Author: kingmarine
Spicy Dividends for a Bland Life: Make More Money for Doing Less Work
I remember my life as an employee. The military paid me twice a month for over 24 years. They used to call it “three hots and a cot.” For the first 20 years, my only income derived from those two monthly paychecks. They increased yearly, but my expenses increased more than my pay raises. Soon, the…
Tired of Being Broke, Behind, and Bullied? It’s Time to Become a Capitalist
I remember when I first made $100,000 in a year. I believed all my financial problems would disappear after hitting that magical number. However, in reality, my financial issues were worse than ever. I had $70,000+ in credit card and automobile debt, and I couldn’t take my family out to eat without using my credit…
The Options Trading Debit Card: Create the Best Weekends of Your Life
I have been going on and on about my Dividend Debit Card (Part #1, Part #2, Part #3) over the last three years. It is incredible to receive dividends directly to my Cash App spending card. This month (November 2023), I am on track to receive $400 in dividends directly to my Dividend Debit Card.…
Building Generational Wealth: Via Real Estate
Everyone knows real estate is a powerful way to build generational wealth. Not everyone knows exactly how to do it. Real estate investing can be more difficult yet simpler than you can imagine. One thing is clear: the more responsibility we take on as parents, the further ahead our kids will start. Let me explain.…
The Pros & Cons of Homeownership #3: Inflation Protection
My generation (40s) didn’t honestly know about inflation a few years ago because we had never felt it. However, 2022 changed that for all of us. Suddenly, food, gas, and housing costs rose faster than our wages. Those who had locked in 2-3% mortgages on lower-priced homes were sitting pretty. Those in the market who…
It’s Time to Purchase a Certificate of Deposit: The Magic of High-Yield CD Reinvestment
I just received an email from Discover (where I have my high-yield savings account) offering me 5.20% interest on a 12-month certificate of deposit. It’s been a long time since CD yields were this high, and I fear they won’t last much longer. I personally have a higher risk tolerance than most, so CDs aren’t…
Covered Calls vs. Cash-Secured Puts: The Best Strategy for Beginners
So you want to trade options, huh? Welcome to this magical and dangerous world that most try to avoid at all stops. The key to trading options successfully is having a clear income goal, defined expectations, and a rock-solid plan to avoid being greedy. Greed is the number one way to lose lots of money…
Building Generational Wealth: Via Dividends
Should our kids have to start from scratch? People say how wonderful it is to become a self-made individual, but is that what we want from our kids? My parents didn’t give me a head start financially, so I spent years treading water. I could have spent these years building upon what they created—if they…
Why Series “I”? The Benefits of Investing in Savings Bonds
With the Federal Funds rate hovering around 5%, there are many places to park your cash and receive a good deal of interest. Some of these investments include high-yield savings, certificates of deposit, treasury bills, and treasury notes. With so many choices, how is a saver to choose? How to invest is a deeply personal…
The Perks of Becoming a Capitalist
I spent over twenty years thinking like a government employee. There is nothing wrong with working for the government and providing for your family. However, although the wages were reasonable, my financial situation stayed the same from age 18 to 38; I always seemed to be in debt or broke. My wife and I are…
Dividends vs. Royalties part IV: How to Earn $200 a Month in Passive Income
Living on passive income seems like a dream life, but in reality, getting started is anything but passive. Building an income stream takes a lot of active time, effort, and work. This is part four of my Dividends vs. Royalties series (Part #1, Part #2, Part #3), where I compare passive income from dividend investing…
How to Control Your Spending 104: Implementing a Daily Budget
We don’t realize how much marketing we receive throughout one day. Even worse, social media has helped average people market to one another—no evil corporations required. Therefore, it’s not a question of whether we spend money but how much we spend. With that in mind, let’s find a way to spend but remain under control.…
Retirement Planning for the Average Person 6
It finally happened; my wife and I retired. I am 42, and she is 39, and life couldn’t be better. We both started with below-average resources, but we still arrived at this momentous occasion. So, what’s the secret sauce to retiring when you want, having a great income, and living your dream life? The secret…
5 Takeaways from “Smart Money Smart Kids”
“Smart Money Smart Kids” by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze is a masterclass in raising smart money kids. My boys are 17 and 12, so this book is what I need to help my family learn good money habits at this crucial age. Raising money-smart kids isn’t about perfection from parents or children. It is…
Treasury Bonds vs. Options Trading: Graduate to the Next Phase of Investing
We rarely get to compare two completely opposite things—usually, there is no point. However, let’s make an exception in this case because both investment vehicles can help us reach our financial goals. Buying treasury bonds and trading options are about as far apart on the risk totem pole as possible. Treasuries give investors a risk-free…
Trading Long Strangles for Passive Income
Trading options on the stock market is not for the faint of heart. However, you have come to the right place if you want big returns (for taking big risks). Trading options can be a very emotional experience because the stock market can make you feel like an idiot sometimes. Therefore, finding the options strategy…
How to Control Your Spending 103: Developing a Hardcore Budget
There are only two ways to become rich: lower expenses or increase income. If you can reduce your costs as you add more cash flow to your bottom line, you have a good chance of becoming wealthy. But how do we lower our expenses when inflation wreaks havoc on our budgets? The answer is to…
The Pros & Cons of Homeownership #2: Wealth Destruction
The more I watch HGTV, the more I believe the housing industry created it to get people to spend money on their homes. Owning a home can be the most expensive experience of your life if you let it. Unfortunately, many people have destroyed any chance of building wealth by focusing their wallets on their…
How to Control Your Spending 102: Using the Envelope System
We kids teach kids how to spend using the envelope system; however, adults can use this system as well. The envelope system gives us a better way to visualize our spending and income than debit cards and online banking. But who should use the envelope method, and how will it benefit them in the long…
The Pros & Cons of Homeownership 1: Wealth Creation
There has never been a more challenging time to purchase a home than in 2023. Interest rates are soaring, and home prices haven’t decreased to reduce the monthly payments. Therefore, first-time home buyers need more money for a down payment and higher incomes for bigger mortgage payments. The burning question is if buying and owning…
