🟢 Anonymous $45K Alpha School Dad

Hello Thursday. I teed it up at Roaring Gap yesterday. Spectacular. Old school. Top 5 golf course in North Carolina.

At just 6,307 yards from the back tees, Roaring Gap isn’t long. But the greens are lightning fast. Every approach shot makes you think.

I’m working on a definitive ranking of the top golf courses across our state. The NC Golf Panel is a little sus and I don’t fully trust Golf Digest.

As a self-proclaimed LinkedIn Influencer, I’m wondering if Roaring Gap is interested in providing me a complimentary membership. I’ll email the GM today. Anyways.

💼 Hot Job: Chief Marketing Officer at Blumenthal Arts. Revenue around $50M per year. Reports directly to CEO. Unlimited tickets. 3% match. $125 per month work-balance stipend.

🏠 For sale: Historic Asheville Tudor asks $8.7M. Same builder as the Biltmore House. 9 acres. Owned by the Vanderbilts. First time on the market in 50 years.

🧑‍🍳 Shout-out: Andres Kaifer, chef-owner of Customshop, for announcing plans to open a new American restaurant named Roe & Olivia’s in LoSo. Opening in December.

MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE

ANONYMOUS

Tech exec shares why he enrolled his 5-year-old at $45K Alpha School kindergarten

Now open: Alpha School, an AI-powered K-12 private school, recently opened a location in Charlotte. Welcomed 30 founding families.

Why Alpha School?

"It’s their whole philosophy. Individualized curriculum and life skills just make sense to me.”

"For example, my kindergartener's life skills workshop for this next 6-week session is navigating an airport. She's learning how to pack a suitcase, go through security, buy a snack, and so on.”

Did you evaluate private schools like Latin and Country Day?

"Yes. We went through the process. Tough decision. Great schools with beautiful campuses, but ultimately, Alpha felt like an opportunity for my daughter to be part of Education 2.0, for lack of a better term.”

How do you think about the $45,000 tuition price tag?

"Ask any highly successful person, and they'll tell you the best investment is in yourself.”

"And candidly, it’s not that different in price compared to other big private schools once you factor in lunch, transportation, after-school care, etc. Alpha is all-inclusive."

Reaction from friends and co-workers?

"Tons of intrigue and curiosity!”

"There has been a lot of misleading headlines about Alpha, such as no teachers and tons of screen time. But the deeper you dig, the more sense their approach makes."

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Most painting companies are brokers – you meet the salesperson once before a rotating crew of subcontractors shows up to paint your home.

Solution: Craftwork, a modern painting company, led by my friends Suzanne, Mike, Joey, and Tim.

Labor Day: Average customer saves $1,520 during this sale. Request an estimate for your painting project to claim 20% off! Limited exterior spots remain.

REAL ESTATE

New Airbnb golf trip compound named "The Aviary" books $245,434 in 6 days

Now open: The Aviary features 3 houses. Each has its own private simulator lounge, pool, sauna, hot tub, fire pit, two greens, and shoreline access to a spring-fed private pond. Total investment $4.3M.

Price check: Each house rents for about $1,500 per night, or you can buy out the entire compound for around $3,500 per night.

Owners: Birdie Houses is a real estate startup focused on purpose-driven retreats at golf destinations. They've got 4 total properties and have raised $2.3M to date.

Strategy: "Open a single house to test demand, and then double down on markets that support increased density with a larger Aviary-style development."

Insight: "Airbnb takes 16% off the top. It's very hard to drive strong results through the OTAs. That's why our audience of 5M on social is such a big advantage. 90% of our bookings are direct."

Big idea: "Houses are just the beginning. We're growing in the golf trip lifecycle — tee times, transportation, chefs, massages, pre-trip outfitting, etc. We're well poised to build the town square for the golf trip obsessed."

TINY MONEY JOB BOARD

Who’s hiring in Charlotte? 5 Trending jobs

Hiring? Post a job

Hunting? View all 94 open jobs on the Tiny Money Job Board💰

MONEY TALKS

42-year-old doctors making a combined $875K build $4.9M net worth avoiding "lifestyle bloat"

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

Living situation: “Own. We bought our house 10 years ago. It's in a neighborhood we always knew would be a long-term place. 30-year fixed rate at 2.9%, so we are hoping to be in our home for the long haul!”

Job: “My wife and I are both doctors. Our combined income is around $875,000, including base salary and bonuses.”

Salary journey: “We were barely making minimum wage when we met as residents. Our first year out of training, our combined income was $470K.”

Family: “Two children under the age of 8. We have a full-time nanny that saves us from pickups, so we can focus on work in the afternoon.”

Big expense: “Private school tuition. I grew up in an underfunded school system in Western North Carolina, so I'm grateful to provide our kids with stable educational opportunities.”

Financial goal: “Donate at least $100K each year to causes dear to our hearts. And volunteer more using our medical experience.”

Rich in Charlotte: “Anywhere from $3M to $5M net worth.”

Full story: Doctor couple builds $4.9M net worth, opts for DIY “boring index fund” portfolio over financial advisor

MONEY SNACKS

5 other financial headlines I’m snacking on

HOUSEKEEPING

Rada named No. 1 best restaurant in Charlotte, debuts weekday "Burger Drops"

Hot reservation: My friends at Axios published their annual restaurant rankings with Rada taking the No. 1 spot.

Burger drops: Rada now offers 6 burgers each night, Monday through Wednesday. That’s it. Just 6. First come, first served.

Happy Thursday! I'm taking my 5-year-old daughter to Good Food tonight for one last meal of $12 Truffle Fries, $18 Green Curry Mussels, and $17 Larry's Buns before it closes on Saturday. RIP.

– Ted

MONEY POLL

Last week’s poll results: Will the Panthers make the playoffs this year? (14,542 subscribers)