Category: Retirement Planning
Full Throttle: How to Build a Fully Funded Emergency Fund
There is a big difference between financial security and financial freedom, mainly the amount of passive income your portfolio generates. Financial security means a major emergency or repair will not be a significant setback for your family. Financial freedom means your portfolio generates enough passive income for you to stop working and live on the…
The Three Stages of Wealth: Debt, Saving, Investing
There has never been a better time to understand money because it isn’t what you imagine. Most of us spend our lives dreaming of having more money, but we should focus on adding more value. As you better understand the value system, you’ll determine how money orients itself depending on the end user. There are…
Are You a Willing Contestant in the Rat Race?
Games are fun, especially when you understand the rules. Life is the ultimate game show because there is much at stake. Not only do we hold our lives in the balance, but also the future of our children. There is no better prize than financial freedom. However, we didn’t start the game of life with…
How to Determine Your Bare Bones Budget: The First Step to Living on Passive Income
The single most essential part of retiring early comfortably is determining your Bare Bones Budget (BBB). Without a BBB, you’ll always feel you must work to pay all of your bills. What is a Bare Bones Budget? A Bear Bones Budget is the minimum amount of money your household needs to thrive every month. Notice…
Who is a Better Steward of Your Time? You are Your Boss?
When did we become a society of followers? I understand that every community needs leaders and followers, but each household in America has a certain level of freedom. I have been fully retired for a month, and people cannot understand how I spend my time. Even worse, they say they need their job to keep…
Your Wealth is Your Choice: You Have More Control Than You Think
We are moving towards scary times. Student loan payments are returning, rents are increasing, home insurance is sky-high, and food costs are outrageous. The world is applying pressure to the average American household, and things may look bleak. What’s the typical American supposed to do to beat the odds? When all else fails, return to…
How to Make $100 a Month in Passive Income
Passive income is very elusive in that it does not start very passively. You must contribute a certain amount of work to build a passive income stream. However, once you get the hang of it, you can create as many income streams as you can maintain. Passive income is a mindset more than an amount…
Every Day is Saturday: Living a Happy Cash Flow Retirement
I’ve been dreaming about my Happy Cash Flow Retirement (HCFR) for over four years. Now, I am three weeks into my new life as a retired Marine. Retirement is about doing the things you love with the people you adore. However, the foundation of your HCFR is your budget. If you can live comfortably and…
Welcome to the Elite Savers of America: Save $10,000 in Your HYSA
Do you find saving money to be a difficult task? Do you need help keeping cash in your accounts? Well, it’s time to commit to saving money for your future. Welcome to the Elite Savers of America (ESA), where we value saving our money in a High-Yield Savings Account (HYSA) to protect our futures from…
My First Day of Retirement: It’s Time to Live
Can life truly be this good? I finally retired from the Marine Corps after 24 years, and yesterday was my first complete day away. It was a fantastic day. I accomplished so many things that I’ll just list them instead of discussing them. I did all this at my own pace without any rushing or…
Financial Freedom Road Trip #4: Creative Writing
I drove for almost 10 hours today by combining two days of travel into one. What can I say? I am ready to get back to my wife and kids, who are two days away. I drove from Fort Stockton, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana, roughly 652 miles. I decided to drive the extra distance…
Financial Freedom Road Trip #3: Rental Income
It’s always amazing to see the lights at night in El Paso, Texas. I can see an ocean of lights from my hotel as I overlook Juarez, Mexico. El Paso is a unique city that has its own sense of identity. I usually stay in Las Cruces, Mexico, because it is much smaller and quieter,…
Financial Freedom Road Trip #2: Options Trading
This is my sixth time driving between San Diego, California, and Pensacola, Florida. And this will be my last time doing it as a US Marine. Arriving in Tucson, Arizona, is always a welcome feeling. Again, I love the desert more than any other environment, and Tucson has that old-school Western vibe. Welcome back to…
Financial Freedom Road Trip #1: Dividend Investing
After one year of living in San Diego, I am back on the road again. I came to San Diego to continue my Marine Corps career, dreaming of doing 30 years. But after three years away from my family (2 in Japan, 1 in SD), it was time to hang up my green uniform—24 years…
Love, Passion, & Freedom: Welcome to Passive Income
How do some people get to live the life of their dreams while they are stuck working a 9-5 job? Is it because they were born into wealth? Are they risk-takers, entrepreneurs, or gamblers? They may be lucky. Sure, some of these things may be true, but the truth is they discovered that money is…
Happy Cash Flow Retirement 10
Another day, another dollar; better yet, another passive income dollar. In two weeks, I am retiring from the Marine Corps after 24 years of service. I have never been more excited in my life because this is the result of hard work and planning. I have wanted this outcome since I began writing about passive…
Can the Military Elevate You to the Middle Class?
The middle class is under attack, and soon no remnants will be left. There are a few reasons why this is happening, mainly increased college costs, the price of housing, out-of-control healthcare expenses, and lack of financial education. America had a good run for its middle class—when workers had pensions for staying with a company…
5 Takeaways from “Gen F’d”
“Gen F’d: How Young Australians Can Reclaim Their Futures” by Alison Pennington looks at how Generation Z and younger Millennials can regain control of their lives. I’ll admit that the author and I share different economic views; I consider myself a capitalist. However, I did work for the government for 24 years and had a…
Saving & Investing 103: What is Your Investment Philosophy?
Once you get past all the mindset quirks of saving and investing, you will need to formulate an investing philosophy. Your philosophy will lead to your strategy, which will be your rock during tough times. Everyone’s philosophy is different, so understanding yours is paramount. Welcome back to the Saving & Investing 101 series (101, 102),…
Saving & Investing 102: What is Your Relationship with Money?
The most essential ingredient to building your wealth is your relationship with money. I hear you thinking, “But money isn’t alive.” Money isn’t what you think it is—it reflects value. The more value you give, the more money you will receive. Welcome back to the Saving & Investing 101 series (101), where we start the…
