20 Years In The Chevron DRIP
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 […]
Cutting The Cord – A Year Without Cable TV
Around this time last year, I wrote that our family was cutting the cord on cable TV. It’s time to follow up on how our lives have changed now that 12 months have passed. Read my post about saying bye bye to cable TV by clicking here. Overall, we have no regrets about our decision. […]
Reject The Assertion You’ll Work Longer Than Your Parents
College graduation season will be here in no time. Graduates and their families will celebrate at an uplifting commencement ceremony, complete with speeches by inspirational alumni, business leaders and political figures, followed by a triumphant dinner at Applebees. Business Insider and other Twitter feeds will surely remind us that Steve Jobs gave a cool commencement […]
Travel Scams and Robbery on the Backpacker Trail
Throughout all of my adventures, only three times I’ve been a target for crime because I was a traveler. That’s not bad considering I’ve visited 40+ countries over the past two decades. For the most part, using common sense and traveling with a friend or group is enough to avoid travel scams and danger. But […]
The Greatest Risk To My Retirement Goal
More than a decade ago when my Dad retired from his teaching career at age 56, I told him my retirement goal was to beat him and stop working at age 55. It seemed natural to me that in order to live better off than my parents, I should retire before them. I reject the notion that […]
Should I Sell My Rental Property And Cash Out?
Should I sell my rental property? It’s a question I ask myself every month. Maybe you do too. Update 12/05/2018: I still own the property and decided to rent it out again. I worked with a CPA to understand the exact tax consequences of selling and met with 3-4 agents to determine a value. It’s […]
This Blog Post Is Not Safe For Work (NSFW)
Reading this on your work computer? I suggest switching over to your smart phone. You may not want HR to know what you’re reading about here. There’s No Team In I If you’ve made it to this website, you’re probably devising a plan similar to mine. You work a full-time a job. You live below […]
What Strategy Works For You?
Ever wonder why so many young people are afraid to start investing? If you read the financial sites online, or watch the financial news networks, the answer becomes clear. There’s lots of so-called experts telling us what to do with our money. Some advice is over simplified and inadequate. Other advice is unnecessarily complex. For someone just […]
6 Reasons Why Debt Is The Least Of Your Financial Problems
The internet is full of debt pay-down stories and “How To” guides on getting out of debt. Debt is often characterized as the enemy or a ball and chain, but it’s not so bad compared to some broader and more significant financial variables. When looking at the big picture of a personal financial situation, issues larger than […]
A Penny Smart, A Pound Foolish
Years ago I went to Ireland with a friend. We rented a car and drove from Galway to Kilkenny via the southwest peninsular route. Ireland is awash with beautiful landscapes and scenic drives lined with intricately built stone walls. The roads, however, can be narrow and tricky to navigate at times. One morning in a […]
Bollinger Bands – Basic Technical Analysis For Dividend Investors
It’s time for another installment of the series, Basic Technical Analysis for Dividend Investors. Last time, I introduced the subject of technical analysis and suggested that it should only be used as a secondary and supplemental tool after exhaustive fundamental analysis. This post will discuss one of my favorite technical indicators, Bollinger Bands. Technical analysis […]
Basic Technical Analysis for Dividend Investors
Does technical stock analysis deserve a place in a dividend investor’s tool belt? Yes, I think it does for adding insight to short-to-mid-term trends and pricing. But technical analysis should only play a secondary and supplemental role after exhaustive fundamental and qualitative analysis. Some dividend investors may steer clear of technical analysis entirely because it […]
That’s The Way I Want To Go
Two men from very different places in my life passed away in recent years. Both died almost instantaneously and without any forewarning. Both died in the presence of their peers. One died in retirement. The other died while still working. Loss of a Coworker One morning I learned that an hour before I arrived at […]
The Holy Grail of Travel
When it comes to time, money and travel, people fall into one of four categories: Backpackers – Lots of time, but a finite amount of money Vacationers – Enough money, but not much time Broke People – No money for travel and very little time Financially Independent Travelers – All the time and money needed […]