Good morning. Greg, here! Welcome to Midlife Male, the fastest-growing, #1 newsletter and lifestyle brand for men 40+. In today’s issue I discuss an interesting trend I’m seeing from my coaching clients about the dating market for midlife men, Jon takes a field trip into the world of restoring classic cars and our 6Fs includes how to make Ernest Hemingway’s incredible hamburger from scratch, a data-based take on whether to rent or buy a house and more…

If one of our 45,000+ readers shared this with you, subscribe here

How I See It by Greg Scheinman

Why the women midlife men want are no longer interested in men who stopped evolving.

The dating market for midlife men is fascinating right now because men and women are walking into it with completely different expectations. While I’m a happily married guy, I work with and coach a number of recently-divorced men, so I’ve got some insight into what’s happening, which is this:

A lot of accomplished men hit their late 40s or 50s thinking the hard part is over. They’ve built careers, accumulated some money, survived marriages, raised kids, collected stories, and they assume all of that automatically translates into value. Then they get divorced or separated, jump back into dating, and are genuinely shocked by what they find.

Not the attention. Most men with a little money and a little confidence can get attention. Quite a bit actually. 

What surprises them is the quality gap.

Because while a lot of these guys were coasting through comfortable marriages, drinking too much, neglecting themselves physically, emotionally and intellectually, a lot of women in midlife were doing the exact opposite. They got healthier. Smarter. More independent. More self-aware. More financially secure. More certain of what they will and won’t tolerate.

And now the two groups are meeting each other again.

Chelsea Handler talked about this recently on a podcast when she said it’s hard to find straight men who have their act together. She said she doesn’t know what’s wrong.

I do.

I actually went down to The Improv on Melrose last week where she was performing because I wanted to talk to her about it. The conversation never happened. She slipped out before I could corner her into a discussion she absolutely did not ask to have, but she put on a great show and honestly, I understood exactly what she meant.

The dating market for midlife men isn’t broken. A lot of the men are.

Not bad men, either. That’s the important distinction. Most are decent guys. But too many got comfortable, then complacent, and eventually stopped becoming anything. This leads to…

Read the full How I See It HERE:

The Manologue by Jon Finkel

Confession: I’m not a classic car guy but I’ve always wanted to be a classic car guy. As long as I can remember I’ve had this goofy daydream of working on a classic car in my garage. I bet you’ve had it too:

Garage door up. Work bench. Peg board full of tools. A sweet, powder blue ‘72 Ford Mustang Coupe in the driveway. Hood up. The inline six engine is bare, needs a little work. You’ve got a cold beer open on a stool. Some music’s going. And you’re tinkering. Some tightening here. Tweaking there. Working on your car. Livin’ the dream…

That’s it. Nothing fancy. 

Just you and some grease on your hands and oil on your jeans in your favorite old, faded t-shirt and a ride you take pride in restoring. Maybe a neighbor walks by and asks what you’re working on. You tell him, “The cylinder heads are warped so I’m checking the damage with the feeler gauge” and you actually know what all this means. Your neighbor walks up the driveway. Peaks his head under the hood. You offer him a beer. He accepts. You talk engines. It’s awesome.

If you already have this, congratulations. You’re living the classic car dream (and send me a pic of your garage). If you don’t, and you’re interested, you’ve come to the right place.

Currently, I have neither the space nor the time to live this dream. But my mind wanders to it more than it ever has before. I think it’s because I don’t like new cars very much. I hate the push-button start. I hate the giant LCD screen in the dash. I miss real odometers and speedometers and CD players. I miss specific knobs for treble and bass. I miss a car looking like, you know, a car.

Now the outside of every car looks like a 1990s wall phone with headlights and the inside looks like a smart phone. I want to spend as little time on my phone these days as possible and I especially don’t want to drive one. In the very near future, all cars will have a remote kill switch and facial recognition software and you’ll be spied on every time you get behind the wheel. That sucks. No guy wants this, but it’s inevitable.

The solution? Classic cars. Old school. Off the grid.

An older guy in his late 70s a few streets away has a set-up like the one I just mentioned. He’s a Corvette guy. He has a huge Corvette emblem on one wall of his garage, shelves of tools and posters and framed photos of famous Corvettes, most of which I’ve never heard of. It’s incredible. Also, he’s not super friendly. I pass him when I’m walking the dog on the weekends and he’s usually working on his car. It’s a yellow 1990 Corvette ZR1. The color is actually “competition yellow”. Those are the only two things he’s ever shared in years of me walking by his house.

And that’s fine. I get it. The garage is his time. He doesn’t need to host some random guy classic car fantasy camp just because I walk by every now and then.

The only other thing he mentioned a few weeks ago was that if I liked classic cars and vintage cars I should go to a place called Ragtop Motorcars not far from us.

So I went. For me. For you. For all of us. The place rules. It’s a museum and showroom and hangout for vintage/classic car guys. I could stay there all day and a huge shout out for the tour and talk!

Here Are 5 Things I Learned:

Most guys buy protein the same way they buy batteries at the airport. Whatever’s sitting there. Whatever’s on sale. Whatever has the biggest tub at Costco, or the loudest label on Amazon, or best fake-cookie flavor.

That’s a mistake.

Because if you’re training hard, trying to stay lean, recover faster, keep your energy up, and actually feel good in your 40s and 50s, your protein matters more now than it did at 25.

That’s why we’ve partnered with 1stPhorm.

First off, their protein doesn’t taste like a melted milkshake. It’s light, clean, and refreshing. More like a sports drink than the thick, chalky protein shakes most guys force down after workouts. Which means you’ll actually want to drink it consistently. Jon drinks it with this lunch.

More importantly, it works.

It’s also low in sugar, low in carbs, easy on digestion, and packed with high-quality protein without the bloated feeling a lot of cheaper powders cause. That matters when you’re trying to stay lean, perform well, and not feel sluggish halfway through the day.

And here’s the bigger point: most men over 40 don’t need more complicated nutrition advice. They need consistency. They need easy wins. They need products they’ll actually use every single day.

This is one of those products.

Stop buying protein on default.

Get one that actually supports the way you want to perform and feel from a brand we personally vouch for.

And here’s the kicker: If you try it and don’t love it, 1st Phorm backs everything with a 110% money-back guarantee. Not 100. One hundred and ten percent.

It’s burger season and we can thank our friends over at the Art of Manliness for this one: the actual recipe and full “how-to” instructions to cook a delicious burger created by the legend himself, Ernest Hemingway. I followed Brett’s instructions to the letter and these were, easily, the best burgers I’ve ever made. Ever. This post tells you everything, from the odd ingredients to exactly how to prepare the meat and cook it. Enjoy! Make Hemingway’s burger here.

- Jon

We’ve all run the numbers. Downpayment. Mortgage. HOA. Fixes. Property tax. And on and on. Versus renting. This woman is going viral because six years ago she decided to publicly track her decision to not buy a house, rent, and instead put her down payment and money that would have gone to the house into the stock market. I’m sure you know where this is headed. Here’s an interesting, short video to watch.

I’ve tried a lot of skincare products over the years. And now, more than ever, there are new products for men in midlife coming to market.

I get sent a lot of them. Most aren’t very good. A few are. And then there’s ATWATER. It’s at the top of my list.

ATWATER was founded by Chris Salgardo, the former President of Kiehl’s. Chris spent 18 years helping lead one of the most respected skincare brands in the world before building something of his own.

I’ve gotten to know him, and he’s exactly the kind of guy you’d expect to be behind a brand like this: experienced, genuine, no pretense. He understands skin, he understands men, and he understands that most of us don’t want skincare to become a second job.

A few products worth knowing: the Cleansing Gel, the Eye Cream, the Moisturizers, and the Sunscreen. SPF is the one I really want to call out. Daily SPF is non-negotiable at this age. ATWATER’s Skin Armor Mineral Facial Sunscreen SPF 50+ gives you serious daily protection in a formula that feels comfortable and hydrates the skin.

Chris also created the ATWATER Skin Quiz to help you understand your skin type and get a routine recommendation customized for you. It takes the guesswork out of skincare.

After you complete the quiz, use code MidlifeMale with any purchase to receive a complimentary travel pouch and travel soap, a gift valued at $26.

Take the quiz here: [QUIZ]

- Greg

I’ve been using the Apollo Neuro wearable for a while now and it’s one of the few things I’ve added that actually helps me in real time.

It’s not a tracker. It’s not another app telling you how you slept or how stressed you are. It actively works on your nervous system while you’re wearing it.

It’s a simple strap. I wear it on my ankle most of the time. You open the app, pick what you want: focus, unwind, sleep, recovery, etc… and it runs a program using vibration that helps shift your state. I admit it, the whole thing sounds a little out there until you try it. Then you get it.

I use it throughout the day. In the morning when I want to settle in and get focused. Between calls when I need to reset. At night before bed (that’s probably where I’ve seen the biggest difference).

I’m sleeping longer and deeper. Less waking up in the middle of the night, and when I do, I fall back asleep faster. It’s noticeable. Not subtle.

If you’re the kind of guy who runs hot, always on, dealing with stress, pressure, constantly thinking about what’s next, this helps take the edge off. It doesn’t knock you out. It just brings you down a notch so you’re not always operating at a ten.

A lot of guys try meditation, breathwork, all of it. Some of it works, some of it doesn’t stick. This is different because it works while you’re doing everything else. You don’t have to carve out extra time for it.

It also comes with their SmartVibes AI membership, which personalizes the experience based on how you’re using it. Different programs, different modes, and they keep updating it.

Bottom line, this is one of the few tools I’ve used that helps you regulate in the moment instead of just telling you after the fact that you were stressed.

And we could all use more of that.

INTRODUCING: Our NEW Midlife Male Referral Program, the best way to get exclusive MM gear, from stickers to tees, Yetis, hoodies and more.

All you have to do is share the link below with a guy who you know would enjoy reading our newsletter. Your dad. Your brother. Your best buddy from college. If they subscribe, you get cool stuff. Win-win.

MLM Founder: Greg Scheinman / Follow Greg on Instagram & LinkedIn

Love Greg’s How I See It column? Visit the full How I See It Archive HERE where he shares his personal insights, experiences and perspectives on everything affecting midlife.

Buy My Book Here / Book Coaching/Speaking Here

MLM Editor-in-Chief: Jon Finkel / Follow Jon on Twitter/X and Instagram

Love Jon’s Manologue column? Check out the full Manologue Archive HERE where he writes about pop culture, parenthood, sports, nostalgia & everything in between.