Ever had that thought periodically running through your mind to write a book? I sure did. Then one day I just decided to do it. I had some great ideas to write a book based on technology. I’ve been in the IT field as a systems engineer and now the engineers’ manager for almost 20 years now. However, my thoughts for the book were actually focused more on the simpler stuff that family and friends were always asking me about. […]
For a guy that’s beat the odds and made it to that fancy millionaire status, you’d think I’d know most – if not everything – when it comes to personal finance. But here’s something that’s probably not much of a shocker… I don’t. Not even close. When I first started this blog in May of 2015, I thought I was so smart when it came to finances. Maybe not exactly a financial genius per se, but perhaps one smart cookie
When It Comes to Personal Finance… I Don’t Know It All Read More »
Pay yourself first. I’m sure we’ve all heard it a million times. It’s simple and to the point. If you want to build up your wealth, you need to pay yourself first. When I was a teenager, that mantra was something my grandfather used to preach to me repeatedly. He was truly an inspiration to me – he retired when he was in his mid-forties and lived to be in his mid-nineties. So when he would tell me something, I
Hey everyone – I just wanted to let you know that Laurie at The Three Year Experiment recently invited me to be interviewed on her series, “Location Independent, International Jobs.” I was excited to say yes and she hit me with all kinds of great questions (both financial and otherwise) regarding our plans to move to Panama in a couple years. Among other things, we talked about working or not working, schooling for my daughter, costs of living, and of course the
If you’re a regular follower of my blog, you know we’re moving to Panama in 2020 – Boquete, Panama to be specific. I’ll be quitting my job at the end of 2019 and then getting everything prepared and ready to go while my daughter finishes her fourth-grade year of school. To say we’re excited would be an understatement. In the blink of an eye, everything’s changing. We’ll have vast new territory to explore and no 9-5 jobs getting in the
Can you make money blogging? It’s one of the first questions people tend to ask once they find out I have a blog. I’ve seen plenty of posts that make it sound like you can make a fortune by blogging. Start a blog, put some ads on it, then just sit back enjoying piña coladas on the beach, while your steady flow of passive income rolls in. Jim, you’re giving me a look – are you saying there’s more to
The 4% rule is probably one of the most well-known ideas in the FIRE (financial independence/early retirement) community. It provides a way to put some actual numbers to your future needs. But is it safe to rely on this rule for your own retirement planning? Let’s start with digging in a little further on what the 4% rule is first… Some background on the 4% rule The biggest focus folks have in retirement planning is how much money they
Is the 4% Rule Safe to Use in Retirement Planning? Read More »
That’s right, folks – it’s time for me to set some goals for 2018. Sure, it’s a little blasé, but it’s that time of year after all. So why do a blog post on goals I’m setting? There’s one good reason – it keeps me accountable. I’ve always hated the idea of “writing down my goals.” You’ve probably heard time and again that putting your goals on paper (or digital paper!) will help push you to make them happen… such a
Don’t Just Sit There… DO SOMETHING! I’m not personally big into the whole televangelism scene. However, there’s a show on TV called the “Hour of Power” that had a moment long ago that’s still ingrained in my head. The program was hosted by Reverend Robert Schuller from 1970 until his grandson took over in 2013 (thanks, Wikipedia!). I never actually watched the show, but there was a clip from it that ran regularly advertising the show. In it, Reverend Schuller takes a breath and
Like father, like daughter… Recently, my 7-year-old daughter started asking me some questions about my blog. She wanted to know what I write about and why I do it. I’m very deliberate in making sure that I don’t treat her like a kid when she’s interested in answers to something. I have a couple reasons for this: 1) I want to ensure she’s never afraid to ask questions. And so far, that’s always been effective. She never feels like she
