Tag: financial education
Dividend Investing vs. Options Trading: Let’s Start with $10,000
The world of high finance is a fantastic place to build wealth and live your dreams. However, without financial education, your dreams can become nightmares. If you can save $10,000, you can consider yourself an Elite Saver of America. But now it’s time to make your money generate more money. Dividend investing and options trading…
Investing for Interest 116: Series “I” Bonds vs. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities
We all must position our money to beat inflation. We can do this by investing in dividends, real estate, royalties, and businesses. Once we start earning additional cash, we must invest it into securities that also attempt to beat inflation. Two safe government-sponsored inflation-beating products are Series “I” Bonds and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). Financial…
How to Become an Income Investor
Are you ready to make the leap into earning passive income? Do you want to live the life of your dreams without restraint? There are many ways to earn passive income; however, dividends require the least amount of physical work. On the flip side, dividends require the most cash to generate significant returns for you…
Investing for Interest 115: Tips for Buying T.I.P.S.
Writing this article on Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) took me over a year because they are incredibly complex and tough to understand. Over the last year, I have come to understand them more; however, I have yet to become an expert. I will direct you to others who have even more guidance about TIPS. I…
5 Takeaways from “Mean Reversion Trading”
“Mean Reversion Trading” by Nishant Pant is a deep dive into the world of options trading. I am new to the options trading scene, and this book provided a lot of information I needed. Trading options can be quite lucrative; however, you must balance fear and greed daily. You can use a hefty amount of…
Welcome to the Housing Wars: May the Best Investor Win
Did you think your life would be easy? Did you think you would attend college or join the military and buy a house before age 30? Well, those days are over, maybe even forever. Homeownership is no longer a right but a privilege—only the privileged need apply. How did we reach the point where only…
The Road to Homeownership #3: Saving for the Down Payment
So you crunched the numbers and controlled your emotions; it’s now time to get your new house. But, there is still one major roadblock—the down payment. Welcome back to the Road to Homeownership series (Part #1, Part #2), where we move into the house of our dreams. What is a down payment? The bank will…
The Benefits of Starting an Online Business
How do you get to live your dream life? It’s easy; you do things that go against the norm. Working a 9-5 job is excellent for paying bills. However, you’ll need to think outside the box if you want access to additional resources. Starting an online business can be the key you need to unlock…
Life Begins at the Edge of Your Comfort Zone: Time to Take Control of Your Destiny
Every day in retirement is a gift—an amazing blessing from the heavens. However, these wonderful moments weren’t just given to my wife and I; we created them. You have to create the life of your dreams. At the intersection of knowledge and effort comes luck. To find your life, you must put yourself out there.…
CDs versus Bonds: The Battle for Your Hard-Earned Cash
The first step to becoming an investor is earning interest on your money. It may sound trivial, but most people don’t arrive at this achievement. I wrote an entire series on the benefits of earning interest from multiple sources such as high-yield savings accounts, certificates of deposit, Series “I” Savings Bonds, and Treasury Bonds. Today,…
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…
Retirement & Dividends: Enjoy Your Time Off
Today was my first day of retirement, and it was incredible. There is something extraordinary about waking up and not having to go to work. I retired from the Marine Corps after 24 years. My wife and I chose Pensacola, Florida, to lay our heads. The weather in Pensacola is beautiful; however, it is definitely…
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…
The Road to Homeownership #2: Reducing Emotions
Purchasing a home is one of the most emotional experiences of your life. The process will send you to the highs of the mountains and the lows of the valleys. I would never suggest removing emotions entirely from the process; however, reducing your feelings to make sound decisions throughout the journey is a great idea.…
Stock Market vs. Bond Market vs. Options Market
Investing in paper markets can be intimidating if you don’t have a guide or mentor. I would guess that the overwhelming majority of people will never invest directly in financial markets (also called risk markets). It is a shame because you can grow your wealth much quicker with paper assets than by working your 9-5…
The Road to Homeownership #1: Crunching the Numbers
Although homeownership may seem out of reach today, you’ll still need to know how to buy a home effectively. Yes, there is a right way and a wrong way to buy a home. I own three houses, and my track record is spotty. My first home was a financial disaster (score 20 of 100). My…
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…
