⚡ The Money Advice Your Dad Got Wrong

E.H. Taylor Small Batch Straight Kentucky Bourbon

If you've ever wondered why grown men stalk liquor store delivery trucks, this bottle is part of the answer. E.H. Taylor Small Batch Straight Kentucky Bourbon comes from Buffalo Trace, the same distillery behind Pappy Van Winkle and Blanton's, and it carries the same problem: everybody wants it, almost nobody finds it.

Here's what you're actually getting. It's Bottled in Bond, a federal designation dating back to 1897 that guarantees 100 proof, at least four years of aging in a federally bonded warehouse, and whiskey from one distillery and one distillation season. No mystery sourcing or proof manipulation. It shares Buffalo Trace's Mash Bill #1 with Eagle Rare, but the extra proof gives it a little more punch.

The Pour
Caramel and vanilla up front, baking spice and black pepper through the middle, with a long toasted oak finish. At 100 proof, it drinks smoother than it has any right to.

The Mettle Take
MSRP is around $60, but the secondary market often pushes it past $100. If you find one at retail, don't think twice. Put it in your cart. Believe it or not, we found our bottle at a local Costco (limit 1 bottler per customer).

Not the bottle they expect. The one they remember.

Ultimate Homemade Protein Balls

Most protein balls are candy with a scoop of powder waved over them. These actually earn the name: 8 grams of protein, 90 calories, and they still taste like dessert. Powdered peanut butter does the heavy lifting, carrying the protein of the real thing at a quarter of the fat. Make a batch Sunday, eat them all week.

Makes: 12 balls

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition per ball

Notes
Powdered peanut butter has only a fraction of the fat of regular peanut butter, so these have a lighter texture. Want them richer? Replace 2 tablespoons of the powdered peanut butter with 2 tablespoons of regular peanut butter (and don’t include the water). That bumps each ball to roughly 100-105 calories and adds a creamier bite.

Using sugar-free maple syrup instead of honey drops each ball to about 80-85 calories and keeps the sugar under 1 gram.

Train with focus, fuel with purpose

The Money Advice Your Dad Got Wrong

Some of it still holds up. Some of it was true in 1985 and has aged badly.

"Pay off your mortgage as fast as possible."
If your rate is around 3%, aggressive prepayment isn't always the smartest move. Over long periods, diversified investments have historically outperformed the interest you'd save, but there are no guarantees. The math changes when your mortgage rate is much higher, which is why blanket advice rarely works.

"Renting is throwing money away."
Not if you're moving in a few years or buying would stretch your finances too thin. Closing costs, maintenance, insurance, and property taxes are real. Buying is often a great long-term strategy—not an automatic one.

"Keep your money where a banker knows your name."
Loyalty doesn't always pay. Many high-yield online savings accounts offer rates several times higher than traditional bank savings accounts.

What he got right:
Live below your means. Avoid credit card debt. Start investing early. Those rules never expired.

The Mettle Take
Respect the principles. Update the tactics.

Smart money. No finance bros.