From Sree Tripuramallu · 2026—
Letters
Essays on wealth, tax code, equity, and the parts of money that never make sense. Written for readers who want to understand the math, not just be told what to do.
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Take the Thousand, Skip the Rest
Trump accounts hand your child $1,000 for free. Adding your own money is where the deal falls apart.
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The Thirty-Day Window
On stock you buy before it vests, one form is the difference between owing nothing and owing millions.
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The Half-Million-Dollar Decision
Wait from 62 to 70 and the Social Security check grows 77%. Most people grab the small one anyway — betting against their own longevity.
- 16
One Dollar Over the Line
Medicare's income thresholds are cliffs, not ramps. Cross one by a single dollar and your premiums jump about $2,300 a year — billed two years later.
- 15
Your 401(k) Isn't All Yours
Every pre-tax dollar carries an IRS IOU. At 73 the collection starts — and it reaches into the Social Security you spent a career earning.
- 14
The Tax Bomb You're Inheriting
A quiet 2020 law turned inherited retirement accounts into a 10-year tax bill, landing in your highest-earning decade.
- 13
Don't Roll Over
The hidden tax advantage sitting inside your 401(k).
- 12
The Loss Bank
Harvesting losses to pay $0 in capital gains on a tender offer.
- 11
You Shouldn't be Investing in the S&P 500
An argument against index funds like VOO, SPYM, VTI, etc
- 10
Squeezing more juice from your 401(k)
The 401(k) setting most people never consider
- 09
The Sticker Price Is a Lie
A framework for buying your first home
- 08
Using Donations to Offset Capital Gains
How donations reduce income to owe less capital gains
- 07
The Health Savings Account Paradox
Why you should never use your HSA to cover medical expenses
- 06
The tax code secretly loves your second child
A 529 quirk lets parents stack six figures for a child before they're born.
- 05
The Fallacy of Savings Accounts
The true cost of having a high yield savings account
- 04
The Invisible $500K tax in your 401(k)
The default-setting trap that quietly eats retirement nest eggs.
- 03
How Anthropic engineers will lose 56% of their equity
Paper wealth and actual cash are two very different things.
- 02
The Phantom Tax
Making $0 in profit still generates a tax bill.
- 01
Tax laws are penalizing couples for tying the knot
The SALT cap doubled to $40,000 — but not if you're married.