The care/of Index
For those who understand that the right connections—romantic, social, collaborative—are the ultimate edge. Each note explores the art of building partnerships that endure: slow, deliberate, and alive with meaning.
Quick video explainers of our thesis and how care/of works.
1. The one decision that outperforms every investment
The most important decision of your life is who you choose to partner with—socially, professionally, romantically.
This is not sentimentality; it's a high-leverage choice that determines whether your life, career, and wealth compound exponentially or stall.
Watch the video to learn the strategic approach successful people use to choose life partners who amplify their success.
1 Zagorsky, J. L. (2018). Marriage and divorce’s impact on wealth and earnings: Evidence from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 77, 90–96. ScienceDirect.
2. The structural reason your circle shrinks as you succeed
In many ways, success should make relationships easier.
More resources. More freedom. More choice.
But what actually happens? The variables invert:
- The stakes go up
- The radius of interaction narrows
- The cost of vulnerability increases
This pattern repeats at the highest levels.
A Fortune magazine article captured it perfectly:
"The CEOs of Apple, Airbnb, and PepsiCo agree on one thing: life as a business leader is incredibly lonely."
Watch the video to discover why achievement creates isolation, why traditional options for connection fail, and what actually works.
3. Trust as architecture, not a leap of faith
We've been told our entire lives that trust is a gift we must give blindly:
But what if that advice is precisely why we keep getting burned?
Drawing from research in game theory, neuroscience, and Google's two-year study of 180 teams, we've identified three mechanisms high-achievers use to build trust that compounds:
Consistency over time, skin in the game, and structural safeguards.