HENRY DIARIES: Meet Patrick - The 35-Year-Old Atlanta Brand Manager Making $164K
From North Carolina. Lives in Buckhead. Makes $164K. Has a girlfriend he should probably propose to. Loves golf, Barstool, and his mama.
MEET PATRICK
Patrick is 35.
He’s a Brand Manager at a major CPG company - you’ve absolutely bought something he helped launch because his marketing brain is elite.
He makes $164K, which back home in North Carolina would make him a king.
In Atlanta?
It makes him comfortable but confused.
He lives in Buckhead, in a nice-but-not-nice-enough apartment, with:
granite counters
a balcony he never uses
a gym he pretends counts as “living healthy”
a dog far too large for city life
neighbors who make more noise than ideal
His dog is a 105-pound golden retriever named Duke (named after his alma mater). Because of course it is.
He has a girlfriend, Quinn, he genuinely loves.
He wants to propose.
He just… can’t bring himself to pull the trigger yet.
Not because of her. Because of money.
Even though ironically? He actually has money.
He just doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing with it.
He’s wicked smart. Analytics genius. Marketing prodigy. Southern charm on 100.
But financially? He’s a little boy lost in the grocery store.
He’s a HENRY.
Let’s walk through a day in his life.
6:04 AM - The Dog Alarm
Duke wakes up with the enthusiasm of a toddler on a sugar rush.
Patrick opens one eye. Duke is sitting on his chest. Panting aggressively.
Patrick groans: “Buddy…why.”
He puts on shorts, a hoodie, Crocs (he swears he hates them but wears them daily), and trudges downstairs.
He loves this dog. He hates mornings.
6:30 AM - Truck Time
He loads Duke into his F-150 because:
he’s Southern
he’s a man
he will not drive a sedan, don’t disrespect him
parking garages were not designed for this
He gets Starbucks:
Venti cold brew
Bacon Gouda
Puppy whip (Duke is spoiled)
He drives around Buckhead with the windows down like he’s clearing his mind before a playoff game.
7:08 AM - Gym Attempt
He swipes into his building gym.
Does:
7 minutes on the rower
bench press (always)
5 sets of “thinking about life” on a yoga mat
stretches he found on TikTok
He leaves feeling like he trained for the Olympics.
He did not.
8:22 AM - Work Mode: CPG Royalty
He logs in. His day begins.
Brand Manager life looks like:
deck building
briefing creative teams
market research
consumer insights
data deep dives
fixing things that weren’t his fault
convincing leadership to take bold risks
pretending to love meetings
He is excellent at his job.
Not good.
Excellent.
He was born to lead brands. He wants to be a VP someday. He will be - everyone knows it.
But the thought of being financially responsible enough to propose? Different story.
11:45 AM - Lunch & Mom Check-In
He calls his mom on his walk to Sweetgreen.
She is an angel. A saint. A woman who raised him right.
She says: “When are you proposing, baby? She’s a good girl.”
He says: “Soon, Mama.”
She says: “Your daddy proposed at 24.”
He says: “Mama, it’s a different time.”
She pauses.
Then: “I saw a house for sale in Raleigh…”
(Here it comes.)
“You should think about settling down.”
He winces.
He loves her.
But Mama does not understand:
Atlanta rent
inflation
engagement ring prices
the emotional trauma of modern dating
He gets his $16 salad.
Sighs deeply.
1:30 PM - Text From His Girlfriend
Her: “Thoughts on going to Charleston in April? :) We haven’t taken a trip in a while!”
Translation: “If you take another boys’ trip before taking me somewhere, I swear to God.”
His heart drops.
He did just book a Myrtle Beach golf weekend with the bros.
He writes: “Would love to talk about it tonight :)”
This is Patrick speak for: “I need to figure out how not to go bankrupt.”
2:15 PM - Work Break = Financial Panic Time
He opens Robinhood. His entire portfolio looks like:
Tesla
Apple
Nvidia
A crypto thing he refuses to talk about
A random dividend stock he saw on TikTok
A SPAC he thought was “a good idea at the time”
He scrolls through:
finance TikTok
IG reels
Barstool clips
“how to retire early” threads
Substack newsletters he’ll never implement
He has:
cash
zero plan
apparently a solid employer match, whatever that means
He whispers: “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”
4:40 PM - Boys Group Chat Attack
His boys from college drop a message:
“BRO, Austin in June. Golf + BBQ. You in?”
His soul leaves his body. His girlfriend will kill him. Financially and emotionally.
But also? He wants to go so bad.
He types:
“maybe”
Deletes.
“yea let me see”
Deletes.
“sounds fun”
Deletes.
He settles on: “Let me check dates”
He’s pressed.
5:30 PM - The Drive Home: Truck Therapy
He drives home blasting:
Luke Combs
Drake
Morgan Wallen
Future
his “southern hype” playlist
one random EDM track that makes no sense
The truck is his temple. His decompress chamber. His clarity machine.
Unfortunately clarity today = anxiety.
He wants to propose. He loves her deeply. She’s the one.
But he doesn’t feel financially ready.
Even though: He makes $164K. Has savings. Has a good job. Is stable. Is responsible. Is respected.
He still feels behind.
Because that’s how it is for HENRYs. High earners. Not rich yet. Forever trying to “catch up.”
6:15 PM - Home + Girlfriend Time + Unspoken Pressure
He walks in. She hugs him. Duke jumps on both of them. He smiles - really smiles.
She cooks tonight. Pasta. His favorite.
He loves her. His mother loves her. Everyone loves her.
During dinner she casually brings up: “Have you thought about when we should start looking at houses? Nothing serious… just exploring hehe.”
He almost chokes.
He nods: “Yeah babe we can start talking about it.”
Inside he’s screaming: “HOW MUCH IS A DOWN PAYMENT??? DO WE NEED 20%??? WHAT EVEN IS 20% OF ATLANTA PRICES?!!!”
She notices his eyes twitch.
She changes the subject.
Because she knows him.
She’s patient. Too patient.
8:00 PM - Duke Walk + Heart-to-Heart With Himself
He takes Duke out for a walk through Buckhead.
He sees:
couples pushing strollers
Mercedes everywhere
apartment buildings with rooftop pools
dudes his age jogging like they have no worries
He thinks: “Everyone else has their life together.”
They don’t.
He knows that logically. Emotionally? It feels true.
He sits on a bench. Duke lies on his feet.
He whispers: “I’m ready to propose. I just need to not be a financial idiot first.”
9:10 PM - TikTok Motivational Spiral
He gets home. Shows. Sits on the couch with Duke.
And like an absolute clown: He opens TikTok.
He scrolls through:
“How to invest 100K”
“5 things to do before proposing”
“Couples who communicate well do this”
“Why buying a house before marriage is dumb”
“Why buying a house after marriage is dumber”
“Atlanta housing market 2025!!”
Barstool clips
golf memes
Gordon Ramsay yelling at people
fiance proposal reaction videos (he tears up a little)
One clip: “If you’re waiting to feel financially ready to propose, you’ll wait forever.”
He freezes.
10:05 PM - The Realization
He sits on the edge of the bed.
He thinks about:
his girlfriend
his future
his career
his mom
his savings
his unclear investments
his desire to be a good man, a good partner, a good provider
He finally admits something out loud: “I don’t need more money. I need a plan.”
Because financially? He’s not failing. He’s just directionless.
He’s tired of winging it. Tired of guessing. Tired of feeling like adulthood is one giant group project where he’s doing his part blindfolded.
He wants clarity. He wants confidence. He wants the damn spreadsheet to make sense.
He wants to know:
how to propose
how to budget for a ring
how to buy a house
how to invest properly
how to build a real future
how much he should actually have saved
how to stop pretending Robinhood is a retirement strategy
He wants to feel ready.
Not perfect. Not rich. Just… certain.
And for the first time he thinks: “I need someone to help me get my financial sh*t together.”
And that? That is the moment every HENRY hits.
The moment where boyhood ends. And grown-man life begins.
The moment where he steps into the next chapter - with a plan instead of vibes.
