Flight Log
Welcome to the Flight Log
What the weekly Flight Log covers, and when the first issue lands.
AutoPilot Your Wealth
Cockpit View
Cockpit View Log: October 2026
October 9, 2026 reading, including the First Officer's annual rebalance. Where each account stands against its index.
Cockpit View
Cockpit View Log: September 2026
The first Cockpit View reading: where Cadet, Captain, First Officer and Captain Cole stood on September 18, 2026.
Foundational Flight Plan
I Ran the Same LEAPS vs UPRO Test Inside a Taxable Account. Here’s What Changed.
Episode 11 with taxes paid every year from the portfolio. Most of the gap closes, then 2 endings show what happens if you keep holding versus sell and settle up.
Foundational Flight Plan
SPY LEAPS vs a 3x ETF: Which Builds the Better Barbell?
The same barbell built two ways, LEAPS on one side and UPRO on the other, through the same 30-year test.
Glidepath to Retirement
What Happens If You Retire In a Bull Market? (Retirement Episode 7)
The mirror image. A retiree who started in a strong market, run across the same 3 strategies, so you can see how the system holds up in good times and bad.
Glidepath to Retirement
He Retired Right Before The Market Crash. This Portfolio Saved Him. (Retirement Episode 6)
The full walkthrough. The unlucky retiree who started in 2000, compared across the 4% rule, the Hybrid 6% with no options, and the Hybrid 6% with the barbell.
Glidepath to Retirement
Maximize Retirement Income. Minimize Drawdowns. Backtested to 1958. (Retirement Episode 5)
The same Hybrid 6% rules, now with the barbell introduced.
Glidepath to Retirement
I Tested This 6% Withdrawal Strategy Back to 1958 (Retirement Episode 4)
The complete ruleset, backtested since 1958. This is the Hybrid 6% with no options, with all the data behind it.
Foundational Flight Plan
QQQ vs SPY: The Barbell Strategy That Beat the Market
The barbell run on QQQ, where it came out ahead across the board, with the honest caveat on how far back the data goes.
Glidepath to Retirement
The One Rule That Nearly Doubled a Retirement (Retirement Episode 3)
A closer look at the buy-the-crash rule, one of the key rules inside the system.
Glidepath to Retirement
Everyone Says Use Guardrails, Nobody Says What They Are. (Retirement Episode 2)
The framework. This lays out the Hybrid 6% rules that fix the problem.