It started as a blog in 2018.
I was asking the same questions everyone faces — where to invest, whether to rent or buy, how to think about health, where to travel next. I couldn't find answers I trusted, so I started writing my own.
The writing led to tools. I'd research a topic, write about it, then realize a calculator would actually help people apply what I'd explained. First a rent-vs-buy calculator. Then a job offer analyzer. Then a financial literacy quiz.
Some tools outgrew their origins. The FIRE planner became Apex — a full platform with Monte Carlo simulations and eight strategies. The wellness tracking became Longevity. When my son arrived, I built ParentPod because no existing tracker did what I needed.
Today this site is the hub — part portfolio, part launchpad. The blog still runs. The tools are all free. The platforms keep shipping. Every word and every line of code came from real curiosity and real experience.
Rockeish McKenzie
Writer · Builder · Traveler
USC engineering grad. Licensed P.E. and PMP. Days in the energy industry; nights building free tools, writing about what I'm learning, and planning the next trip.
What I build.
Each area has tools and platforms. Most ideas start as blog posts, graduate to calculators, and some become standalone products.
01 / Wealth
Wealth & Investments
FIRE planning, real estate analysis, job offer comparison, rent vs buy decisions.
02 / Health
Health & Longevity
Wellness tracking, sleep analysis, workout planning, fitness optimization.
03 / Family
Family & Connections
Smart baby tracking, circle-based social networking, relationship tools.
04 / Professional
Professional Tools
NERC compliance system with automated mapping across 87 standards.
The journey.
-
2014
The Foundation
Graduated USC with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. Started a career designing substations and commissioning high-voltage equipment at the nation's largest municipal utility.
-
2017
P.E. & PMP
Earned the Professional Engineer license and PMP certification from Caltech. Started leading NERC compliance programs.
-
2018
The Blog Launches
Started writing about finance, travel, and health while finishing my M.S. at USC — documenting what I was learning.
-
2021
First Tools
Started turning calculators into living tools — rent vs. buy, job offer comparison. Moved into a senior engineering role and kept chasing the same instinct: solve the decision in front of me, then share it.
-
2023
Bigger Bets
Began building Apex and RealInvestorX as proper platforms instead of one-off calculators. Stepped into a management role earlier than expected, and started a new chapter at home too.
-
2024
Leading & Building
Took on a director role in renewable energy and relocated to Chicago. Outside work, NERC Compliance OS, TheLoop, and Longevity all started taking shape — each solving something I kept hitting in practice.
-
2025
A New Kind of Build
Became a dad — the best, most humbling build yet. That experience turned into ParentPod, a smarter way to track the early months, and pushed me into native mobile development for the first time.
-
2026
The Studio
Rebranded the whole ecosystem around a single idea: this is a working studio, not a static blog. Some platforms are live, others are still maturing — the site is finally a home base for all of it.
Want to connect?
Whether it's a travel tip, a tool idea, feedback on something I built, or just a shared curiosity — I'd love to hear from you.
Trusted Tools & Services
I genuinely use these every day. If you sign up through these links, we both get a win.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase or sign up, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and believe in.
Lifestyle & Ridesharing
ClassPass
Get 20 bonus credits for free (on top of the standard free trial) to try out local fitness studios and wellness spas.
Uber
Get 50% off your first 2 rides (up to $10 each). Perfect for your next trip or night out.
Lyft
Get 50% off your first 2 rides. A great alternative for reliable transportation.
Finance & Investing
M1 Finance
Get a $75 bonus when you sign up and fund a new investment account with at least $100.
Robinhood
Get a free stock (worth up to $200) just for signing up and linking your bank account.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® & Preferred®
Earn a massive sign-up bonus (75k-125k points) which can be redeemed for over $1,000 in travel through Chase Travel℠.
Chase Business Cards
Earn up to 200,000 bonus points or $1,000 cash back to jumpstart your business expenses.
Venmo
Get $5 for free after you sign up and make a qualifying payment of at least $5.
Webull
Get up to 20 free stocks when you fund your account with any amount (even just $0.01).
Coinbase & Coinbase One
Get $10 in Bitcoin after you trade $100, plus a $10 discount on your first month of Coinbase One.
Wealthfront
Join me at Wealthfront and we both earn a +0.75% APY boost, 0.50% investing deposit match — or both. Limited time offer!
Monarch Money
Get an extended 30-day free trial (instead of the usual 7) to organize and track all your financial accounts in one place.
Kalshi
Get a $25 bonus to start trading on real-world events like weather, interest rates, or elections.
MaxRewards
Supercharge your credit card rewards and perks. New users get a free month of MaxRewards Gold to automate offer activations and maximize points. Use code: lp528