Jordan Grumet (aka DocG) is a long-time thought leader in the financial independence and retire early (FIRE) community. His podcast, The Earn & Invest Podcast, is nearing its 600th episode. He’s interviewed just about every blogger, author, and intellectual authority in the personal finance and retirement space (check out my interview, #580). An article I…
Buying compact discs (CDs) used to be a thing. That’s how we bought music back in the 1980s and 1990s. Most of you remember. I spent a few thousand dollars on CDs throughout high school, college, and my early working years. One summer, I worked in a record store to earn money because my internship at a…
The mainstream financial media’s portrayal of early retirement has always felt disingenuous, leading with “this 30-something retired” or some variation of that hook, then later highlighting that the “early retiree” is working a new job (even though they don’t need to), running a business, or has an employed spouse providing income and health insurance. These…
As New Year’s resolutions are fresh on your mind, there’s no better time than now to initiate and strengthen wealth-building strategies. To help inspire you, I’ve created a list of the best investments for long-term growth. This article is about where you can direct your money and time this year so that ten and twenty…
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. The most significant mental hurdle before leaving my full-time career was health insurance. My former employer offered excellent healthcare benefits at an affordable cost. Leaving meant giving up the low-cost benefit but keeping the insurance through COBRA. Our 2023 health insurance plan is the same as when I was…
Retirement is a fuzzy line these days. It seems increasingly rare for older people to cross the threshold from career worker to retiree on a single day and remain retired indefinitely. My Dad did that. So did a few of my extended family members and former coworkers. But when I ask retirement-aged people about their…
Yep, I’ve been writing this blog for 10 years. But instead of rewriting what’s already been written, I want to focus on today and the future. Today’s post is a personal update about my current situation and how my life and business are moving toward closer alignment with “the why” of the early retirement goal…
When I lost my job in 2017, my former employer didn’t have the means to pay me a severance. Our family had emergency savings, but our multiple income streams kept us afloat. Five years earlier, a job loss would have been much worse. But since I saved and invested while times were good, I could enjoy…
I spent the summer of 1996 tending the 13th street beach stand just off the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD. Beachgoers came to me for rentable beach chairs, umbrellas, and bodyboards. On a good day, I’d sell about $500 and receive 20% as pay. It was an excellent summer gig compared to the $7.77 that…
After 20 years in information technology (IT), I decided to change careers to be a full-time blogger in early December. It’s an exciting milestone I’d been planning for about five years. Monday morning, after my last day at work, I sat down at a different computer without the looming threat of Microsoft Teams meetings. I…
Traditional retirement is a suboptimal goal. Building a career you genuinely do not want to retire from is better. Writing those words here or in a 240-character tweet takes little effort. But it’s an enormously complex concept for most middle-aged workers. To say: Hey, all you people aged 30-55, with kids, a mortgage, not-enough retirement…
I used to work for a small IT company and reported directly to the owner. After seven+ years of regular lunches, I started encouraging him to sell the company. When times were good, we could grow the business. But my boss wasn’t willing to make long-term growth investments. So revenue was only reliable to the…
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 (read to the end to learn the quote’s origin). Most of the time, I roll my eyes at quotes and memes shared…
Are you curious about how blogs make money? Personal finance and investing is an excellent blog niche because the demand for financial advice is neverending. It’s satisfying work, as bloggers can positively influence readers by helping them make smarter financial decisions. Writing insightful content can lead to earning money through multiple blog income streams aligned…