5 Ways to Profit from the Amazon HQ2 Selection
Update 11/12/2018: Wall Street Journal now reporting it’s official. Amazon HQ2 coming to Crystal City! Bezos confirms. Read on to learn five potential ways to invest based on the Crystal City selection. #1 is Fundrise, a D.C.-based real estate investing platform. Own high-quality D.C.-area real estate assets for a $500 minimum investment. Amazon ignited a rush […]
Create Multiple Income Streams for Security and Wealth
When I lost my job last year, my former employer didn’t have the means to pay me a severance. Not even close. Our family had emergency savings, but it was our multiple income streams that kept us afloat. Five years earlier, a job loss would have been much worse. But since I saved and invested […]
How to Retire Early with Real Estate (Free Book Giveaway!)
Update: Four winners have been chosen. Thanks for all your responses! I’m super excited about today’s post because it’s my first book giveaway after more than five years of blogging. The book is a sterling piece of work by my friend Chad Carson of the blog Coach Carson, that is already helping thousands of people […]
Investing vs. Gambling – What’s the Difference?
What’s the difference between investing vs. gambling? Well the simple answer is math, but there’s more to it than that. In my mid-teens, I went to Atlantic City with my family for an evening on the boardwalk. I was deeply interested in money for someone my age so the idea of gambling was intriguing, to say […]
Simply the Best Deal in Personal Finance this Month
I admit that my finances have gotten a bit complicated over the years. Part of that is because I enjoy personal finance, investing, and tracking everything I do with money. But most people aren’t like that. Most people want money to be a secondary part of their lives without all the complexity. For those people, […]
12 Investments I Made Last Quarter
fThe Portfolio page on my blog has been updated as of September 30th, 2018. This page outlines my portfolio of taxable investments and the income generated on a yearly and average monthly basis. Click here to see all previous updates. This quarterly update contains a summary of my personal investment activity for the past quarter. I’ve shared the investment income (aka […]
How to Invest in Websites for Extra Income
In a recent post about alternative investments, I wrote about how to invest in websites (#7 on the list). There are a few ways to do it and I barely scratched the surface. Another blogger read that post and offered to go further in depth with a guest post, specifically about buying niche websites for […]
How to Thrive Financially in the Decade Ahead
One mistake that I see people making today is reminiscent of the years leading up to the last big recession of 2008-2009. When economic times are good, people tend to assume it will stay good and do little to prepare for the next recession. A good economy and job market are validation to take risks […]
Another Clickbait Title to Coax You Into Reading Something Useful
I once clicked on an ad that said something like “You won’t believe what OJ Simpson’s daughter looks like today!”. The link took me to an article called 31 Celebrity Then and Now Photos that will BLOW YOUR MIND! (paraphrasing). Each celebrity then and now photo was on a separate page, requiring that I click […]
It’s Only Money
Every week I write about money. Sometimes in a roundabout way. But ultimately, this website is about growing wealth by making better financial decisions. Life is not about money, but money can help us live a better life. When you’re living paycheck to paycheck, unexpected expenses can be extremely stressful. The news of a major home […]
5 Things I’ve Learned from 5 Years of Blogging
Starting a blog five years ago changed my life. Before my blog, I watched too much television and lacked self-motivation. The blog empowered me to make better use of my time. I became more productive, more thoughtful about investments and money decisions, and eventually, I replaced the part-time income my wife once earned. Through the […]
How to Manage Excess Cash Flow
In personal finance, excess cash flow is the money that’s left over in your checking account at the end of each month. Your success with money is heavily dependent on creating and doing smart things with it. If you don’t have any excess cash flow, you may need to change shit up. Each of my quarterly […]
Retire at 50. Live to 100.
I’m not one for round numbers. But I had a thought recently. What if I could retire at 50, then live to 100? Is that even possible? If so, which part is the bigger challenge? The whole basis of this blog is my goal to retire by age 55, one year prior to the age […]
8 Alternative Investment Ideas for Further Research
Diversification is said to be the only free lunch in the investment world. If your portfolio is heavily weighted toward one asset class, you may benefit from exploring other places to put your money. The alternative investment ideas in this post may be a good starting point for your search. Conventional investments include stocks, bonds, […]