Category: Retirement Planning
Hustle Culture Represents the Erosion of the Family Unit: Build Passive Income as a Family
I’ve been watching lots of TikTok videos of people working multiple jobs due to inflation and high cost-of-living requirements. Sadly, working 40 hours at one job doesn’t provide enough income to support a person or family. However, there is still hope for the American Dream; it will just look different than you envision. Letting go…
5 Takeaways from “My Money My Way”
“My Money My Way” by Kumiko Love is a step-by-step guide on how to turn your financial (and emotional) life around. This book does a beautiful job of talking about the psychology of money. Changing money habits without understanding why we developed them is almost impossible. Money is only a tool we use to achieve…
Retirement vs. Financial Freedom: One is Financial; The Other is Spiritual
No one wants to work forever. As much as we love our careers initially, doing something for 30 to 40 years can tax our nervous systems. The idea of having multiple years in retirement is a relatively new concept. Before, people would work until they died. Once we moved into the city and began having…
America Will Never Let You Rest: We Must Achieve a 50% Savings Rate
Do you have the feeling that you are constantly running in place? That every time you make some progress, you have another financial setback? Welcome to America. Welcome to capitalism. The only way to get ahead in America is to become uber-rich. Yes, we can get ahead of bills by living below our means and…
Traveling to Istanbul on Passive Income: #1 Converting to a Passive Income Lifestyle
Turkey will always hold a special place in my heart. Here, I determined that if I wanted to live my dream life, I would have to make some drastic changes. Our first trip to Turkey was in June 2019, when my wife and I struggled financially. In fact, my wife had to quit her job…
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…
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…
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…
How to Control Your Spending 101: Cutting Up Your Credit Cards
There comes a time in most people’s lives when they grow sick and tired of carrying credit card debt. It usually happens when they have maxed out most of their credit cards—it’s the end of the road. At this point, they usually ask how they got here. The answer is quite simple: we learn to…
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…
