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'll share the numbers, tradeoffs, and results—including what doesn't work.

Results So Far

Some questions already have answers.

OPTIMIZE IT · LIVE IT · COMPLETED

Can points help me take the trip I want without paying what it would normally cost?

FUND IT · OPTIMIZE IT · COMPLETED

Did moving my savings to a high-yield savings account make a meaningful difference?

Is the cash I keep in savings working as hard as it reasonably can?

OPTIMIZE IT · COMPLETED

Did locking in my electricity rate save me money?

Could locking in a fixed electricity supply rate reduce the risk of future rate increases—and save money?

Explore Completed Work

Currently Engineering

What I’m solving now.

FUND IT · IN PROGRESS

What does it cost to sustain the life I want?

Separating my own spending from shared purchases, reimbursements, transfers, and other noise so I can build an accurate annual baseline before deciding what needs to change.

FUND IT · IN PROGRESS

What should I keep, change, or add in my investment portfolio?

I didn't want a one-off AI opinion on my portfolio, so I built a decision system that has to verify its own evidence and try to disprove itself.

FUND IT · IN PROGRESS

What work can use my strengths, pay well, and still fit my life?

I’m researching which roles best combine challenging analytical work, strong compensation, and a work structure I can sustain.

What’s Next

Coming up next.

FUND IT · COMING UP

Can stronger Excel and Power BI skills help employers see what I can do?

FUND IT · OPTIMIZE IT · COMING UP

What are my credit card points worth in real life?

LIVE IT · COMING UP

Which experiences are worth prioritizing while I have the capacity?

See All Current Work

Tools

The tools behind the Work.

A few of the tools currently earning a place in my system. Pick one to see how I use it.

Monarch

Excel

1Password

Flighty Pro

See The Tools

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 a governing constraint. Joy remains central because living is the point.

Explore the Design Criteria

THE ENGINEERING REPORT

What worked. What changed. What comes next.

I’m figuring this out in real time. The Engineering Report is where I’ll share the most useful results, decisions, surprises, and the next questions I’m tackling.