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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
I can describe my ideal retirement in three words. Long and healthy. If my retirement is long and healthy, I’ll have very little to complain about. Beyond that, everything else is icing on top of the cupcake. But like my four-year-old sugar-crazed daughter, I spend a lot of time thinking about the icing. A Healthy […]
Most of us aren’t looking for extravagant wealth. We simply want sustainable and long-lasting wealth that provides financial security for our families and enough money to fund the lifestyle we desire. That kind of wealth is more attainable than most people think. But there are no shortcuts. By consistently following a tried and true strategy over […]
Some people are driven to the idea of early retirement because they lack job satisfaction in their career. Working into their 60’s isn’t sustainable. Unhappiness at work comes in many forms. It could be a negative coworker that makes you dread going to the office. Or the job pays a low salary with few opportunities […]
Last April on a long solo drive, I listened to the Mad Fientist’s interview with Vicki Robin on the Financial Independence Podcast. Vicki Robin is the co-author of , the book that popularized the term financial independence. The 2018 version includes a foreword by Mr. Money Mustache, who in 2012, wrote about the book causing a […]
The warning signs grew more obvious over the course of last summer. But I still thought I’d survive the impending funding cuts that my IT project was facing. By the time fall arrived, I had already dodged a few rounds of layoffs. But it wasn’t much longer before my number was up and I was […]
True happiness involves the full use of one’s power and talents. – John W. Gardner I lost my job on October 2nd, 2017. The news was both disappointing and liberating at the same time. Disappointing that I’d have to pause my wealth-building campaign and draw down savings. And disappointing that my employer of 14 years […]
Back in January of 2017, most personal finance professionals, advisers, bloggers, and just about anybody willing to give you money advice said to avoid investing in crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin. The price of Bitcoin at the close of 2016 was $963.74 per $1 USD. On the last day of 2017, the price was $14,156.40. That’s […]
2017 was an exciting year for me as an investor, blogger, and professional nine-to-fiver. The year started off as expected. But in the last quarter, I was let go from my job putting a halt to most new investments. The extra time has provided the opportunity to focus on my family and to work on […]
Around friends and neighbors, I’m using the phrase “in between jobs” to describe my current employment situation. That’s a convenient euphemism to make it sound less bad. Most people aren’t familiar with my business so they only see a jobless Dad of three kids married to a non-working Mom, dealing with a mortgage and the same […]
In the intro to a recently published blog post, I mentioned that there’s been some turbulence at my nine-to-five workplace. Funding was tight, but it looked as though I’d survive any downsizing. Well, things got worse. My project was hit hard, and the surrounding projects were hit even harder. I found out two weeks ago […]
Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual. – Ernest Hemingway This Hemingway quote came up in one of my social media feeds recently (keep reading to learn the origin of the quote). Most of the time I roll my eyes at the quotes so […]
