Category: MISC
August over August update 2020
In the investing world, it is always good to take a look back at where you were some time ago. As we slowly grind towards our goals, we sometimes do not realize how big of strides we are actually taking. That is why I am starting a monthly series to look back at where we…
The 3 Stages of Wealth
Wealth is something that evades most people. The funny part is, tons of people spend most of their time chasing money. This includes me and Kris as well. I worked very hard to earn every promotion the Marine Corps threw my way. I got promoted until there were no further promotions. I did this for…
Marriage Year in Review: 2006
The Story: 2006 was one of the craziest years of our life. This is the year that we got married. But our marriage wasn’t a typical American wedding. Oh no. It was never that simple for us. I left Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (where I met Kris) in July 2005. Kris and I were not able to…
I give myself $60 a week for my personal budget
Wow! I remember when this amount was $200 a week. It has been a long road to being able to understand the value of money. I grew up without much money, so I always thought that I knew the value of money. I never bought brand new or expensive cars. I never was into expensive…
Build great experiences to build a great marriage
My wife and I have been married for over 14 years and of that time, I would consider 85-90% the best days of my life. The other 5-10% of the time was a little bit more difficult. Marriage isn’t always easy but it should be mostly an enjoyable situation. When times get hard I tend…
5 tips to thrive in a long-distance relationship
My wife and I have been married for 14.5 years and of that time I have been away for over 5 years. We have done 2 separate two-year unaccompanied tours apart from each other. These tours were separated far enough apart that we were able to gain some perspective about what it means to be…
What is Leadership?
Welcome, everyone. I want to start something a little different. I want to start a series that is near and dear to my heart, and that is leadership. I want to give my thoughts and opinions on leadership and after that, I want to start a weekly series where I create leadership scenarios. You will…
It’s all about the end game
As we have more conversations with family and friends about our financial mindset, the more we start to realize people don’t understand the reason that we think the way we do. I can understand where they are coming from. On the surface level, it may seem as though Kris and I are obsessed with making…
Make more Money in order to make more Money
Does this sound like an infinite loop? Does it seem impossible? Here on Militaryfamilyinvesting one of our goals is to build more multiple income streams. Once we build more income streams we invest that additional income into investment portfolios, which in turn makes us more money. The more money that we have invested, the more…
What are life stressors?
Kris and I have been through a lot of stress since we met each other in 2004. Some events include being on unaccompanied tours of duty 2 times (going on a third soon), Kris having a child while I was in Afghanistan, and Kris not being able to see her mom for over 11 years.…
Being Rich vs. Being Wealthy
What is the difference between being rich and being wealthy? The definitions completely fall on the individuals’ point of view. But for some context, I will see what the internet has to say. Mr. Housel says, “Being rich is having a high current income, and being wealthy is having the freedom to choose not to…
How do you start your G.F.I.R.E. ?
G.F.I.R.E. is the decision to not only care for one’s self but also for one’s entire family. This goes beyond ensuring that kids are fed and bathed. It is a complete personal and financial system where one decides to take on additional responsibility in order to ensure the entire family is taken care of from…
How to ensure your Room Rental is Highly Desirable
Renting a room is one of the easiest ways to generate income on your quest for financial independence. However, you need to take it very seriously. It is a business. The way you present yourself and your room is going to attract that same quality of applicants. If you have a dirty, smelly room you…
How to Budget: Investment Budget
Now that you have figured out your house budget, you should know EXACTLY how much it costs for you and your family to live per month. You should then subtract that from your total income. The remaining pot of money goes into two separate budgets; investment budget and personal budget. Why do we need an…
Reach your Dreams (via goals)
What is your dream? Where do you see yourself at age 50? If you haven’t begun to think about this type of stuff, now might be a good time to start. Personally, my dream is to be on a boat one day with my wife, our parents, my kids, and my grandkids. We would have…
You can have it all ! (Love + Wealth)
As I watch YouTube and read forums, I find that there are two separate and distant situations. Those who are on their way to financial independence but have no relationship. Then there are people who have relationships who are struggling financially. Then there are all colors in between. People with wealth who can’t find a…
How to Budget: House Budget
First, let’s review what the 3 types of budgets are. The 3 types of budgets are House, Investment, and Personal. We are going to focus on the House budget for this article. The best advice I can give you when starting out is to be completely honest. Hiding some expenses can really hurt you in…
What is the G.F.I.R.E. movement?
The G.F.I.R.E. movement is the long term version of the F.I.R.E. movement. To recap, the F.I.R.E. movement stands for Financially Independent/Retire Early movement. You basically invest $2-4 million and retire as early as you can. The G.F.I.R.E. movement starts off the same as F.I.R.E. You work hard and invest as much as you can. You…
What is the F.I.R.E movement?
The F.I.R.E. movement stands for Financially Independent/Retire Early movement. The basic jest of the movement is to get a great job or jobs, and work really hard. Instead of spending all of your hard-earned money on cars and boats and such, you would be saving and investing the majority of your income. The goal would…
2 things to understand before Marriage
Marriage sometimes seems like a clash of two opposing forces. It can be very difficult sometimes to convey your ideas without pointing fingers or offending the other person. If you stick with your marriage, hopefully, you can slowly reconcile some of the differences. Alas, there are two things you can learn now that will assist…
