Category: Financial Independence

Single Car Blues- The Pros and Cons of Owning Only One Car

"Yes, my wife and I share a car, I guess it is pretty eco-friendly now that you mention it," Mr Burrito Bowl.

"Um, I just asked if I could take your order," Taco Bell guy.

My wife and I have shared one car since February of 2017.  It’s been pretty easy, I like it.  Before you go out and sell your second (or third) car it hasn’t been all high fives and make-out sessions.  Our alarm rings every weekday at 5:30 in the morning.  This gives us time to wake up and have coffee and for my wife to have breakfast.  She has to be at work at 7am.  Being as how we only have one car it’s my job to drive her to work. Continue reading “Single Car Blues- The Pros and Cons of Owning Only One Car”

Investing 101- How to Invest Your Money When You Don’t Know Where to Start

Question:  I have some amount of money that I would like to turn into more money.  How should I invest it?

Side Note:  I’m pretty lazy and don’t want it to take up a lot of my time.

Answer:  You should invest in Vanguard VTSMX.

How to invest post over.  Phew that was really easier than I thought.

For those of you more curious as to why you should invest in Vanguard VTSMX I will explain in further detail and also ask/answer a few more questions. Continue reading “Investing 101- How to Invest Your Money When You Don’t Know Where to Start”

The 4% Rule- How To Know When You’ve Reached Financial Independence

I have a good friend who we’ll call Eric because his name is Eric.  It’s his real name, not even a made up name to protect his identity.  He once said I can feel free to share his social security number so I don’t think he’ll care about me using his real name in my article about the 4% rule. He might have been joking about that, but I don’t like to assume things.

Unfortunately, I can’t remember his social security number so we’ll just have to make due with his first name.

Eric was lamenting the fact that retirement was simply not in the cards for our generation. Continue reading “The 4% Rule- How To Know When You’ve Reached Financial Independence”

Work Less, Bullshit More- The Secret to Winning at Work

Work Less, Bullshit More…Wait, what?

As counterintuitive as the post of this title is, I believe it’s true.  I mean, not if you’re naturally a terrible worker who just talks all day but if you’re chasing financial independence chances are you’re naturally tilted towards putting your head down and working hard.  At the very least work less, bullshit more has it’s place.  If you want to get ahead at your job: work less, bullshit more. Continue reading “Work Less, Bullshit More- The Secret to Winning at Work”

5 Great Ways to Teach Your Kids About Money

So you decided that instead of sticking your tongue out and seeing if you can touch your nose again you’d be better off doing something productive.

You want to teach your kids a little about investing.  Maybe you want to teach your wee lads and/or lassies about the power of saving their hard earned dollars or about the power of compounding interest.  You want to teach them how to make it work for them instead of against them.  Maybe you just want them to have a firm grasp on the world and their finances. Maybe is a strong word. Continue reading “5 Great Ways to Teach Your Kids About Money”

Why Pursue Fi- The Pros and Cons of the Frugal Lifestyle

We are pursuing financial independence.  It’s nice to have the type of income where that is even remotely feasible.  We don’t take that for granted.  It’s not all roses and ramen though.  There are a lot of pros to pursuing financial independence and a lot of cons.  It’s important to keep a healthy frame of mind in both because it’s a long journey.  You have to keep a centered mind for a long time. Continue reading “Why Pursue Fi- The Pros and Cons of the Frugal Lifestyle”

The Retirement Plant- Your Life is a Garden and Each Expense is a Plant

Retirement is a Plant in the Garden of Life. 

What is your financial goal?  Is it to own a bigger house, fill your closet with nicer things, be able to not worry about each months bills, or to fully fund your retirement accounts?  Whatever your financial goals are, the way you think about your expenses can make a huge difference on your success.

Think of your life as a 4×6 foot patch of dirt.  It starts off bare, but as we get older, we start to add plants to it until one day we look up and we’ve made an entire garden. Continue reading “The Retirement Plant- Your Life is a Garden and Each Expense is a Plant”

Save Pretax-Becoming a Millionaire and Achieving Financial Independence

Trying to save after tax money is hard.  A much easier plan to wealth accumulation is to invest pre-tax money.

In conversations with folks one thing I’ve noticed popping up is people dismissively saying “I won’t ever become a millionaire…”  My follow up question is always “Why not?”

A million dollars certainly isn’t what it used to be but still people have this mental block about that number.  It’s impossibly far off.  Something to be achieved only by those who win the lottery or make it to the big leagues.  It’s really not as hard as all of that. Continue reading “Save Pretax-Becoming a Millionaire and Achieving Financial Independence”

Financial Independence- The Freedom to Choose

What is Financial Independence and why do we pursue it?

In a nutshell, financial independence is when you have enough passive income to cover your basic expenses.  Being financially independent means working for money is optional.

We are pursuing financial independence because life is short.  We both enjoy our jobs but we want the freedom to take time off, spend more time with our future children, and travel more.

Being financially independent also guards against having a financial emergency if something happens and one or both of us are no longer ABLE to work. Continue reading “Financial Independence- The Freedom to Choose”