On August 30, 2026 we gained a daughter. My son Jonah married Molly after eight years and one week of dating, and the Wedding Politburo gave me exactly three minutes for a speech. (I kept it to 40.)
This episode is the speech I gave at Jonah and Molly’s wedding, along with the story of the rabbi who married them and my 12-year-old Mia Sarah’s contribution to the evening.
In the speech, I tell Jonah about the chess tournament he won at ten years old and then handed to his friend Kevin. I tell the story of how he talked his way into the St. Julien in Boulder for the price of a Motel 6, and how his Toyota ended up parked next to the Ferraris. I trace how he went from a 1.3 GPA in 11th grade to graduating with honors from CU Boulder, and why Molly deserves most of the credit.
To Molly, I explain why she is every writer’s worst nightmare. I talk about her parents Josh and Eddie, her decision to leave a comfortable job for a master’s in mental health counseling, and the one word I kept repeating throughout the night.
I also share what makes Rabbi Ray Zwerin, 89 years old and the founder of Temple Sinai and the Denver Jewish Day School, the kind of person whose one-hour meetings turn into three-hour ones. Plus Mia Sarah’s speech, and the bouquet story that has me ready to lock her up.
The full essay is at investor.fm.
_________________________________________________________ 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED: Operation Molly article https://investor.fm/operation-molly/
Rabbi Zwerin essay’s https://zwerin.substack.com/
The Letter to Rabbi Zwerin https://investor.fm/a-letter-to-rabbi-zwerin/
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_________________________________________________________ WHO AM I: Vitaliy Katsenelson is the CEO of Investment Management Associates (IMA) and an award-winning writer. Forbes Magazine called him “The New Benjamin Graham.” His work has appeared in the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Fortune, Institutional Investor, and Foreign Policy. He is the author of three books, including Soul in the Game: The Art of a Meaningful Life. _________________________________________________________ Please read the following important disclosure: https://investor.fm/disclosure/
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