When did America become a winter wonderland of fun, skiing, and lodges? Or how about a summer wonderland of boating, parasailing, and swimsuit parties? At last, maybe it was always that way, I just never noticed.
Returning to America after a year overseas has been eye-opening. While overseas, I started an income stream of writing articles, releasing ebooks, and reviewing other books. In addition to this income stream, I manage three properties, multiple tenants, a dividend portfolio, cryptocurrencies, and, of course, I have a wife and two kids.
However, I never feel too busy or overwhelmed. Yes, I cannot wait to retire from my full-time job to focus on becoming rich, but all in due time. I spend my time with my family and my personal time working on my income streams. I guess my hobby is being on the passive income grind.
Do Men Want to be Providers?
I have a Facebook Group and a Facebook Page that I post to daily. When I log into Facebook, I see everyone else having a grand ol’ time in their 40s. I see people on boats, going to theme parks, traveling, buying RVs and motorcycles, etc. I don’t know how they do it.
I mean, I am trying to ensure the wealth and health prospects of my current and future bloodline. I have no idea what the future holds, so I prepare for the unknown by making (then investing) a crap ton of money.
This future-based outlook makes me very serious. I asked my wife of 15 years a couple of days ago if I was too serious. She said, “you were always serious.” I guess I was. When I was young in the Marine Corps (10 years in, rank of E-6), my friends would be “playing house” while I prepared for the next ranks.
By playing house, I mean buying toys (ATVs, sand rails, jet skis, etc.), getting pets, and traveling. I always thought, get to the highest rank (E-9) and then play around. I have been an E-9 for two years, and I am thinking about the future even more.
My wife and I are in talks to purchase our next home. This place will be our fourth house. We haven’t even owned house #3 for two years yet. We are investors, and we are not buying this next house for our benefit—it’s for our kids and grandkids.
What’s So Great About Being Independent?
The home we are looking at is a brand new mobile home and is super nice (and expensive). We will place the new home on our current three-acre lot, along with house #3. As you know from my article “Mortgage Positive,” our primary residence is already cash flowing because we rent out our two master suites.
The new home could have cash flow if we take on two roommates, but we may get a little comfortable and only rent out the master suite in the new place. This way we can stretch out our legs a little.
And that is what life is about, financial security vs. financial freedom. We want to give ourselves and our children options. When all is said and done, my property will have eight rentable rooms that my kids can use to build wealth, all at 2021 mortgage prices. How sweet is that?
When I see everyone playing around, having fun, and spending money, I just think, “how long do you all want to be in the workforce?” The longest I will work until is age 48; my wife will be 45. We will be completely, utterly, and entirely retired. No freakin’ way I am working another 25 years.
JOMO- The Joy of Missing Out
But this is when we just get started. We are doing everything in our power to live the laptop life and have the ability to move overseas. We can take our real estate mindset to a market or country where our capital will give us an advantage.
I just don’t understand how people can party on earned income—it baffles me. You see, when we work for money, it is fleeting. When we stop working, the money stops. So we can party all we want, we still need to go back to work on Monday. Why do we celebrate this hamster wheel in America?
To remove ourselves from the rat race, we need passive income. Right now, our $185,000 dividend portfolio produces roughly $500/month in revenue. That $500 is equal to one day in America and one week in overseas living. So we have a long way to go to set ourselves free.
However, it’s not that far away when we throw in a military pension, Roth IRA, cryptocurrencies, royalties, automated business, and real estate. Outside of my family, these are my focus for the remainder of my life.
As I learn, I teach my kids words that I didn’t grow up within my household. These words include “The rich don’t work for money” and “Make your money work for you.” These ideas are vital to the long-term viability of my family. Wealth begets wealth—as long as we pass on this knowledge.
The Invisible Budget
So, yes, I am very serious. I do have fun. Walking through the most expensive new mobile home on the lot is fun for my wife and me. I don’t have to worry about financing because we are debt-free, have an 800 credit score, and $185,000 in the bank. That’s fun to me.
I always like to leave my articles with actionable steps to make your life better any way you deem is meaningful. If you are ready to start your passive income journey, I have a great place to start.
I just released a labor of my love. The book “Don’t Gamble with Retirement 4” is now available on Amazon for $9.99. More importantly, I didn’t put it under Amazon exclusivity, so I have it up on my website for free download here. I love this book. The cover strikes me every time I see it.
The book is 385 pages and 100 chapters to set you free. I love giving my books away for free; that is how I always envisioned adding value to the world. Now, I am taking back ownership of my books and getting them out to everyone for free.
If you are ready to be serious, go ahead and grab this book. Also, you should read it; that helps as well. I hope you are finding value in my words and artwork. This grinding comes from a place of love. We are blessed in all aspects of my life, so it’s time to give back. Enjoy and Happy Investing.
- Build Passive Income: 21 Passive Income Ideas (book)
- Free PDF Downloads: Download FREE PDF books here
- Financial Mindset: Become CEO of Yourself (book)
- Retirement Planning: Don’t Gamble with Retirement 4 (Free PDF)
- Investing: The Pros and Cons of Dividend ETFs (Free PDF)
- Cryptocurrencies: The Magic of Cryptocurrencies (Free PDF)
- Real Estate: Real Estate is a Mindset (Intermediate) (Free PDF)
- Business: Retire Rich, Retire Comfortable with a Business 2 (Free PDF)
- Everything!: The Biggest Book on Passive Income Ever! (book)(Web Edition)(Art Edition)
- I bought a Kindle Oasis: Check it out Amazon
- Read My Books for Free: Free Kindle Books Schedule
- Sign up to Access our “Hidden” Free Kindle Book Schedule
- My first Children’s book: A Child’s First Book on Passive Income (book)
- Book Reviews: 54 Takeaways from 54 Books (book)
- Want to Build Passive Income from Books and Affiliate Marketing? (Learn here)
- Writing: Can Grammarly Make You a Better Writer? (direct)
- My Favorite Chromebook: The Ultimate Chromebook (direct)
- Follow us: On our Facebook Page and Join our Facebook Group
- Amazon Author Page: Check out my author page on Amazon
- Monthly Dividend Planner: Check it out on Etsy
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.
All Right Reserved Military Family Investing
Leave a Reply