I'm not a financial expert. I've never worked in the banking, finance, or investment industry. I'm an arm-chair advice dispenser trying to keep money from being a source of worry in my life. This is an open letter to folks seeking financial independence. May you realize happiness now and not wait until a magic personal finance remedy comes along... Life, liberty, and the … [Read more...] about An Open Letter to Anyone Seeking Financial Independence
Personal Finance 101
Learn how to make the best decisions when it comes to your hard-earned money. When you make smart money decisions, you tee yourself up for goals including early retirement. Learn how to invest, how to avoid keeping up with the Joneses, and how to raise kids without breaking the bank!
Where Should I Put My Money for Retirement?
While ambling along the path to near-retirement and dealing with all of the indecisions of late, another facet of personal finance emerges to dog me. Where should I put my money? Having paid off cars, a paid-off house, and no credit card debt, we've been in a healthy surplus for a while now. Originally, I thought I'd simply open up a Vanguard ETF (exchange-traded fund) and … [Read more...] about Where Should I Put My Money for Retirement?
How to Pay off Your Mortgage in 5 Years
When considering the idea of mortgage paydown, first thing's first. Any super high-interest debts (like credit card balances) should be paid off first. For all other debts, I'm a fan of using the cash flow index method to prioritize debt repayment. You may find the mortgage falls low on the list since typically, those high payments are spread over a long, 30 year period. Once … [Read more...] about How to Pay off Your Mortgage in 5 Years
How Much of Your Income Should You Save Every Month?
This is a post that asks and attempts to answer the question, "How much of your income should you save every month?" For many, savings rates simply aren't a priority. While examining my handy dashboard excel budget last week, I focused my attention on our savings rate. Hard to believe, but we had somehow achieved a savings rate of 83%. That's 83% of our take-home pay … [Read more...] about How Much of Your Income Should You Save Every Month?
2018 Household Spending Revealed
Let's just get it out there from the get-go: This is NOT a bragging kind of post. Far from it. This past year we spent a lot of money concerning our 2018 household spending. We didn't go off the deep end and buy matching jet skis or take five trips to the Bahamas. But if we're to be mistaken for knowing two sh*ts about money, our spending this past year sure doesn't help the … [Read more...] about 2018 Household Spending Revealed