Upticks: How I Invest My Money
By Alex Martinez on November 11, 2026
What does a financial advisor actually do with his own money?
It is a natural question. Financial professionals spend their careers discussing saving, investing, taxes, retirement, and financial decisions with other people. But do those same principles show up in their own lives?
In this week’s solo episode of Upticks, Jake Falcon opens his personal financial playbook and explains how he and his wife, Rachel, organize their finances. The details are specific to their circumstances and should not be treated as recommendations for another household. The more useful lesson is the process behind those decisions.
For Jake, the investments come after the financial plan.
Build wealth independently from the business
Jake and Rachel are both business owners, but Jake does not want their ability to retire to depend on eventually selling either business.
Instead, they save as though they were traditional employees preparing for retirement independently of their companies.
That distinction is important for business owners. A company may eventually become a valuable asset, but its future sale price, timing, buyer demand, and the owner’s willingness to sell are uncertain.
Jake’s current goal is to retire at age 70. He also recognizes that the goal may change.
He rejects the idea that a financial plan should operate like a fixed roadmap. Markets will change, but more importantly, life will change. Family circumstances, goals, health, businesses, income, and priorities can evolve over decades.
The financial plan should be able to evolve with them.
Decide what money is supposed to accomplish
Jake describes money as a form of leverage.
If he can pay someone to perform a task while using that same time for work, family, or something he considers more meaningful, he is comfortable doing so.
That does not mean everyone should outsource the same things. Someone may genuinely enjoy maintaining a yard, working on a car, or completing projects around the house. Jake’s point is that spending should reflect what someone values.
That philosophy also appears in the household rules Jake and Rachel follow.
They generally try to keep vehicles for approximately 10 years. They pay their credit cards in full each month. And once their financial priorities have been funded, they are comfortable spending on things they value, including healthy food, fitness, books, golf, family experiences, and other priorities.
The objective is not simply to spend less. It is to spend intentionally.
Give each account a purpose
Jake’s finances include several different types of accounts, and each serves a different role.
He contributes to a workplace retirement account and also has traditional and Roth IRA assets. His largest individual account, however, is his taxable brokerage account.
Jake values that account because of its flexibility. Unlike a retirement account with specific tax and distribution rules, taxable brokerage assets may be available for a wider range of future needs.
He also uses a health savings account and generally allows those assets to remain invested rather than immediately reimbursing qualified medical expenses. That strategy requires careful recordkeeping and compliance with HSA rules, but Jake values the account’s potential long-term tax advantages.
His household maintains checking and high-yield savings accounts for shorter-term needs as well. The larger point is not that everyone needs Jake’s exact combination of accounts. It is that each account should have a reason to exist.
Let the financial plan determine the investments
Jake currently has significant stock exposure.
That decision reflects his personal circumstances. At age 45, with a stated retirement goal approximately 25 years away, he believes he has time before he needs a larger bond allocation.
He also keeps his investment approach relatively straightforward. He does not currently invest in residential rental properties, private equity, hedge funds, cryptocurrency, venture capital, or several other alternative investments he discusses during the episode.
None of those choices should be interpreted as universal recommendations.
Someone closer to retirement, dependent on portfolio withdrawals, uncomfortable with volatility, or facing different financial obligations could reasonably have a very different allocation.
The investment strategy should support the financial plan rather than forcing the financial plan to accommodate the investment strategy.
Start building the next generation’s financial foundation
Becoming a father has also changed the way Jake thinks about money.
He and Rachel established a 529 plan for their son, Bram, and Jake discusses the possibility of eventually using education savings as part of a broader family legacy.
He has also established a Trump Account for Bram and is evaluating other ways to begin building assets for him.
The details and tax rules surrounding these accounts matter, but the broader motivation is simple: Jake is thinking beyond his own retirement and considering what financial opportunities he and Rachel may be able to create for future generations.
At only a few months old, Bram has something particularly valuable on his side: time.
Save first, then spend intentionally
One of Jake’s clearest household principles is the order in which money is allocated.
He and Rachel determine how much needs to go toward their financial priorities, fund those priorities, pay their obligations, and then feel comfortable spending what remains.
That structure reduces the recurring question of whether every discretionary purchase is interfering with a long-term goal.
Jake also prefers investing money earmarked for annual savings relatively early when the cash is available rather than intentionally spreading those contributions throughout the year. He recognizes that markets can rise or fall after the investment is made.
That is his personal approach, not a universal rule. The appropriate contribution strategy depends on available cash, risk tolerance, income patterns, and individual circumstances.
Financial planning is an ongoing process
Jake reviews his financial plan multiple times throughout the year and separately reviews tax planning with his accountant. He also works with an attorney and insurance professional rather than attempting to manage every specialized financial issue himself.
Even though financial planning is Jake’s profession, he still relies on other professionals for areas outside his own arena. That may be the most useful lesson from his personal financial playbook.
A financial plan is not a collection of accounts, a portfolio allocation, or a document completed once and placed on a shelf. It connects money with the life someone wants to live.
Jake’s accounts, investments, spending, businesses, mortgage, family goals, and retirement timeline all look different when viewed individually. The financial plan gives those pieces a common purpose.
The goal is not to copy how someone else invests. It is to understand what your money needs to accomplish—and then build the financial plan around that answer.
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Email Luke → luke@falconwealthadvisors.com
