The AlmanacEssays


Essays on Faith, Responsibility, Work & Wealth, and Legacy

A brass compass engraved with Faith, Responsibility, Work & Wealth, and Legacy — the four pillars

These aren’t quick takes, hot opinions, or blog posts chasing the news cycle.

They are working essays—where I test ideas against real life, think through what matters, and refuse to pretend the stakes are small.

I write about the forces that shape the kind of person you become: faith, responsibility, work, wealth, family, freedom, and legacy. These are not abstract ideas. They are the load-bearing beams of a life that holds under pressure.

My essays are organized around The Four Pillars of a Well-Built Life:

Some essays are philosophical. Some are practical. Some are personal. All of them aim at the same outcome: helping ordinary people think clearly, live responsibly, build wisely, and leave behind something worth claiming.

Below, you’ll find my essays listed in newest-first order. You can also browse by theme through the Four Pillars, or read selected essay series in order.

If you’re tired of shallow answers, borrowed opinions, and a culture allergic to responsibility, you’re in the right place.

Start where you are. Read what speaks to what you’re carrying right now. Then build from there.

From the Job Site

These essays aren’t final answers. They are field notes from a man still building.

If you find clarity here, it’s because I’ve had to fight for it too. —Joseph C. Kunz, Jr.

Explore by Pillar

Faith (73) Responsibility (41) Work & Wealth (33) Legacy (23)
Browse All Topics A–Z Newest First

Is Christianity a Zero-Sum Game?

The Meaning the World Cannot Give

When Science Forgets Humility

Moral Clarity vs. Semantic Theft

Just Believe Is Not Enough

The Hunger for What Is Real

Do the Good You Cannot Measure

What Hardship Can Teach Us: Bob Violino’s "Life Lessons"

There Is No Big Secret

The Fragmented Life

Empathy Is Not Weakness

Who Is Raising Your Child — You or the Algorithm?

Science Is a Tool. Faith Is the Frame.

When Refusing to See Becomes a Sin

The False Victory Over Weak Religion

Visible Hardship Reveals Invisible Kindness

When Compassion Becomes Political Obedience

From the Clouds to the Kitchen Table

When Good People Go Quiet

When Reality Gets Called Naive

The Forgotten Man and the Frivolous Class

When the Human Heart Becomes a Political Problem

Nothing Load-Bearing Is Built in Public

Christian Culture Cannot Be Built by Unformed Christians

A Conservative Credo for a Life That Holds

The World Is Downstream of Christian Formation

The Builder’s Dilemma

When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough

Humility in the Right Place, Words in the Right Order

Belief in God Is Not Yet Christianity

What Thinking Outside the Box Really Means

When Strength Becomes a Barrier

When Clarity Sounds Dangerous

A Man of Faith and Philosophy, Not Religion and Politics

Prayer Is Not the Problem

The Inheritance I Never Received Is the One I’m Trying to Leave

Money Should Be a Tool, Not a Costume

Tested by Reality

Civilization Is Not Rebuilt from an Office

When Freedom Is Cut Loose from Truth

Witness Beats Winning

The Apology Gap

Private Exemptions, Public Collapse

Faith Isn’t a Feeling — It’s a Discipline

Meaning Lives in the Boring Stuff

A Good Life Is Not a Comfortable One

The Conservatism That Actually Works

Stop Pointing at Them. Start Looking in the Mirror.

The Moral Eyes of a Free People

The Day the Pieces Fit

The Lens and the Lie

I Never Say “Only” About Money

I’m Not John Senior — And Why That Matters

No Government Can Give You Character

Manning Up

Why Moral Weakness Feels Normal in a Godless Culture

A Godless Culture by Design

The Adolescent Atheist

Life Is Too Short for Small Philosophies

Language as the First Battleground for Clarity

Standing Firm in a Shifting World: 10 Books for Conservatives

The Moral Order That Built America

The Undeserved Mercy of Grace

The Illusion of Control: Why Modern Success Still Feels Empty

Grace and Compound Interest

A Man’s Face, A Man’s Witness

More Money Truths I Wish I Had Learned in My 20s

Perseverance Pays Off

Context Over Copying: The Smartest Business Move

Businessman, Not an Entrepreneur

Faith in the Marketplace: Why Belief Belongs in Business

Why I’m Not a Libertarian

Rich vs. Wealthy: Why the Difference Matters More Than You Think

The Anchor’s Script: When Truth Becomes Just Another Role

Why I Respect New Polity’s Zeal — But Walk a Different Road

Stay in the Game

The Mirage of Judgment

Calculated, Not Excited — The Investor’s Real Superpower

Tribalism vs. Truth: Why Group Loyalty Can’t Replace Conviction

Money Truths I Wish I Had Learned in My 20s

Stop Wishing for Easy, Start Training for Hard

Faith Gives Conservatism Its Moral Compass

Sunday Dinner Needs More Than Good Food

Impostor Syndrome Is a Luxury You Can’t Afford

Faith First: The Real Foundation of Conservative Principles

Faith That Fights: Standing Tall in a Culture That Kneels

Men Must Be Builders in Every Generation

Freedom Starts in Your Mind, Not Your Bank Account

Build Wealth. Grow Strong. Live on Purpose.

The Best Inheritance Isn’t Money — It’s This

Don’t Outsource Your Thinking — Even to “Experts”

The System Is Rigged — So Rig Your Own

Faith Isn’t a Crutch — It’s a Competitive Edge

Discipline Isn’t Sexy, But It Pays Better Than Passion

The Dumbest Lie About Money Many Still Believe

Work Is Wealth in Disguise

The One Financial Habit That Separates Winners from Whiners

Why Your Faith Should Make You Unshakable, Not Unlikable

Wealth and Money Mastery: The 10X Principle of Small Wins

The Best Advice My Father Never Said Out Loud

Who's in Charge Here — You or the Path?

The First Rule of Wealth: Stop Making Excuses

Connecting the Dots

Manhood Is Built in the Moments No One Sees

Wealth Is a Test. Here’s How to Pass It

The Truth About Side Hustles

The Better Bet: Why I Chose Balance Over Burnout

Fear Is the Green Light

What “Success” Really Means for a Christian Man

The Man She Needs Is Forged in Struggle — Not Flash

The Hardest Person to Forgive Is Yourself — Do It Anyway

The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Your Calling

Faith, Foresight, and the Daily Drama of Life

Why Rich People Think in Terms of Systems, Not Paychecks

Making Money Without Losing Your Soul

What Independent Thinkers Do Before 9 A.M.

Why I Trust Principles, Not Power

Grace Isn’t Weak — It’s Self-Control in the Heat of Battle

God Doesn't Want You Comfortable — He Wants You Capable

Manhood and Leadership: The Strength of Quiet Confidence

3 Dumb Things Keeping You Broke (and How to Fix Them Fast)

God Never Promised Me Comfort — But He Did Promise Meaning

Becoming the Man You Needed as a Boy

The System Is Rigged — So Stop Playing by Their Rules

The Wealth Skill No School Will Teach You

Why I Call Myself a Christian First, Even as a Catholic

Why the First $100K Is Harder Than the Next Million

Searching for Faith? Start Here

Wallace Wattles Was Right — Wealth Is a Moral Duty

Why Building Wealth Is a Moral Duty If You Love Your Family

Tested But Not Broken

No Father, No Excuses

Grace in the Quiet

Where Faith Comes to Life

Economists Who Opened My Eyes

The Clean Break: Growing Up Without a Father’s Presence

Businessmen Who Reflect the Values I Live By

Courageous Voices I Admire

Writers Who Guide My Work

The Hardest Lesson I Learned Wasn’t Hemingway’s

Mindset, Grit, and Personal Responsibility

Money, Wealth, and Financial Truths

The Day My Voice Changed

Writing from the Inside Out

I Woke Up This Morning

Starting a Business After 40? Good.

The Credit Lockdown Strategy

The Lie of Balance

The Dirty Truth About Income Streams

Which Income Stream Should You Start First?

We Just Kept Going: A Quiet Story of Resilience

Grace in the Morning: Where Love Becomes a Daily Habit

Still Showing Up

Say What You Mean — Or Someone Else Will Say It for You

Why Definitions Matter

Where Reason Ends and Meaning Begins

Clarity Is Strength: The Words That Build (or Break) a Life

Modern Man Suffers From Irony

Why Autonomy-First Men Flinch at Faith

The Four Pillars of a Life That Holds

Faith Isn’t a Theory — It’s Training

Faith Isn’t a Debate Club

God as a Theory Isn’t Faith

Nudged by God — or Managed by the Machine?

The Public Square Is Downstream

Religion as a Tool: The New Elite Bargain

When Intellectuals “Discover God” — What’s Missing?

Grace Is Not Weakness

The 10 Money Lies You’ve Been Told

Disbelief Isn’t the Offense — Contempt Is

Faith Is Not a Mood