value points and miles redemptions?
12 answered · 3 shown here SEE COMPLETED WORK
Currently Engineering
What I’m solving now.
FUND IT
What does it cost to sustain the life I want?
Since July 1, 2026, I’ve been separating my own spending from shared purchases, reimbursements, and transfers to build an accurate picture of what my life costs annually.
FUND IT
What should I keep, change, or add in my investment portfolio?
I’m taking a closer look at the investments I already own. I wrote a set of rules any capable AI tool can follow, so the AI double-checks its facts and argues against its own answer before I decide what to keep, change, or add.
FUND IT
What career fits my strengths and the life I need to protect?
I’m narrowing the options by testing which careers fit my interests, strengths, income goals, and the health constraints I need to work within.
9 in progress · 3 shown here SEE ALL CURRENT WORK
Coming Up Next
The next questions are already taking shape.
FUND IT · OPTIMIZE IT
Based on how I redeem my points, is Rakuten more valuable as cash back or Amex Membership Rewards® points?
FUND IT · OPTIMIZE IT
Which credit cards earn their place in my wallet for another year?
LIVE IT
Which experiences are worth prioritizing while I have the capacity for them?
5 coming up · 3 shown here SEE WHAT'S COMING
Live It
This is what The Work is for.
Right now that means Costa Rica, hiking in Peru while I have the capacity for it, and seeing the Buckeyes play in every Big Ten stadium.
Costa Rica · Peru — The one I don’t want to postpone. · Ohio State football — 15 of 18 Big Ten stadiums so far.
Tools
The tools behind the Work.
Every tool here has to earn its place. See how I use them and what they've done for me.
Monarch
Excel
1Password
Flighty Pro
The Design Criteria
A change in one part of my life can affect the rest.
The right answer has to work across the five areas that matter most to me. I use only the criteria that matter to each problem—there is no universal score.
- Money — Does the financial side work?
- Health — Does it protect the capacity that makes the rest possible?
- Joy — Does it support a life I want to live?
- Time — What does it require—or give back?
- Sustainability — Can it realistically keep working over time?
Health is the constraint I design around. Joy is the reason I design at all.
Explore the Design CriteriaTHE ENGINEERING REPORT
What worked. What changed. What comes next.
I’m figuring this out in real time. Follow along to see which ideas survive real life, what the numbers say, and what I change when they don’t. The Engineering Report is where I’ll share the strongest results, decisions, surprises, and next questions.
Free. No set schedule — only when there's something worth sharing.
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