Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE)

It’s Not How Much You Make, It’s How Much You Keep

22 Comments / Saving, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Motivation / /

As I was going through college, I had my mind set on getting rich.  I envisioned a good job that paid a ton of dough.  After all, the more money you make, the richer you are, right?  Fresh out of college though, I wasn’t building savings, I was chasing the money to have and to spend in the present day. And I did alright.  While I was still in school, I was working at Walmart.  I started out with it being […]

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Is It Possible to Reach Financial Independence with Kids?

Is It Possible to Reach Financial Independence with Kids?

33 Comments / Kids, Education, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE) / /

When I set out on this journey toward financial independence, I knew I had some work to do.  I started out with around $30k of credit card debt and didn’t know anything worthwhile on how to make it happen. I even bought into one of those late night real estate scams on how to get rich.  I wasted some of my hard-earned money late in my college years thinking that was the way to go… it wasn’t. Eventually, I got on track.  I read as many books as I

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Do I Cut Back on my Roth to Reach FI Sooner?

Do I Cut Back on My Roth to Reach FI Sooner?

23 Comments / Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), General Thoughts, Investments, Real Estate, Saving / /

As some of you know, I’ve been a little bummed lately with my countdown to financial independence (FI) and early retirement being a ways out.  Although I have a plan to retire before my 50th birthday, I just feel like this is too far out. Every day that I spend at work is one less day that I get to spend with my daughter.  Granted, this is the summer when she’s not in school, but it’s tough regardless (which I’m sure it

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If You Need Money, You'll Always Work for Less...

If You Need Money, You’ll Always Work for Less…

28 Comments / Motivation, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Real Estate, Self-Employment / /

I’m a big fan of satellite radio.  I’m also a big Howard Stern fan.  Years ago, when Howard went to satellite radio, I bought the lifetime package for Sirius satellite radio for about $400. I definitely got a number of good years out that deal.  Eventually though, Sirius made my life difficult. Back in 2009, I bought a new Chevy Malibu which had XM radio.  As some of you may know, there was a Sirius XM merger years ago so that should be all good, right?

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It's Time to Step-Up Your Game for Retirement!

It’s Time to Step-Up Your Game!

16 Comments / Saving, Debt, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Investments, Motivation / /

Hey everyone, it’s time to talk about something that most of us out there know, but not enough of us are talking about.  And with that, I’m referring to retirement savings.  Although this is a site focused on financial freedom and early retirement, the fact is that most of us out there have a slim shot at either one of these. I almost threw up when I learned on The Motley Fool that the average American’s 401(k) balance is $72,383.  And even worse,

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Using a HELOC for Smart Reasons

Using a HELOC for Smart Reasons

12 Comments / Real Estate, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Investments, Saving / /

A home equity line of credit (HELOC) is an interesting entity.  In essence, it’s a line of credit that a lender gives you using the equity in your home as collateral.  A HELOC is similar to a home equity loan and this sometimes causes confusion with borrowers.  There are a few differences between the two though… Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) Does not necessarily advance you all the money at once – you are given a line of credit you can draw from as needed

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I'm a Cheap @#$... and Proud of It!!!

I’m a Cheap @#$… and Proud of It!!!

20 Comments / Spending, Debt, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Saving / /

When I was a kid, I was a good saver.  Every penny I got was definitely a penny I saved.  I wasn’t necessarily cheap and still bought candy and toys, but I was just good at saving.  As I got to high school, the trend continued and I continued to be careful with my money, especially once I got my first job and learned the importance of hard work. Then things changed. That’s not to say that I didn’t have a

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Think About Working for Yourself

Think About Working for Yourself

17 Comments / Self-Employment, Education, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Motivation / /

When I was coming back from vacation last week, our seating got a little screwed up.  Long story short, I ended up sitting next to a lady in her mid-fifties from Alberta, Canada instead of sitting by my wife and daughter.  We got to talking and had some really good conversation throughout the flight.  At one point, I mentioned something about my 9 to 5 job and she chuckled.  It turns out she’s a consultant and speaker on business efficiency.  And she talked about

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The Cost of Vacation

The Cost of Vacation

8 Comments / Travel and Vacation, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Spending / /

Just got back from a great vacation in Texas. My brother and his wife moved to Austin about a year ago so we went to visit them. They just built a really nice house with a pool, hot tub, cabana, outdoor kitchen, etc. – how can you pass up a visit with all this good stuff?!!  So we stayed at their “oasis” for a little over a week and had a great time. Unfortunately, I was so relaxed that I realized I had

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The Importance of Estate Planning

The Importance of Estate Planning

12 Comments / Estate Planning, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Health and Fitness / /

Raise your hand if you’re planning on living forever?  I know I am, but I have a bad feeling that my odds aren’t real good on this one.  If you have any loved ones such as a spouse or especially any children, this post is very important. First of all, let’s start this article by stating that I am by no means an attorney of any sort.  I’ll be discussing what my wife and I have personally put into place and what I know

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