Ok, she didn’t physically kick me, but Paula Pant found a way to get into my head. She worked me up into a real tizzy (do people still use that word?). It crushed me and took me days to think through and re-evaluate some things. First off, if you don’t know Paula Pant, she’s the host of the Afford Anything brand, which includes her blog and podcasts. She’s also one smart cookie and has a great sense of humor. Intelligence […]
If you’ve delved into the FIRE community even slightly, you’re probably already familiar with the shrine that is Vanguard. The Vanguard Group is an investment/brokerage firm out of Pennsylvania that manages over $4 trillion in assets. Eh, who cares? All the big brokerages manage big dollar assets like that. True, but Vanguard’s different from the other firms out there in that Vanguard is structured as a mutual company. What that means is that it’s a private company where the owners are actually
FinCon. Holy @#$%. Was not expecting it to be as awesome as it was. Believe it or not, I consider myself not to be a people person. I would rather just be at home and hang out with my wife and daughter. However, once I’m out, I sort of flip that whole tendency upside-down. I’m usually the guy that starts a conversation with the people in line at the grocery store, the guy next to me at the bar, or
It started as a joke… until it wasn’t. This is the story of how I became a J. Money knockoff for the day. It’s something a little different from my regular posts. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show… I was at the FinCon expo for the first time this year. If you’re unfamiliar with the event, it’s an annual convention filled with financial content for bloggers and other money nerds! Philip Taylor (PT) started the event in 2011 and it’s been growing
Rule 72(t). The name sounds as boring as 401(k). And it should because it’s from the same place – the Internal Revenue Code. Both are part of the tax law that the IRS gets to govern. Coincidentally, both Rule 72(t) and 401(k) plans are pertinent to this post. I recently wrote a post about our FIRE plans titled The Roth IRA Conversion Ladder Dilemma. I talked about how we plan on using the ladder to access our tax-deferred accounts earlier than
The journey to FIRE can be an arduous path. Sometimes I struggle with the content I want to put on this blog. It’s not due to a lack of ideas, but rather a matter of wondering if the reader can relate. Some of you are just starting to get interested in the idea of financial independence. Perhaps you’re saddled with debt, but know there’s got to be a way out. Others of you are in your wealth-building stage of your
I’ve been a bit moody the past couple of weeks. I’ve been focusing a lot on trying to pinpoint our exact retirement date and I’ve been struggling. The problem all stems from the Roth IRA Conversion Ladder we plan to do. First off, if you’re on the path to FIRE (Financial Independence/Retire Early) and you’re not familiar with how a Roth IRA Conversion Ladder works, this could be important to you. It’s not the end-all-be-all solution, but the ladder is
We’re in an interesting cycle of the economy right now. Things are looking good, which helps boost the value of your money. When it comes to investments, stock prices and property values are generally up. And if you’re selling, that’s a good thing. Retirees and folks selling their houses or some of their stock investments are partying it up during these times. However, if you’re still in the wealth-building phase of your life, this isn’t as exciting. Sure, it makes
Ah, property management companies – the answer to anyone wanting to get into real estate without the headaches, right? The thought makes sense. Rental properties are a great way to help diversify your investment portfolio and earn a solid cash flow. The only problem… managing the properties. Now, some folks like the idea of running the operation and handling any repairs themselves. The good news is that they tend to make more money on their properties every month since they’re
Property Management Companies – Why I’m Firing Mine Read More »
When it comes to kids and money, we all want to ensure that they’ve got the greatest chance to succeed in life. We can push our kids to be smart and learn in school. We can teach them to be good to other kids and to share. We can help them to understand that they should respect others. We can show them good manners and how to be polite. But what about the money side of the formula? Isn’t that
