Welcome. 👋

Every two weeks, I share my writing on investing, career transitions, meaningful work, parenting, living intentionally, and other topics that engage me.

I'm still trying to figure stuff out.

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? See past articles and subscribe here.

Let's Work Together

You may have read my recent essay, “Problem Solving,” which describes how I’m approaching what comes next for me professionally. Since then, and inspired by valuable conversations with key thinking partners, I’ve expanded my search to include full-time roles in the investment world broadly defined or in a new industry altogether.

I love meeting new people and exploring ways I might impact organizations by leveraging my skills and experience. If you think there’s someone I should meet, I welcome an introduction.

For more, see the updated "How We Can Work Together" section toward the bottom of this email.

Newsletter Lessons

A little over two years ago, I hit the restart button on Beyond the Cove, committing to a bi-weekly writing schedule that has since become an integral part of my life.

As I reflect on this journey, I’m struck by how my measures of success diverge from traditional metrics.

Sure, I guess it’s nice to have an open rate that’s consistently in the low 70s - currently 73% over the past 90 days - a number that would make many newsletter writers envious.

But I’m not about to let stats like that go to my head. We’re talking about relatively small numbers here. There are roughly 300 of you out there, growing slowly, which is just fine by me.

The stuff that matters to me is more qualitative.

Nothing beats an unexpected reply from readers who tell me a particular essay resonated with them. Similarly, when someone I haven’t seen in years mentions they read my work regularly and feel more connected through my words, it reminds me why I started this writing journey - to write consistently and maintain genuine connections with my audience.

Along the way, I’ve learned a lot from this experience. Whether you’re considering launching your own newsletter (or wonder why I bother), I hope you’ll enjoy these seven learnings from my two-year writing adventure through Beyond the Cove:

1. Imperfect action > perfect inaction: Publishing something good is better than endlessly refining it towards perfection. Based on feedback, readers appreciate consistency and authenticity more than flawless prose. Plus, even if I spend every waking minute on an essay, it’ll never be perfect. It might even get worse! Just do good work and publish.
2. Carry a notebook: Since I started writing regularly, I’m much more aware of the world around me. I see essay topics everywhere. And the more you write, the more ideas you’ll see. I always carry a pen and small notebook 🤓 to jot down ideas from conversations, podcasts, books, or random observations. In my case, I’ve been unexpectedly inspired to write while visiting Austin with my son, walking past a statue of Longfellow in Portland, and sitting by the estuarine middle ground where the Royal River meets Casco Bay.
3. Consistency breeds creativity: Regular writing sessions often lead to unexpected ideas and insights. I’ve found that some of my favorite essays emerged when I didn’t want to write but did it anyway. Others meandered along one path, found their footing, and launched in a different direction altogether. Show up regularly and remain open to where your writing practice might take you.
4. Writing clarifies thinking: Yes, this point has been made countless times by myself and others, and for good reason. It’s true. Author Flannery O’Connor is known to have said, “I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say,” which sums it up well. Often, I think I understand something until my writing exposes flaws in logic or weak arguments, which, fortunately, the writing process can also help fix.
5. Quality and quantity can coexist: With practice, you can produce good work more quickly. Regular writing has improved both my speed and the quality of my output. When I first started, I spent too much time laboring through drafts, often avoiding other higher-priority work in the process! I’ve since found that imposing arbitrary time constraints is a tactic that has worked well. I’ll give myself 45 minutes to write a draft. Knowing there’s a limited amount of time and that I’ll be able to edit the draft later seems to relieve pressure.
6. Vulnerability connects: Sharing personal experiences and challenges resonates deeply with readers. Some of my most well-received pieces have been those where I opened up about struggles or uncertainties. For example, writing "Running with Doug" helped me process my feelings of loss as I remembered a close friend who took his own life. The essay generated a meaningful response from several readers who faced similar experiences.
7. The struggle often signals resonance: I’ve learned that the pieces I struggle with most, the ones I’m tempted to abandon, often resonate most strongly with readers. This unpredictability has taught me to trust the process, push through the doubt, and let my audience be the judge.

These lessons have not only improved my writing but have also enriched my life in unexpected ways. Consistently showing up through writing has taught me much about persistence, creativity, and the power of genuine connection.

As I look forward to the next two years of Beyond the Cove, I’m considering a few experiments, but I don’t expect too much change. I’m thinking about shorter formats, testing a weekly cadence, and whether I should try to drive growth authentically (or whether subscriber growth even matters).

Stay tuned. I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.

What has your experience with consistent writing or creative pursuits been like? I’d love to hear your thoughts and lessons learned.

Other Stuff

Apartment Occupancy and Rent Growth Continue to Stabilize in July In the latest insights from the RealPage Analytics Blog, July data reveals a continued stabilization in the U.S. apartment market, with DC standing out among major markets in terms of occupancy and rent growth. The Midwest continues to lead the way as a region.

​Read the update (4 mins)

Becoming Data Driven, From First Principles In the first of his "Becoming Data Driven" series of essays, Cedric Chin of Commoncog describes how managers of any business can extract meaningful signals from normal business variability. Spoiler alert: Cedric's magical tool is the XmR chart. If you share my fascination with (and deep respect for) Amazon's approach to operational excellence, add Cedric's essays to your shortlist. Next up for me is "Amazon's Weekly Business Review."

​Read the essay (38 mins)

How to Be More Concise Wes Kao, who worked with Seth Godin on the altMBA before Co-founding Maven, continues to deliver some of the most actionable career advice I've seen online. This is one of those pieces I wish I'd read when I was 25. But it's never too late. Wes diagnoses the reasons for the problem and offers 11 tactics to improve your communication. Pair with Smart Brevity, an excellent book on the same topic.

​Read the essay (11 mins)

ChefIQ Smart Thermometer This birthday gift from my family has been a game changer. And, since this tool has raised my grilling game, everyone's happy. The probes connect to a WiFi-enabled hub via Bluetooth, so you can monitor your cooking and ambient temp from the iPhone app. That's handy if you need to run out during an all-day smoke. The app includes hundreds of recipes with step-by-step cooking instructions and even tells you when it's the perfect time to flip.

​

​Check out the ChefIQ Sense (not an affiliate link)

And a Farewell Photo...

How We Can Work Together

Hi, I’m ​David​. This newsletter is a passion project that helps me stay connected with thoughtful people like you.

I spent 25 years in institutional equities as an analyst, portfolio manager, and salesperson. In 2022, I joined Circa, a seed-stage rent payment startup, as COO. I left Circa in 2024 as part of our successful exit to ​Stake​, a larger private company in the proptech space. Also, since 2019, through ​Cove Investments​, I've been an active multifamily real estate investor for myself and on behalf of others.

Here are three ways we can work together:

1. The Right Full-Time Role: I’m exploring full-time roles working with great people where I can leverage my skills and experience in 1) managing relationships, 2) evaluating, distilling, and communicating complex opportunities in simple terms, and 3) building teams and developing staff. This could be in the investment world broadly defined, but it might also be in a new industry altogether.
2. Fractional/Consulting Engagements: I’m also available for specific projects and consulting work. If you’re a business leader, investor, advisor, or family office looking for additional resources to help with investment analysis, due diligence, process optimization, or evaluating new products or opportunities, let’s discuss how I can help.
3. Cove Investments: I’m particularly excited about a new strategy focused on smaller properties in the DC Metro, a massive niche under the radar of most investors. Investment opportunities offered through Cove are only available to accredited investors in my network.

To learn more about any of the above, click ​here​ to schedule a one-on-one call to see if we're a good fit.