Review | Try it Free | Video
Review | Try it Free | Video
Passive Income Ideas
Portfolio
Dividend Aristocrats
Ode to the Passbook Savings Account
On December 1st, 1986, my Mom took me to open my first bank account at the local Dollar Bank branch. I was 11 years old and a little skeptical of giving the bank teller my $21.60. I walked out with a small green booklet that looked like a passport. My parents thought it was the…
Financial Confidence is the New Financial Independence
The FIRE movement made the rounds in national news for a few years and still gets a head nod here and there. The early retirement (RE) part of FIRE always received more criticism because it’s the goal when someone doesn’t like their career choice and wants to escape. In hindsight, this was me. Both financially…
The “Minus Your Age” Rule of Thumb for Asset Allocation
The minus your age rule of thumb is a simple math formula used in personal finance to help DIY investors and advisors determine a suitable stock-to-bond ratio for an investment portfolio. I’ve always referred to this as the 130 minus your age rule of thumb on this website, but that only tells part of the…
M1 Finance Review 2024: A Top Broker for Long-Term Investors
I’ve been investing on the M1 Finance platform since 2017. I was attracted by the intuitive way investors can design their ideal portfolio first and then fund it over time. This method differs from the traditional way of investing excess cash flow — buying individual holdings every month or so. With M1 Finance, any time…
Get Smarter About Your Mortgage (Calculator Spreadsheet + Video)
Many of us secured historically low mortgage rates for our homes in the past decade. We now find ourselves content with a 4% rate or better as our home values continue to rise. Our family refinanced to a 20-year loan in September 2020 at 2.75%. That rate has eliminated our desire to move. With a…
Managing Mom and Dad’s Money
My Dad retired in 2002 with a 403(b) and lifelong teacher’s pension. Unsure of his retirement savings, some fellow retired teachers recommended a financial advisor who “specialized in retired teachers”. So he converted the 403(b) to an IRA, transferred his and my Mom’s IRAs to the advisor, and trusted him to manage their money for…
Financial Independence Number: Definition and How to Customize
The financial independence number is a benchmark to determine retirement preparedness. It’s also known as the FI number. Financial independence is achieved by: building enough passive income to cover annual expenses, or amassing a lump sum of enough savings and investments to cover living expenses through withdrawals, or a combination of #1 and #2. The financial independence…
The Problem with a “Forever Home” Mindset in Retirement
My parents lived in their first home for more than 50 years. But they stayed too long. They thought the house would be their forever home for most of their lives, but also didn’t think they’d live so long into retirement. It’s been a year since they’ve settled into a more suitable home, and now…
Broke, Unemployed, and Living With My Parents
I moved in with my parents when I was 27. The football wallpaper in my bedroom was gone, and the bed was bigger. But it was still the room I slept in for the first 18 years of my life. While most of my friends were married and starting high-salary jobs after years of graduate…
Dividend Growth Investing with Ben Reynolds of Sure Dividend
This week’s post is a video conversation with Ben Reynolds of the Sure Dividend Newsletter. Watch it below or click over to YouTube for this 50-minute chat. Stay tuned until the end when Ben shares his top 3 dividend stock recommendations for May 2024. In tandem with this video, Ben is offering a free spreadsheet…
