Does it make sense to move somewhere cheap to achieve financial independence sooner? It’s a topic we talk about sometimes in our household. If we could lower our housing costs by moving, we could retire much sooner than our plan. We’re in a middle stage of life with three young kids, a minivan, and a mortgage and in…
The signs in the gym locker room are clear: Picture taking in the men’s room is strictly prohibited. Please inform the front desk of violations. Yet every once in a while, some beefcake dude will stand there in front of the locker room mirror, whip out his phone, and snap a selfie. I sort of get it….
I’ve owned real estate for more than ten years. Over that period I’ve refinanced my rental property twice and our primary residence once so far. I’ve been thinking, should I refinance my mortgage again? Refinancing is a minor hassle. But it has saved me tens of thousands of dollars over the years. That’s why I…
Arrested Development was an early 2000’s TV comedy loved by its fans. Despite critical acclaim, it failed to gain traction and the show was canceled after three seasons. Years later it was revamped as a Netflix series thanks to the enduring hilarity of the first three seasons and its grassroots fan base. Challenged with cast schedules, the…
Cash flow is the all-powerful financial tool. With it, you build wealth. Without it, you tread water. Maybe you consider yourself better than average with money. You take pride in elaborate spreadsheets you created while pretending to do work at your 9-5. At times, you’ve skipped meals for the sole purpose of saving money. You…
As my investing strategy has evolved over the years, I’ve completely moved away from DRIP (dividend reinvestment plan) investing. In part, because of the extra 1099-DIV tax form and costs basis data. The varying fees are annoying too. But also because I prefer to pool dividends and reinvest them into more undervalued stocks. I still…
Traveling the world in my 20s was my top priority after college. I ended up visiting more than 40 countries before turning 30, carrying with me a small Eagle Creek Backpack and no more than six pairs of underwear at any time. Now that I’m over forty, I look back on my days of full-time…
Have you ever declined a work opportunity because you didn’t want the hassle of learning something new? Maybe it was a chance to enhance your skills or get promoted, but it required leaving your cushy job. You declined because the job would have taken more effort and initiative on your part. Or it might have cut…
The tax filing season starts on January 28th for 2019. You’ll have until April 15th to complete them. In preparation for the tax season, it is imperative that you have a strategy to complete your taxes quickly, accurately, and with as little hassle as possible… all while keeping the cost down. With those things in…
Nobody likes a rent increase. Except for the landlord. For too long, my rental property has been squeaking by on meager cash flow. Check out my monthly investment income updates and you’ll see the regular income it generates is about $70 per month. That’s a positive number so I can’t complain too much. But in the…
Saving for college is no easy task. If parents decide to pay for their kids’ undergrad education, it’s potentially a 22-year commitment from birth until graduation. Yet, saving for college is often a minor component of an overall financial plan. Not in our family. For our three kids to each attend four years of in-state…
At age 27, I was broke, unemployed, and living at home with my parents. Not surprisingly, I was single too. Sounds depressing, right? Not so. I had recently returned from an epic 14-month backpacking trip to Asia and Latin America, spending just $10,000 on the entire journey, then completed a three-month, 8,000-mile road trip throughout the U.S and…
Long before I had my driver’s license, my Dad instilled an important financial concept into my head that I still abide by today. A car is nothing more than a tool to get from point A to point B. A car isn’t meant for prestige or to help score babes, although they’re often marketed that way. Cars…
For my birthday in 1995, my uncle gifted me one share of Chevron (CVX) stock out of his dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP). He was an employee at the time. He instructed me to regularly invest small amounts of money into the program and automatically reinvest the dividends I received. Eventually, he said, the quarterly dividend would…