Wealth

Quick facts

Lorenzo Delano

Delano gesturing while speaking on a panel stage in Dubai

Delano directing a MasterClass film shoot, holding a clapperboard

Delano presenting on a blue-lit stage, headset mic and clicker in hand

Camera-monitor view of Delano directing a kitchen scene, reviewing a laptop with an actor

Delano crouching with a laptop beside Steven Kotler at a shoot

Delano coaching a family seated around a living-room table

Delano leading a training workshop around a table

Delano in 2020 (Joburg)

Identity(See Story)

Born: Lorenzo Delano7 December 1987 (age 38)Krugersdorp, South Africa
Phenotype: Caucasian, maleBlue eyes and brown hairAverage height (176 cm)
Ancestry: Western European (Dutch)
Ethnicity: Afrikaner
Language: Afrikaans; English; Mandarin
Citizenship: South African

Professional(See Knowledge)

Occupation: Applied taxonomist
Industry: Education, health, and tech
Works: Design methodologiesPublished designs
Skills: Knowledge organizationPedagogyProduction
Education: Self-directed (since age 13)Certified coach and designerMandarin distinction
Employment: Independent (results-based)
Residency: United States (since 2026)No sponsorship required

Psychological(See Nature)

Intelligence: RIOT: Full-scale IQ 112
Worldview: Rational optimist
Personality: HEXACO: Disciplined, honest, and curious
Values: PVQ: Autonomy, achievement, and universal-care
Interests: RIASEC: Investigative, artistic, and social

Personal(See Pages)

About: What makes a person?
Lifestyle: Days by design, cities by scorecard
Health: Elite VO₂max, optimal labs
Wealth: Debt free with high credit score
Network: Unmarried and no children

Wealth is one balance sheet read three ways: what protects it (security), what leaves it (efficiency), and what compounds it (growth). The branches are also a sequence — insure first, then earn; spend and settle cleanly; invest what remains, and venture only past sufficiency.

Unlike the other status pages, this one publishes no readings. Balances, net worth, and holdings are excluded from the site by design; what is public is the system itself — every account the money moves through, and the benchmark each is held to. The structure is auditable even where the numbers are private.

Security (Protection)

The floor under everything else, in two registers: the losses I have transferred to insurers (insurance) and the earning that funds the whole system (income). Cover is bought against capacity first and possessions second, and income is priced actively by the hour until ownership can pay instead.



I insure my capacity and possessions before chasing any upside : HSA-qualified high-deductible plan; out-of-pocket maximum held within cash reserves : Own-occupation cover replacing ~60% of income : Coverage ratio >1.0 — insured at or above replacement cost Renters: Liability-first at $300k+ with replacement-cost contents Auto: None owned — non-owner liability while carless; 250/500/100 when owned Homeowners: No purchase planned anytime soon — the benchmark waits on ownership

I cover what my life or liability could cost other people : $1M+ excess liability, layered above renters and non-owner auto cover : Coverage ratio >1.0 of obligations — term only; minimal while no dependants


Income bought with my hours — the assets it leverages do not scale : Hourly rate ($500); leverages time Professional: Consulting and design engagements Salary: Employment — none held Wage: Hourly work — none held Prizes: Performance awards : Sales margin (higher is better); leverages materials and technology Commission: Sales of others’ products Capital gains: Assets sold above basis

Income my assets earn — people, capital, and technology scale where hours cannot : Percentage share (higher is better); leverages people and technology Royalty: Intellectual property licensed out Sponsorship: Audience access sold Affiliate: Referral percentages Platform: Content, subscriptions, and ad revenue : Coverage ratio ≥2.0 — returns covering expenses twice over; leverages capital Interest: Debt instruments and cash Dividends: Equity distributions Rental: Property lease income Insurance: Policy payouts and annuities : Share of income (lower is better); leverages nothing Bonuses: Discretionary awards Grants: Institutional awards and scholarships Donations: Personal gifts Inheritance: Estate transfers

Efficiency (Leverage)

The income statement of a life, in two registers: what running it costs (expenses) and what must be settled with lenders, the state, and the future (payments). The cascade is fixed — expenses under 35% of gross, tax under 15%, so at least half of every dollar flows on to payments, savings, and investment. The savings margin is the number the rest exist to protect.



The recurring cost of running my life, held under a third of income : Gross margin >70% (income surviving the recurring burn) Home: Facilities (rent; utilities; services) and consumables (groceries; detergents; toiletries) Health: Care (fitness; beauty; therapy; childcare; eldercare; pet care) Mobility: Transit (rideshare; public transit) and vehicle (lease; fuel; charging) Finance: Insurance (health; disability; property; umbrella; life) and services (fees) Personal: Experiences (dining; entertainment; education) and goods (software subscriptions)

The lumpy costs, capped so they never set the pace : Operating margin >65% (income surviving all burn) Home: Equipment (furniture; appliances) and repairs (services) Health: Medical (out-of-pocket; diagnostics) Mobility: Vehicle (repairs) Finance: Services (professional fees) Personal: Goods (devices; clothing; toys) and experiences (travel)


Credit kept expensive to lose and cheap to use : FICO >800 (the top scoring tier) Payment history: 35% (never a missed payment) Utilization: 30% (balances under 10% of limits) Credit history: 15% (average account age, kept long) New credit: 10% (inquiries kept rare) Credit mix: 10% (revolving and installment both held) : Debt service ≤36% of gross (the lenders’ own ceiling) Housing: ≤28% of gross : Blended cost of debt <5% APR Credit cards: Paid in full monthly (0% effective) Unsecured: Personal, student, and business loans (none held) Auto loan: None preferred; <7% APR if held Mortgage: Market rate; refinanced when it pays HELOC: Revolving credit secured on home equity SBLOC: <6% APR (borrowing against the portfolio)

Paid in full, on time, and never a percent more than the law asks : Effective rate <15% (money arriving) Federal: Income (progressive); self-employment (15.3% — Social Security and Medicare) State: Income (0–13% by state; a relocation criterion) Deductions: Standard or itemized (charitable giving); QBI (pass-through income) : Effective rate <5% (money leaving) Sales: State and local, by jurisdiction Excise: Fuel, tires, and specific goods Fees: Tolls, permits, and licenses : Effective rate <2% (assets held) Property: Local rates on real estate held : Effective rate <15% (assets transferred) Capital gains: Long-term rates (0/15/20%) by holding past one year Gift: Annual exclusion per recipient; unified with the estate exemption above it Estate: Federal exemption; none owed below it

I run myself as a firm — free cash has three uses, each with a rule : Repayment margin ≥15% (principal retired first) Unsecured: Maximum pace (the highest rate, retired first) Secured: Minimum schedule (the lowest rate, held longest) : Payout margin ≤15% (the owner’s draw and the giving) : Savings margin ≥70% (the compounding engine) Investments: The standing portfolio (cash, funds, and shares) Ventures: The active positions (real and equity)

Growth (Allocation)

Where the savings margin goes, in two registers: the standing portfolio filled as a waterfall — liquidity, then retirement, then rewards, then the hedge, then education (investments) — and the active positions taken only once every level is full (ventures). Each level is a grade of financial development, and the hierarchy is the discipline: nothing ventures until everything is invested.



Three months of burn in cash — enough to be calm, too little to be lazy : Current ratio ≥3.0 (cash covering obligations three times over) : Working capital (one month of expenses) : Reserve capital (two months of expenses, in high-yield savings)

Future me funded first, dreams funded on a date — both before the market gets a dollar : Contribution ratio 100% (every shell filled to its annual limit) : Employee and employer contributions (both sides maxed) : Triple-tax-advantaged (deductible in, untaxed growth, untaxed out) : Post-tax in, untaxed forever : Every dream priced, dated, and funded (the system pays its owner) : Goal-dated Treasuries, CDs, and principal-protected notes (maturing when the purchase arrives)

The market bought whole, with a small budget for opinions : Maximum allocation (a hedge against retirement shortfalls) ETFs: Broad index funds (blend, value, and growth; held for decades) : Treasuries and TIPS held as ballast (rising in the seasons equities fall) : <20% of the portfolio (tuition capped) Stocks: Individual positions (micro to mega caps)


Assets I can stand on, hold, or hand over : Pending (a piece of the earth owned) : Owner-occupied at minimum viable (a use asset, not an investment) : Income property at positive leverage (cap rate above the cost of debt) : Pending (a hedge, not a bet) Gold: Precious metals (physical or allocated) Crypto: Digital assets (an allocation, never a thesis) : Pending (the return includes the owning) Collectibles: Element specimens, antique furniture, and historical artifacts

Ownership in businesses, mine before anyone else’s : Pending (equity built to sell at a multiple) Business: An operating company held at or near 100% : Pending (others’ businesses, backed where I have edges) Venture: Early-stage equity in high-growth startups (SAFEs and priced rounds) Private equity: Stakes in mature private businesses (buyouts, GP stakes, secondaries)

References (Data)

My data derived from underwriting, banking, accounting, and analysis

Insurance: Underwriting (2026–present); coverage for claims on health, disability, property (opens in a new tab), liability (opens in a new tab), and life (opens in a new tab) • policy (multiple providers)
Banking: Source records (2026–present); recording and storing source transactions for all income, expenses, and payments categories • statements (Chase; Mercury)
Credit: Scoring (2026–present); scoring financial behavior across five dimensions to assess lending and leasing risks • score (FICO)
Accounting: General-ledger mapping (2026–present); organizing and reconciling business transactions into financial statements for lenders, the state, and owners • statements (Xero)
Performance: Analysis (2025–present); consolidating banking, credit, and accounting into personal performance statements • ledger (Google Sheets)

References (Guidelines)

The policies and standards informing my benchmarks

Credit: the five FICO factor weights — payment history 35%, utilization 30%, history 15%, new credit 10%, mix 10%. myFICO (opens in a new tab)
Load: the 28/36 qualifying ratios — housing and total debt service against gross income, the lenders’ own ceiling. CFPB (opens in a new tab)
HSA: IRS Publication 969 — the qualifying plan and the triple tax advantage behind the health shell. IRS (opens in a new tab)
Retirement: IRS Publication 560 — the solo 401(k)’s employee and employer contribution mechanics and limits. IRS (opens in a new tab)
Transfer: IRS Topic 409 — the 0/15/20% long-term capital gains schedule earned by holding past one year. IRS (opens in a new tab)

The randomized experiments informing my benchmarks

Health: Finkelstein, A., et al. (2012). The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment: evidence from the first year. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 127(3). Oxford (opens in a new tab)
Deductibles: Manning, W. G., et al. (1987). Health insurance and the demand for medical care: evidence from a randomized experiment. American Economic Review, 77(3). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
Cards: Prelec, D., and Simester, D. (2001). Always leave home without it: a further investigation of the credit-card effect on willingness to pay. Marketing Letters, 12(1). DOI (opens in a new tab)

The natural and quasi-experiments informing my benchmarks

Property: Billings, S. B., Gallagher, E. A., and Ricketts, L. (2022). Let the rich be flooded: the distribution of financial aid and distress after Hurricane Harvey. Journal of Financial Economics, 146(2). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Windfalls: Holtz-Eakin, D., Joulfaian, D., and Rosen, H. S. (1993). The Carnegie conjecture: some empirical evidence. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 108(2). Oxford (opens in a new tab)
Subscriptions: Einav, L., Klopack, B., and Mahoney, N. (2025). Selling subscriptions. American Economic Review, 115(5). AEA (opens in a new tab)
Scores: Dobbie, W., et al. (2020). Bad credit, no problem? Credit and labor market consequences of bad credit reports. Journal of Finance, 75(5). NBER (opens in a new tab)
Leverage: Mian, A., and Sufi, A. (2011). House prices, home equity-based borrowing, and the US household leverage crisis. American Economic Review, 101(5). AEA (opens in a new tab)
Tax: Benzarti, Y. (2020). How taxing is tax filing? Using revealed preferences to estimate compliance costs. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 12(4). AEA (opens in a new tab)
Contributions: Chetty, R., et al. (2014). Active vs. passive decisions and crowd-out in retirement savings accounts: evidence from Denmark. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129(3). Oxford (opens in a new tab)
Access: Kalda, A., et al. (2021). Smart(phone) investing? A within investor-time analysis of new technologies and trading behavior. NBER Working Paper, 28363. NBER (opens in a new tab)
Gambling: Baker, S. R., et al. (2026). Gambling away stability: sports betting’s impact on vulnerable households. Journal of Financial Economics, 183. DOI (opens in a new tab)

The administrative and historical records informing my benchmarks

Cash: Dimson, E., Marsh, P., and Staunton, M. (2002). Triumph of the Optimists: 101 Years of Global Investment Returns. Princeton University Press. Princeton (opens in a new tab)
Liquidity: Farrell, D., Greig, F., and Yu, C. (2019). Weathering volatility 2.0: a monthly stress test to guide savings. JPMorgan Chase Institute. JPMC (opens in a new tab)
Indexing: Fama, E. F., and French, K. R. (2010). Luck versus skill in the cross-section of mutual fund returns. Journal of Finance, 65(5). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Hedge: Bessembinder, H. (2018). Do stocks outperform Treasury bills? Journal of Financial Economics, 129(3). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Trading: Barber, B. M., and Odean, T. (2000). Trading is hazardous to your wealth: the common stock investment performance of individual investors. Journal of Finance, 55(2). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Attention: Barber, B. M., et al. (2022). Attention-induced trading and returns: evidence from Robinhood users. Journal of Finance, 77(6). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Space: Jordà, Ò., et al. (2019). The rate of return on everything, 1870–2015. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 134(3). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Gold: Erb, C. B., and Harvey, C. R. (2013). The golden dilemma. Financial Analysts Journal, 69(4). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Crypto: Auer, R., et al. (2022). Crypto trading and Bitcoin prices: evidence from a new database of retail adoption. BIS Working Papers, 1049. BIS (opens in a new tab)
Collectibles: Dimson, E., and Spaenjers, C. (2011). Ex post: the investment performance of collectible stamps. Journal of Financial Economics, 100(2). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Exits: Hall, R. E., and Woodward, S. E. (2010). The burden of the nondiversifiable risk of entrepreneurship. American Economic Review, 100(3). AEA (opens in a new tab)
Private equity: Kaplan, S. N., and Schoar, A. (2005). Private equity performance: returns, persistence, and capital flows. Journal of Finance, 60(4). DOI (opens in a new tab)

The panels, cohorts, and surveys informing my benchmarks

Disability: Meyer, B. D., and Mok, W. K. C. (2019). Disability, earnings, income and consumption. Journal of Public Economics, 171. NBER (opens in a new tab)
Life: Bernheim, B. D., et al. (2003). The mismatch between life insurance holdings and financial vulnerabilities. American Economic Review, 93(1). AEA (opens in a new tab)
Self-employment: Hamilton, B. H. (2000). Does entrepreneurship pay? An empirical analysis of the returns to self-employment. Journal of Political Economy, 108(3). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Independence: Benz, M., and Frey, B. S. (2008). Being independent is a great thing: subjective evaluations of self-employment and hierarchy. Economica, 75(298). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Enterprise: Moskowitz, T. J., and Vissing-Jørgensen, A. (2002). The returns to entrepreneurial investment: a private equity premium puzzle? American Economic Review, 92(4). AEA (opens in a new tab)
Forecasting: Tetlock, P. E. (2005). Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know? Princeton University Press. Princeton (opens in a new tab)

The theory and simulation informing my benchmarks

Diversification: Markowitz, H. (1952). Portfolio selection. Journal of Finance, 7(1). DOI (opens in a new tab)
Education: Evans, J. L., and Archer, S. H. (1968). Diversification and the reduction of dispersion: an empirical analysis. Journal of Finance, 23(5) — the ten-stock answer; Statman, M. (1987), Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 22(3), argues thirty or more. DOI (opens in a new tab)

The industry figures informing my benchmarks

Incidence: Council for Disability Awareness — the roughly one-in-four odds of disability before retirement that put own-occupation cover ahead of life cover. CDA (opens in a new tab)