🟢 How much does a pool cost?

Hello Thursday. It's a weird local job market. Big company CEOs are proud of their shrinking headcounts while job seekers are frustrated.

“Over the last 15 years or so, we went from 300,000 people to 212,000 people,” said Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan recently. “We just got to keep working that down.”

Meanwhile, job applications per open position are skyrocketing. A Duke Energy friend told me she got 300 applicants in just 3 days after posting a mid-level $117K marketing job.

Another source told me that 2,019 people applied to his social media manager role in 24 hours. Sure, it was a remote position paying $90K, but that’s still wild. Anyways.

💼 Hot Job: Director of Enrollment at Charlotte Country Day School. Legendary admissions leader Nancy Ehringhaus is retiring. 1,750 students. $70M endowment. Student-teacher ratio: 8:1.

📈 Number: 200,000. Expected attendees at this weekend's Charlotte Pride festival in Uptown.

👨 Shout-out: Dean Hardy, former Charlotte Christian teacher, for opening Hardy Boys Records in South End. "We did $550K in sales in 2024, and so far this year, we're experiencing 38% YoY sales growth."

MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE

EXPERT TAKE

Pools are running $98K on average, and they’re trending 4 feet smaller

Price tag: "Our pool projects range from $50K to $350K," said my pool pal Frank Llaneza, owner of River Pools of the Carolinas. "The average this year is $98K."

Market size: Each year, around 1,750 pools are built in Charlotte.

Cost drivers: Material, size and depth, yard terrain, and fancy feature add-ons.

Trends: Pools are getting smaller, more modern, and some rich people need 2 of them 🤯

PRESENTED BY THE COLLECTION

New NoDa townhomes for rent with private side-by-side garages for every home

Trend: More Charlotteans are choosing to rent design-forward spaces over buying — and live in walkable neighborhoods instead of the suburbs.

New residences: The Collection at Charles in NoDa offers one and two bedroom flats and townhomes with high ceilings and private, two-car, EV-ready garages.

NOW OPEN

$2M Mother's Comfort Food opens today in former Cantina 1511 space at PRSC

Now open: West Coast restaurant Mother's Comfort Food debuts at Park Road Shopping Center today.

Intel: The owner told me that the buildout was about $2M. Fun fact, he recently moved from California to SouthPark.

Tiny take: Similar to Burtons (printing cash), this may be one of those under-the-radar spots that crushes it.

TINY MONEY JOB BOARD

Who’s hiring in Charlotte? 5 Trending jobs

Hiring? Post a job

Hunting? View all 82 open jobs on the Tiny Money Job Board 🚀

MONEY TALKS

30-year-old project manager making $130K regrets $450K Dogecoin trade

Money Talks is a weekly series showcasing how real people in Charlotte approach money. Participate.

Job: "I'm an engineering project manager at a development firm. Salary is $110K, and bonus is $20K. My fiancé makes about $75K."

On your mind: "Daycare costs. It's stressful. We're expecting our first child in a few months. Places have waitlists until July 2026, and costs range from $1,600 to $1,900 per month."

Living situation: "Own. We bought our current house a year ago in Matthews. Monthly mortgage payment is $3,300 at 6.875%."

Rental: "We kept our previous house, which I bought in 2021 with a rate of 2.875%. We rent it for $1,925, and the mortgage payment is $1,614. Net difference isn't ideal, but it's located in Windsor Park, where values may increase dramatically."

Splurge: "Sports Cards. Favorites that I own are the Kobe Bryant Topps Rookie Card PSA 10 (over $1,500) and LeBron James Topps Rookie Card PSA 9 (over $500).”

Money hack: "Buy the $30 Viva Chicken Family Meal for weekly meal prep. If you can handle having the same meal for lunch every day, it's easily 5 meals."

Missed opportunity: "I bought $3K worth of Dogecoin in 2020 at a price of $0.005 and sold a few months later at $0.01. Doubled my money! But within a year, it peaked at $0.74. I would have made $450K."

Full story: Project manager breaks down $300K net worth and path to $4M goal

MONEY SNACKS

5 other financial headlines I’m snacking on

HOUSEKEEPING

After $800K investment, The Improper Pig replacing Pizza Peel in heart of Plaza Midwood

Coming soon: The Improper Pig will take the signature space formerly occupied by Pizza Peel in Plaza Midwood.

Backstory: "Our family purchased this land from Mark Phinney, who owned and operated Kelly Tires,” owner Will Bigham told me. “We want to protect the look of the building and honor his commitment to the neighborhood.”

Menu glow-up: Expect new wood-fired grill specialties, vegetarian options like smoked tofu, Asian slaw, pork rolls, edamame, and hush puppies.

Happy Thursday! I'm teeing it up with my 10-year-old son and a few of his buddies this afternoon on the golf course. Going to kick their ass.

– Ted

MONEY POLL

Last week’s poll results: Is private school in Charlotte worth it? (10,491 subscribers)