Eliminate Car Payments from Your Life (and Never Go Back)
If you want to get serious about taking control of your financial life so you can build wealth, it’s time to eliminate car payments. Car payments are a persistent nag on the lives of U.S. consumers. But they don’t have to be, and shouldn’t be even with low interest rates. Because they crush your monthly cash […]
Another Day in Corporate Paradise
Elevator small talk is the worst. Riding the lift with someone you know and talking about your work or weekend is fine. But when strangers are stuck in the confined space for a 30-second ride, I don’t see the point in talking. In my 20-some years of riding office elevators, I’d never heard a decent […]
How I Measure Progress Toward Financial Independence
This article is about how I measure progress toward financial independence (FI), which I consider a prerequisite to my early retirement goal. The terms financial independence and early retirement are often used interchangeably. I consider them different. Financial independence is a financial milestone. Retirement is when I’ll stop working completely. I plan to reach financial […]
4 Reasons to Invest in Multifamily Real Estate Properties
Independent landlords who own residential real estate typically own single-family homes, condo units, or maybe a small multifamily real estate property such as a duplex or triplex. Multifamily real estate properties can require substantial capital and significant elbow-grease before being ready to produce positive income. Until recently, single-family and small multifamily properties were the primary […]
Should You Max Out Your 401(k) in 2019?
The department head at my job invited me into his office for a 30-minute chat when I first started. We spent the time getting to know each other and talking about our past experiences and current roles at the company. Then he asked if was contributing the 403(b). I live and breath this stuff so I saw it […]
12 Investments I Made Last Quarter – The Q4 2018 Update
The Portfolio page on my blog has been updated as of December 31st, 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 quarterly updates. This update contains a summary of my personal investment activity for the past quarter. I’ve shared the investment income (aka […]
The 5 Best Investments in 2019 for Long-Term Growth
Happy New Year everyone! Now that resolutions are fresh on your mind, there’s no better time to determine what smart money habits to initiate in 2019. To help inspire you, I’ve created a list of best investments for 2019. These ideas are geared toward long-term investors and those looking to earn more this year. This article […]
Here’s How I Track Spending in Excel Using Pivot Tables
I use a simple Excel spreadsheet with pivot tables to track spending. I’ll explain why I started this exercise this year and why I felt the free online tools were inadequate for my purposes. Tracking spending this way is a compliment to tracking net worth and my taxable investment portfolio. With an accurate annual spending number […]
Bumped App Review 2019: Free Stock Rewards from Brands You Love
This Bumped app review 2019 was updated 01/11/2019. I’ve now earned $22.55 worth of stock from 8 different companies since 10/18/2018. The majority (about 80%) is in Target and AT&T. I’m excited to share my experience with a brand new investing app on the scene. It’s called Bumped, a Portland Oregon-based startup. This app is […]
13 Proven Ways to Monetize Your Hobby
One of the top three emails I get from readers is how to come up with ideas to make extra money. I often send readers to other websites for idea lists. But this week’s article has a bunch of suggestions for how to monetize your hobby. Monetizing a hobby is an ideal side gig because […]
5 Ways to Profit from the Amazon HQ2 Selection
The Wall Street Journal first reported, 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 of excitement […]
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 […]