The U.S. government is borrowing $1.9 trillion to provide pandemic relief and stimulate the economy. A big chunk of that will be direct payments to Americans. I won’t get into the details of who gets what; you can find that here. Long story short, many Americans will get more than a thousand dollars deposited to…
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A Healthy Obsession with Money
I’m obsessed with money. I think about earning, saving, and growing money most of the day. I’ve written about money for more than seven years. Saying someone is obsessed with money might conjure to mind words like greed, fame, power, influence, and opulence. Picture a celebrity flashing fancy clothes and jewelry on Instagram and their…
Sure Dividend Review: Is it Worth the Cost?
This Sure Dividend review was updated on 01/18/2021. Sure Dividend is an investing blog and paid newsletter service that focuses on dividend and income investing. When the Sure Dividend blog started in 2014, it built a significant audience by providing in-depth analyses of stocks on the Dividend Aristocrats list. The Aristocrats are stocks in the…
10 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2021
Happy New Year! The turning of the new year brings two things to mind for a lot of us: Whoa, I spent too much money last month/year How can I improve my finances this year? I’m not a big fan of new years resolutions (most don’t stick). But I believe in habitual change — deciding…
How I Quit My Career at 39 with Out-of-State Rental Properties
The following is a guest post by Eric Hughes, who writes the blog Rental Income Advisors. Eric left his corporate job by creating passive income with out-of-state rental properties. He owns 18 properties that produce nearly $70,000 per year. Eric explains how rental properties can be a shorter path to financial independence than a traditional…
Growth Stocks vs. Dividend Stocks
What’s the best choice between growth stocks vs. dividend stocks? The answer depends on which strategy helps you to best achieve you investment objectives. One of the biggest financial mistakes I ever made was selling a stock. In 2006, I bought 40 shares of Apple (AAPL) for about $58 a share. I called myself a…
8 Alternative Investment Ideas for Asset Diversification
Diversification is said to be the only free lunch in the investment world. If your stock portfolio is heavily weighted toward one company, you can reduce your risk by purchasing shares of other companies. The same is true for asset classes. As your stock accounts grow with regular contributions and gains, your net worth becomes…
10 Compound Interest Examples and a Free Spreadsheet
These 10 compound interest examples will take you from the basic calculations to where the magic happens. I first learned about compound interest in my high school economics class, and it immediately clicked. Earning interest on interest seemed like an obvious path to grow wealth. Why wasn’t everybody doing this? It’s not the math that’s…
24 Small Investment Ideas to Cultivate Wealth
There’s no shortage of small investment ideas now that financial platforms are finally catering to investor demand. Many of the asset classes we take for granted today weren’t readily available to beginner investors a decade ago. Access to commission-free online brokers, fractional shares, and innovative exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has broadened the universe of investments available…
Financial Independence Number: Definition and How to Customize
The financial independence number is a benchmark to determine retirement preparedness. It’s also known as the FI number. Financial independence is achieved by: building enough passive income to cover annual expenses, or amassing a lump sum of enough savings and investments to cover living expenses through withdrawals, or a combination of #1 and #2. The financial independence…
AcreTrader Review 2021: Farmland Investing for Income and Growth
This AcreTrader review was updated on 01/01/2021. About 60% of American farms are owner-operated. That leaves about 40% of farmland that’s rented or leased to farmers by landowners. The majority of farm landowners inherited the land and have either retired or have no interest in farming. Since farmland is commonly passed down to younger generations and…
The 18 Best Income-Producing Assets for Retirement
There are two primary ways to self-fund a retirement. 1) Live off of the output from income-producing assets. 2) Drawdown retirement savings by selling investments. My retirement strategy is to combine both methods to diversify my retirement income streams. By spending money from income-producing assets first, I’ll reduce the amount I need to sell in…
Gratitude, Optimism, and Investment Opportunities
The negative news is overwhelming if you spend the day consuming it on your phone or TV. My wife worried a lot about the virus and all that’s happening until she deleted Twitter. I’m very comfortable with our new lifestyle. On the first day I worked from home, I came up with a list of…
Investing Strategies in Light of the Market Volatility
Patience is not a skill or an inherent ability. It’s a practice, one that does not necessarily develop with age or wisdom. Successful investing takes patience because as you extend your investment horizon, your chances of success increase. You can’t expect good results in the short-term, but you can expect excellent results 10-20 years out…