Welcome to reThinkable - my Sunday newsletter where I share actionable money tips, strategies, and resources to help you make smarter money moves.

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Hey friend,

I have to admit something that’s been weighing on me.

Buying a house in New York City wasn’t the best financial decision.

Some of you might remember this from a newsletter 2 months ago, but if you don’t, here’s the TLDR: After years of renting in NYC, I decided to buy a house.

Me saying it wasn’t the best financial decision might sound a little weird, considering I’m all about making smarter money moves.

But here’s the truth: buying a house might not have been the best financial decision but it was the right one for me (for now). 

In today’s newsletter, I want to share with you why I decided to buy a house in NYC.

The right choice

Buying a house in 2025 feels more fictional than Fast & Furious 9 (you know, the one where they go to space in a Pontiac).

When I told people I bought a house, the reactions were almost identical: “What?! Now is a terrible time to buy!”

And honestly, they’re not wrong. Home prices are up 60%, and interest rates are roughly double what they were 5 years ago.

That reality kept me off from buying a home for a few years. I tend to look at things strictly by the numbers (a good or bad thing, depending on the situation).

So when it came to buying a home, I boiled it down to a simple question: Will my money grow faster in the stock market or in real estate?

If you run the numbers, the answer’s pretty clear. Historically, the S&P 500 grows around 10% a year, while housing sits closer to 4–8%. On paper, $100,000 in the stock market goes a lot further than $100,000 on a down payment.

But the problem with viewing everything from an investor’s perspective is that you start chasing returns instead of happiness. You become trapped in the idea that every dollar has to perform at its peak.

That mindset helped me build wealth, but it was starting to hold me back.

Financial freedom isn’t just about returns— it’s also about peace of mind and freedom. And I was getting to a point where renting was really starting to mess with my head.

The first time I seriously considered buying was about a year ago. I was planning a trip to Guatemala and realized it lined up with the end of my lease. I went into full on panic-mode: What if my landlord didn’t renew? What if the rent jumped again?

It was the same spiral every year, and I was tired of it. I was fed up with feeling like someone else could decide when I had to pack up my life.

All the little things about renting started to get to me, like not being able to paint the walls, replace the carpet, or just make the place feel like mine.

I wasn’t living freely. I was living on permission.

So when I sat down to run the numbers again, I looked at things differently. Maybe housing doesn’t give you the best financial ROI, but it gives you stability, freedom, a sense of security, peace of mind…

That’s something renting can’t give you, especially in NYC.

And at the end of the day, NYC is home. I grew up here. My family’s here. I don’t see myself living anywhere else. I want a place I can call mine, where I can paint the walls neon orange if I want to and have all my family a short drive away.

Once I accepted that buying a home was what I really wanted, I focused on making it as financially smart as possible. Sure, emotion played a big role in the decision — but I didn’t ignore the numbers. If you want to see some of the strategies I used to make buying a home a smarter move, I break them down in this video.

This whole experience has made me rethink what I actually value. I still want to build wealth, but not just for the sake of having more. 

At the end of the day, personal finance is personal so remember to build a life that feels truly your own.

Cool things from this week

• Smart money tip of the week: How I can instantly tell if someone grew up with money or not

• Today marks the 11th day of the US government shutdown. Here’s how it impacts YOU.

Vincent Chan

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