I’ve changed my publishing schedule to one article every two weeks. Here’s why.
How to Invest in Dividend Stocks – A Comprehensive Guide
I started learning how to invest in dividend stocks in 1995 when my uncle gifted me one share of Chevron stock for my 20th birthday. Since then, I’ve built a portfolio of 50+ stocks in my that pays me more than $7,000 every year. Dividend stocks are only one portion of my overall investment strategy. […]
The Best (Free) Deal for Aspiring Real Estate Investors Right Now
I want to direct your attention to a great deal being offered right now by my friend and blogging ‘colleague’ Chad Carson of CoachCarson.com. Chad is a bona fide real estate expert. He learned about real estate investing the hard way, from bootstrapping in his early twenties to running a professional business today. While managing […]
Masterworks Review: Marilyn Monroe in Your Investment Portfolio?
This Masterworks review was updated on 07/31/2019. Part of what I love about being a money blogger is learning about innovative startups and investment platforms. Last year, I came across one that was particularly interesting and mentioned it in a post about alternative investment ideas. Today I’m digging deeper into Masterworks, an investment platform that […]
For the Happiness of All Humankind
I’ve been thinking a lot about happiness recently. Not so much about what makes me happy, but about the mechanics of creating sustained happiness in life. Over and over again, I read about successful people I admire who have all the money they need but still don’t feel fulfilled with their lives. The actor Jim […]
RealtyMogul Review 2019 – Commercial Real Estate for Ordinary Investors
This RealtyMogul review was updated 07/22/2019. RealtyMogul is a Los Angeles-based real estate crowdfunding platform that connects individual investors to professionally managed commercial real estate deals on a modern investment platform. The company offers non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), private investment offerings, and 1031 exchanges all under one roof. It’s suitable for both accredited […]
7 Strategic Ways to Lower Your Mortgage Payment
Now that we’ve sold the condo and the mortgage is gone, we’re down to one debt in our family, our primary mortgage. What irks me about owning a home with a mortgage is that I need to have a full-time job to cover the payment. No duh, right? That’s a typical situation. But I look […]
Never Regret a Paid Off Debt
Over the years, I’ve been indebted many times for one reason or another. Mostly car loans and a few mortgages, but a few personal loans too. After college, my parents lent me $5,500 to buy a used Mazda. The interest rate was better than a traditional car loan, so I was grateful to take the […]
Financial Security for Everyone
A few months back, I had a conversation with a woman from a well-known advocacy organization for retirees and the elderly. One part of the organization’s mission is to promote financial security among its membership base. However, the organization seemed to be targeting a younger audience, where I met the representative. So I asked her […]
Major Milestone: $12,000 Forward Passive Income
I’ve tracked how much forward passive income I earn from investments since I started investing in dividend stocks. I prefer this metric over performance against the market indexes because I’m not trying to beat the market with these funds. Dividend income is reliable and predictable. Based on the holdings in a dividend stock portfolio, you […]
FIRE with Real Estate: Using Rentals & Leverage to Build Income Faster
The following is a guest post from Brian Davis at Spark Rental. Brian is a landlord, personal finance writer, and the co-founder of Spark Rental. Swing by his site for all kinds of free stuff to help landlords including a rental property calculator, and video courses on building passive income from rentals. There’s also a […]
10 Reasons Why I’m Selling My Condo Rental Property
A few months back, my tenants informed me they found a new rental to accommodate their growing family. After the news, I immediately started preparing to sell my condo rental property. I bought the unit as my first home in 2006. It’s a one-bedroom condo, not far outside of Washington D.C in northern Virginia. As […]
My Retirement Asset Allocations and Improved Portfolio Page
To be more transparent about my overall investment strategy, I’ve redesigned my Portfolio page and will be explaining the changes in today’s blog post. It now includes the details of our retirement asset allocations, my dividend growth stock portfolio, the forward 12-month investment income (F12MII) chart, and a new financial independence progress chart. I did […]
How to Retire at Age 55 – An Interview with Fritz Gilbert of The Retirement Manifesto
Not long ago, a fellow retirement blogger retired at the age of 55. I have the same retirement goal! So when I read about his triumphant exit from corporate America, I thought, who better to interview about how to retire at age 55 than Fritz Gilbert of The Retirement Manifesto? Fritz spent 30+ years at […]
Is Retirement Age the Wrong Goal?
I named this blog based on a goal I set back in 2002, to retire at age 55, one year before the age my Dad retired. The objective drives many of my financial decisions. It has all the markings of a SMART goal – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. But now that I’m older […]