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- Let’s Get Real | Week of August 12, 2025
Let’s Get Real | Week of August 12, 2025
Real talk. Real money. Real life.

Personal: This One’s a Vent — Buckle Up
I’m gonna be straight with you — this week, I’m not here to be polished or motivational.
I need to vent. Loudly. And maybe a little aggressively.
Because once again, grown-ass adults in youth sports are acting like fools. And it’s the kids who suffer.
If you didn’t know — I’m on the board for AJF (Ankeny Junior Football). We oversee the entire youth football program in our area. And as the season gears up, we’ve got a front-row seat to the absolute circus that is parent-coaching.
Let me walk you through a few real things that have happened just in the last couple weeks:
“I’ll Coach… But Only These Specific Kids”
Yeah. That’s a sentence we’ve heard — more than once.
A parent signs up to coach. But then they say they’ll only do it if they get to coach their kid, their friends’ kids, and that’s it.
They don’t want any “randoms” on their roster.
Let me get this straight — you signed up to serve, but only if you can handpick a curated mini-version of your fantasy team?
Newsflash: You’re not Nick Saban. This isn’t Alabama.
This is youth development.
Coach the kids who show up. Build them up. Lead. Or don’t volunteer.
“I Want 4–5 Assistant Coaches” (Translation: I Want to Stack My Team)
We’ve got folks requesting multiple assistant coaches — not because they need help, but because each assistant brings along a guaranteed kid.
So now instead of a draft or an even team placement, they’re trying to backdoor a full squad of friends and "ballers."
Sorry — we don’t do AAU ball politics here.
We run a combine. Teams are balanced based on skill. And yes, we’ll place you where your kid ends up.
But now, guess what? Some of these same people are threatening to back out of coaching because they didn’t get the team they wanted.
This is community-based rec football. Not the NFL Combine.
The Third Grade Coach Who Thinks He's Belichick
This next one? I’m not even sure how to talk about it without my blood pressure spiking.
A coach — for a 3rd grade flag football team — emailed parents with this outline for the season:
He will pay kids money and bribe them with candy based on performance.
He will only allow two kids to play QB, because “some kids shouldn’t be playing.”
He is coaching to win only — not to develop.
He holds secret practices for his “top players” (yes, in secret, and not all kids are invited).
He told parents upfront: “Not everyone will get equal playing time.”
Let me remind you again: this is 3rd grade. Flag football. No standings. No playoffs. No championship.
It’s a game designed to teach kids fundamentals and get them excited to continue playing.
This coach? He’s running a dictatorship for 8-year-olds.
And this right here is why kids burn out.
Why they quit sports.
Why they associate athletics with pressure and punishment instead of fun and growth.
This coach isn’t building athletes. He’s building resentment.
If it were up to me, I’d pull his coaching privileges and have a very real conversation about what the hell he thinks this program is for.
The Bigger Problem
This isn’t just about a few bad apples.
This is a symptom of a broken mindset in youth sports.
We’ve got adults projecting their egos onto 8-year-olds.
Trying to relive their glory days.
Trying to pad their status.
Trying to control every outcome.
Trying to win... at development’s expense.
What they forget is that every single kid on that field deserves a shot to learn, grow, make mistakes, and feel valued.
That’s what sports are for. That’s what we owe these kids.
The scoreboard matters — sure. But not more than the experience.
Not more than the confidence they carry into middle school.
Not more than the lessons they’ll lean on when they’re 20, 30, 40 years old.
So if you’re a coach, a parent, or hell — just someone watching from the stands — ask yourself:
Are you building kids up? Or just building your own ego?
Because trust me: they remember. And so do we.
Current Events: Let’s Talk Tariffs Again
Tariffs are back in the headlines.
More “revenue” for the U.S. government. Billions.
But don’t let the headlines fool you — that money didn’t come from China or “the other guys.”
It came from you.
When the government places a tariff on foreign goods:
The exporter raises their price.
The U.S. company eats the cost — then passes it down.
You, the consumer, end up paying more for the same item.
Whether it’s lumber, electronics, steel, or shampoo, the cost has already been baked into your receipts.
This is not a tax on foreign nations.
This is a quiet consumer tax — passed through supply chains, dressed up as “protection.”
We break it down further in this week’s LGR drop (see below).
This Week’s Drops
🎙️ Let’s Get Real
New “Week in Review” episode just dropped:
→
We’re breaking down:
Tariffs and what they really cost you
Government headlines that don’t match your bank account
How to decipher these economic games in plain English
🔥 No BS Wealth
Big shift coming in September. We’re going deep — no more surface-level money talk.
This week’s nugget:
We’ve grown to 22 badass members — fun fact: 22 was my high school football number, so this feels aligned.
But more importantly —
You’ll start seeing deep dives on:
Specific tax questions you’ve always been too afraid to ask
How burnout shows up in your finances
Marketing systems that actually work for solo advisors and small shops
Drop your topic requests. Want real answers on S-Corps? Roth conversions? Emotional trauma around money? We’ll build it into the coming episodes.
Invest in What?
Owner Financing + Land Leasing = Passive Income
Last week we talked about land investing as a long-term play. This week? We talk cash flow.
You don’t need tenants or buildings to make land produce income.
Here’s how:
1. Owner Financing
You buy a parcel of raw land for $7K. You sell it for $15K — but instead of one payment, you structure it as:
$2K down
$250/month for 52 months
Guess what?
You just became the bank. And now you’ve got passive income every month for the next 4+ years — with no property management headaches.
This works because land buyers can’t always get traditional loans, especially in rural areas.
You solve a financing problem — and get mailbox money.
2. Land Leasing
Even if you hold the land long term, you can lease it:
To hunters (yes, even for $1K–$3K per season)
To farmers (pasture leases, haying rights)
To solar companies (emerging — but growing fast)
To billboard operators (if you’re near a highway)
This is how land goes from “dead asset” to income stream.
It just takes a little creativity.
Next week, we’ll explore actual platforms where you can find and market land for lease or resale.
Soul-Check In: How Do You Stay Human in the Middle of the Noise?
Between war headlines, chaotic politics, market manipulation, and social media drama, we’re all battling something:
The fight to stay grounded.
For me — it’s a constant tension.
I need to stay informed so I can serve clients, create content, and make smart moves.
But too much information? It drowns you.
The rage, the fear, the division — it all chips away at your peace.
So I’m asking:
How do you stay steady?
How do you live in the real world without letting the noise poison your space?
I’m still figuring that part out.
But one thing I know — the more I stay present with my family, my boys, and my clients… the more I remember who I am and what really matters.
Let’s get real.
Big investors are buying this “unlisted” stock
When the founder who sold his last company to Zillow for $120M starts a new venture, people notice. That’s why the same VCs who backed Uber, Venmo, and eBay also invested in Pacaso.
Disrupting the real estate industry once again, Pacaso’s streamlined platform offers co-ownership of premier properties, revamping the $1.3T vacation home market.
And it works. By handing keys to 2,000+ happy homeowners, Pacaso has already made $110M+ in gross profits in their operating history.
Now, after 41% YoY gross profit growth last year alone, they recently reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.
Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.
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