Why Earning More Won’t Solve All Your Money Problems
When I was younger, I did a lot of insane long driving. I’ve driven from coast to coast at least twice. There’s even a period in 1999 where I drove 500 miles every weekend to see family.
But nothing is crazier than when I drove, over the long 4th of July weekend of 2003, from Philly to Dallas round trip— hoping to be able to return to work on Monday.
How to Calculate Your Savings Rate the Right Way
I recently got interviewed by the FI community on Instagram, and one of the questions the content curator asked was, “How much is your savings rate?” to which I responded with 40%. But in all honesty, I grabbed the number out of thin air. I’ve been religiously tracking my annual …
How to Teach Your Xbox Obsessed Kids About Money and Investing
My son once told me he someday wants to earn big bucks working for Microsoft. “So you want to be a software developer like me?” I asked. “No, I want to be a cashier; that’s where the money is!” he quipped. That’s when he was nine. Kids this age have …
How to Avoid Being Conned This Black Friday
It was the Christmas season of 1993 when I decided my personal computer needed an upgrade. One limitation of PCs at the time was they couldn’t talk or play real music. Floppies also weren’t spacious enough to store large files like audio. I had to buy a Sound Blaster upgrade …
The 4% Rule is Not for Everyone, Use this Calculator Instead
The first time I heard about “safe withdrawal,” I thought it was a family planning method. I was like, “I’m an expert!” Well, it turns out it’s for a different kind of planning— your retirement. Specifically, it answers the question, “How much can I safely withdraw from my retirement accounts?” …
Being in a “Position of F— You” Gave Me the Power to Say No
What is the best thing about being financially independent? It puts you in a “Position of Fuck You.” Once you have enough money, you don’t need a boss— nobody can tell you what to do. Or, if you wish to remain employed, nobody can tell you where to do your …
Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk, Be Thankful For What You Have
Do you often wonder what your life would be if it spun the other direction? What if those failures suddenly become successes? If you think that you’d automatically become the highly successful person you’ve always aspired for, you’re absolutely mistaken.
Net Worth Update: Five Years Later
If you’re one of the smart ones who follow my blog, you’re probably aware I share our household net worth, for the past four or five years, on Labor Day. This tradition has symbolic importance. Never mind if you have a desk job sitting comfortably in front of a computer. …
The Benefits and Perils of DIYing a Basketball Court
If you happen to have a spacious backyard and want to utilize the space to maintain an active lifestyle for you and your, otherwise Xbox-obsessed kid to enjoy, one option is to build a pool. But the maintenance cost has the potential to suck your discretionary income dry. The last …
What Turning 50 Means to Your Finances
If you’re wondering why you haven’t seen a new post in weeks, it’s because I was extremely busy. For starters, I’ve built a mini-basketball court in my backyard, moving 20 tons of gravel using a wheelbarrow in the process. My employer also demanded that we start working in the office, …