Tag: financial education
Income Investing: Invest Using the Rule of 72
I heart income investing. I love having the ability to convert fresh cash flow into permanent passive income. However, income investing is not for everyone. From the outside looking in, income investing may seem like a risky endeavor. Typically, yields are much higher than those of index funds and dividend growth investing. When people see…
From Debt to Dividends #1: Determining Spending Habits
If you have a lot of debt, chances are you do not earn a lot of dividends. Debt represents the worst part of the power of compounding, while dividends reflect the best part. But, how do you go from being in debt to earning passive income? What shift in mindset must you undertake to achieve…
Living Overseas on Passive Income #2: Real Estate
Why do investors love real estate so much? For many, real estate is the IDEAL investment (income, depreciation, equity, appreciation, leverage); however, real estate investing requires financial intelligence. Moving overseas is a major step for most Americans. They can use American real estate to help fund their overseas lifestyle; however, it will require a complex…
The Elite Savers of America: How to Save $10,000 in a High-Yield Savings Account
Why is it so difficult to save money? There are many reasons, the chief among them being that we love to spend our paychecks. However, we must save and invest money to protect our future interests. In fact, saving should be one of our top priorities. Many reports state that the average American cannot withstand…
Living Overseas on Passive Income #1: Dividends
I never heard of passive income until I visited Turkey in June 2019. While I was there, I got the idea to retire overseas. However, how would I earn income? There is no reasonable way for an American to work in Turkey and earn a living. Therefore, I would need to bring my own income.…
Is $100,000 a Year the Magic Happiness Number? How Much Do You Need to be Satisfied?
Earning $100,000 per year used to be the gold standard for hard-working adults to strive for. Once you hit this milestone, you were officially “wealthy.” However, things have changed over the years (especially since inflation). People now believe they require more than $100,000 to survive and thrive. But, is that truly the case? Three years…
Earning $36,000 a Year In Dividends: Going from Active to Passive Income
I joined the workforce in 1996 and worked until 2023. According to my Social Security earnings record, I didn’t start earning $36,000 a year until 2010—that’s 15 years. Those were some tough but fun years in the United States Marine Corps. Back then, I would not have ever imagined I could earn $36,000/year without lifting…
Become a Capitalist in One Hour: Convert Free Time into Free Cash Flow
Have you ever wondered why some people always seem to have money? Sure, they could be in credit card debt; however, a rare few actually know what they are doing. If you intend to have a successful financial life, you’ll need to become a capitalist. However, capitalists are made—not born. This brings me to the…
What is Your Dream Retirement 2? You Can Make It Happen
When did we stop dreaming about retirement? As a nation, the media convinced us that we can never retire. However, that’s not the case. Retirement is available to everyone, but it requires an enormous amount of work. So much work, in fact, that most people decide not to do it. But retirement isn’t about leaving…
Passive Income Requires Massive Work: You Didn’t Think It Would Be Easy, Did You?
We all want to lead a fantastic life; a life filled with adventure, travel, and fun. However, most of the time, we fill our lives with duty, responsibility, and work. How do we begin to live the life of our dreams? The fastest way to change your lifestyle is to prioritize the importance of time…
The Spiritual Journey Toward Financial Freedom: Are You Ready to Commit?
The road to financial freedom is a spiritual one, not a financial one. Sure, it involves numbers and percentages, but emotions play a much larger portion of the journey. They raised us from the beginning to be debt slaves, that serve at the mercy of the God of Consumerism. To be financially free, you must…
Income Investing for the Average Person: We Can Lead Above Average Lives
There is nothing wrong with being average. In fact, I strive to live an average life where no one knows my name. However, I also chose to be silently wealthy. Just because you are average doesn’t mean you can’t be happy and financially comfortable. You don’t need to be a successful entrepreneur or star athlete…
The Magic of Cash Flow 2: How to Create Wealth
We all love having money flow through our hands, right? Then why is it so difficult for us to understand the concept of cash flow? The primary reason is that our parents and teachers taught us to look for a job. Looking for a job shifts the responsibility of our cash flow from us to…
The Magic of Options Trading: Learn to Manage Risk
My school years didn’t teach me how to manage or control risk; in fact, they taught us to avoid risk. The general philosophy was to go to school, get good grades, and get a high-paying job. In 1999, I decided to forgo college despite having a 4.4 grade point average. I joined the United States…
Setting Yourself Up for a Healthy, Wealthy Retirement: Only You Can Save Your Future
Retirement planning is serious business; YOUR retirement is even more crucial than everyone else’s. You won’t survive long if you don’t prioritize your retirement over everything else. This may sound selfish; however, it is the truth. No one is coming to save you. To have a healthy, wealthy retirement, you’ll need to start planning today.…
The Earned Income Trap: And How to Avoid It
Have you ever gone to Walmart on a Wednesday morning and seen tons of people? I always wondered how these people would be away from work at this time. I worked for the United States Marine Corps for 24 years, during which I never had time to go shopping throughout the day. I was stuck…
Start Your Debt Payoff Journey 2: Is Budgeting That Bad?
Getting out of debt is the best feeling in the world. I remember how I felt when my wife and I paid off $77,000 in debt; it was a fantastic time to be alive. Please read “Start Your Debt Payoff Journey: Defeat Toxic Consumerism.” Somehow, the American dream became synonymous with debt. I don’t know…
High-Yield Savings Accounts vs. Standard Savings Accounts: We Should All Love Yield
I’m embarrassed that I even have to write this particular article. I mean, come on, we should all want our money to earn as much interest as possible. However, I understand many people have reservations about switching to a high-yield savings account, typically from an online-only bank. But it’s time to overcome our fears and…
Index Funds vs. Income Investing: The Best Way to Retire Early
Do you want to retire in your early 50s? That is an excellent time to call it quits and focus on family and friends. But how can you retire this early without a solid financial plan and a massive bank account? One way is to follow the FIRE movement (Financial Independence Retire Early). The FIRE…
Get Off The Fence. Get Into Dividends!
What are you waiting for? How many years must you spend in the workforce before you realize it’s all a game? Even worse, it’s a game you cannot win. Even if you work 40 years to accumulate $1 million, can you live on $40,000 annually from investments? Most people will get nowhere close to $1…