I've been doing AI, data, and investing for 15+ years. This is my lab.
I'm heinzer. 42. From Hamburg. Never left.
Married, two kids.
I studied mathematics when it was still considered a "safe way to not know what to do with your life." My focus was statistical modeling and time series — long before "data science" became a buzzword.
I didn't choose math because I had a grand vision. It was just… the path of least resistance.
Turns out, that was a good call.
Early Days
I started coding early. QBasic, HTML, random experiments.
School almost killed that interest completely. Bad teachers will do that.
University brought it back. Java did the rest.
The Career Path
My career didn't start in AI.
I ended up in IT consulting, working with large German companies like Otto, Fresenius, Beiersdorf.
But here's the catch:
The system I worked on used a proprietary language almost nobody in the world knows.
I mastered it.
And then realized: I had built valuable skills in a niche that barely exists.
In 2017, I reset.
Data & Cloud
I moved into data engineering, machine learning, and cloud.
Today, I build forecasting systems:
- demand
- returns
- logistics flows
Up to 450 days into the future, on SKU level, at scale, in production, in Google Cloud.
My job is basically: build everything end-to-end and make sure it never breaks.
Investing: The Learning Curve
At the same time, I've been investing for over a decade.
And I made almost every mistake you can make:
- random stock picking
- "story" investments (yes, even a Greece fund…)
- high fees
- no strategy
Later:
- big tech (Apple, Alphabet, Amazon)
- ETFs
- systematic investing
- dividend strategy
Today:
- higher savings rate
- more structure
- still learning
The Shift: Data-Driven Investing
What changed everything?
Data.
So I started asking: What happens if I treat my portfolio like a machine learning problem?
Not opinions. Not narratives. But:
- data
- probabilities
- systems
That's what this is.
OpenWealthLab.
What is OpenWealthLab?
This is not a traditional blog.
It is a system.
All posts are generated from:
- my actual portfolio transactions
- dividend payments
- allocation changes
- and my own notes and thoughts
There is no "content creation" in the classic sense.
Instead:
- my financial life produces structured data
- and the system turns it into narratives
AI is not the author here. It is the translator.
I don't write posts. I record reality — and the system writes it back to me.
Why?
Because I don't fully trust my own decisions.
Not in investing. Not over long time horizons.
I've seen how easy it is to:
- follow narratives
- ignore risk
- overestimate conviction
So I want to build something that challenges me.
A system that:
- tracks what I actually do
- exposes mistakes
- detects concentration and risk
- and forces me to face the data
Long Term Goal
I want to build: a portfolio intelligence system I actually trust.
Not another dashboard.
Something that:
- questions my decisions
- highlights blind spots
- uses AI where it actually makes sense
This project is also an experiment: Can you build a fully automated, transparent financial journal based on real data — and make it useful?
We'll find out.
What You'll Find Here
No fake guru advice. No "this stock will 10x" bullshit.
Just: data, code, and uncomfortable truths.
Tone Disclaimer
I like:
- dark humor
- brutal honesty
- questioning everything
If you're looking for motivation quotes… this won't be it.
Support The Project
If OpenWealthLab is useful to you, you can support hosting, domain, and infrastructure costs.
Buy me a coffeeOptional support
If that sounds interesting:
Welcome to the lab.
— heinzer