Wow, I can’t believe it has been one year since I wrote part one of “What is Your Rich Life?” Now is a perfect time to re-evaluate our core values and what is important to us. Over the last year, I know I have been laser-focused on setting my family up for success in the future.
I wrote part one about three weeks into my one-year tour in Japan. I had just read my first book, “I Will Teach You to be Rich,” and I was getting my financial house in order. I stayed in that same barracks room from August 14th, 2020, to August 1st, 2021.
Finally, I returned home to my beautiful wife and kids, enjoying everything about being home. Yes, it was a waste of a year and forgettable—except for a couple of things.
Become Insanely Productive During the Magic Hours
During the year apart, my wife and I stayed closer than ever. We went through a lot of hardships in each of our locations. I had a couple of massive typhoons; she had Hurricane Sally come through Florida and wreck all kinds of havoc on the coast and our house.
We had termites attack house #2, and we refinanced house #1—which was a complete nightmare. We refinanced house #3 and dealt with a crazy plumbing leak that turned out to be the water company stealing our water. It has been a crazy year.
Through it all, we focused on our relationship. I can easily say that Kris (my wife, short for Kristina) and I are closer, being thousands of miles apart than most couples are in the same room. I don’t know if that is something to be proud of or feel sorry for others about.
Retire Early as a Well-Rounded Millionaire
My main takeaway from the forgotten year is that we got completely out of debt, built our dividend portfolio up to $190,000, and started a passive, automated business. I am so glad that I started my business; otherwise, it would have truly been a lost year in Japan.
Now, with my passive business in tow, I can enjoy family time more than ever. We make money while we sleep, and it is great to see this in action. My family and I drove to Alabama to do some shopping and went to Buffalo Wild Wings.
We used dividends to pay for the $80 meal there, and it was good to have a meal knowing that it was paid for by investments. My business had produced $4 of revenue from books sales, affiliate sales, and advertisements on my blog by the time we got home. It was the perfect day to showcase the magic of passive income, especially when it comes to spending time with family.
Good Debt vs. Bad Debt
Over the last year, I have learned that you need to control your time to spend time with family honestly. You have to buy your freedom with passive income—to truly be free. There just isn’t any other way to enjoy your family to this degree.
Yes, my wife and I still work our earned income jobs, but that’s okay. We have 5-8 more years left at these jobs and no more jobs for the rest of our lives. I am 40 years old, and my wife is a couple of years younger than me, so retiring under 50 will be amazing.
My wife and I both started from the dirt with no assets. So being able to turn the tables and grind up to three homes, a $190,000 dividend portfolio, and produce 150+ books (and counting), has been an awe-inspiring ride. Even better, we still have a lot more to go.
Now, I turn the focus to you. Did you notice I did not say my rich life required cars, boats, or vacations? I ask you know, what is your rich life? How do you envision your future love life, children, and locations?
Hustle in Your 20s and 30s, Enjoy Your 40s and 50s
I can envision my rich life in great detail, and this vision has helped me through the passive income grind. I became a Passive Income Hero by night because of the future I want to create with my wife, kids, and grandkids.
My rich life consists of my wife, kids, and grandkids sitting on a white sand beach having a merry time. No one worries about work or money; everything is taken care of—we only need to focus on enjoying our family time.
As the provider, I need to ensure that I can handle all of the financial matters from the beach and make money from there. I want the lightest laptop currently available, and I want to make cash passively from the beach. I want real mailbox money coming in from rents, royalties, and dividends.
And when I need to work, I can do everything from my light Chromebook. If you notice the cover art of my article “The Ultimate Chromebook,” it is a picture of how I envision my rich life. It was no accident that I put the Chromebook on the beach.
I understand what is required to be on that beach with no worries, financial or otherwise. To achieve Stress Freedom, we need to release ourselves from the bonds of consumerism. But to do this is going against the grain.
Do you have what it takes to dream a different version of your Rich Life? When you start down a path of minimalism and shun materialism, people will laugh at you. I drive a 2012 Ford Focus, and everyone rolls around in huge SUVs. I can’t let that bother me.
Don’t Let School Interfere with Your Education
I know that my wife and I have $9,000-$10,000/month in free cash flow after expenses. That is true freedom, not driving an SUV with a boat attached. Our only job now is to produce this same excess cash flow without working a job. That is why I am on the passive income grind.
And yes, I know that my articles are some variation of the same dream, goal, or end state, but we need to repeat and reinforce these things to ourselves daily. The book “Think and Grow Rich” tells us that our daily routine must help us re-align our values—so I’ll keep repeating the same ethos; wealth is having excess income to expenses. Make a lot of money and spend humbly.
Conclusion. That was my rich life, in a nutshell. Nothing had changed from my vision a year ago. Being back in America has shown me that my dream, and image of the future, are stronger than ever. I only have to travel my path, which differs from the American dream.
What is your rich life? More importantly, how can being debt-free, starting a business, and building passive income streams get you there? Those are the questions you need to ask yourself—TODAY. There is no more time to waste. My wife and I set ourselves free in less than two years, so I know that it is possible to release yourself as well. I have a ton of resources, so please use whatever you need. Enjoy and Happy Investing.
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Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor or money manager, and any knowledge is given as guidance and not direct actionable investment advice. I am an Amazon Affiliate. Please research any investment vehicles that are being considered. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
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