Tag: Financial Independence
Every Day I Wake Up to More Income! Income Investing for the Win
I started working at age 16 during the summer of my sophomore year in 1996. I continued exchanging time for money until the summer of 2019. In June 2019, I began exchanging time for assets. These assets then paid me money that I could use to purchase more assets. I retired from the military in…
Paying Your Water Bill with Preferred Shares: It’s Time to Pay Your Bills with Dividends
You become financially free when you can pay all of your bills with passive income. Once you reach this point, you become work-optional. My wife and I achieved financial freedom in October 2023, when I retired from the US Marine Corps. At that moment, I had passive income from a pension, dividends, royalties, and rents.…
Happy Cash Flow Retirement 12: The Four Steps to Becoming Free
I write this article as a free man; I will never have to go to work again. However, the circumstances were quite different when I wrote “Happy Cash Flow Retirement (part 1)” in April 2021. I didn’t retire at age 42 because I was smart or worked hard. I didn’t retire early because I completed…
Paying Your Electricity Bill with Closed-End Funds: It’s Time to Pay Your Bills with Dividends
It’s time to pay your bills. The standard practice is to receive your paycheck and pay your highest-ranking, most urgent bills first. What if we could change the process entirely? What if we could pay all of our bills with dividends? Once we can pay your expenses with dividends, we are incredibly close to becoming…
Creating Passive Income in Your 50s: Learn to Earn in Your Sleep
We shouldn’t have too many worries in our 50s. In fact, our main concerns should be improving the lives of our loved ones and how to enjoy our wealth. However, too many people struggle financially in their 50s. To put it bluntly, you are behind the power curve if you depend on a job for…
Living on Dividends in a Destination RV: The New Definition of Luxury Living
The American public wants to reduce housing expenses at a time when it costs money just to breathe. Housing costs (owning and renting) have shot through the roof. At the same time, finding steady work with full benefits and a path to promotions is much more challenging. What are we to do? Well, we can…
Creating Passive Income in Your 40s: Learn to Make Money in Your Sleep
We should all strive to become financially sophisticated in our 40s. Financial sophistication includes knowledge of taxes, business, interest rates, leverage, real estate, and dividends. The ultimate goal of this financial sophistication is to create passive income that arrives in our accounts while we sleep. This passive income frees us to make even more money…
Selling Covered Calls for Vacation Money: How to Expedite Your Savings Rate
Do you hate saving for your annual vacation? I used to loathe putting my hard-earned money into a slow-moving savings account that earned 0.01% interest. I traded that saving strategy for a dividend-focused plan. Now, I use my $2,200 per month passive dividend income stream to quickly save for any vacation I choose. Even better,…
Be Selfish Until You Become Selfless: The Road to Sustainable Dividend Income
We all want to donate to charity, give to churches, and help family and friends; however, all these endeavors come at a cost. As a young Marine, I helped my mom financially, not understanding that I was actually holding myself back in the long run. This article is for the many people who want to…
Health Savings Accounts vs. Series “I” Bonds: The Best Value for Your Children
We all want to protect our children from financial ruin. We would love to lay the financial foundation for them to follow throughout their lives. However, we must understand these complex products to assist them. Nobody can substitute for us learning the financial information we need to help others. One of the best ways to…
Creating Passive Income in Your 30s: Learn to Make Money in Your Sleep
I’ll be as honest as possible: your 30s are the toughest decade you will face. You will be challenged from every angle; work, marriage, kids, and housing will all play on your fears. However, this is also the perfect time to establish passive income streams that will last a lifetime. As you settle down in…
Dividend ETFs vs. Dividend Stocks: Can You Perform Better Than the Pros?
We all love to be in control, right? We want what we want when we want it. And the stock market gives us an unlimited amount of choices—almost too many. I just finished my Stock Market Investing at Any Age Series (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s), where I discussed the importance of dividend growth…
Creating Passive Income in Your 20s: Learn to Earn in Your Sleep
They told us to work hard and earn money but didn’t tell us how to allocate it. Moreover, they have enough advertising and marketing to ensure we misspend our cash. We may not have much wisdom in our 20s, but we sure have a lot of time. If we can make a few solid financial…
Selling Cash-Secured Puts for Passive Income 2: Overcome the Lost Decade with Yield
The 2020s may be a lost decade for the stock market. Some people call this a bubble that may not pop—but may flatline. However, our net worth must still grow over 10% every year. If the gains don’t originate from the stock market, where do they come from? We can obtain yield from dividends, but…
The Magic of Compound Interest: How to Harness the Magic in Your Life
How do you explain to someone that they can become rich? That they have the power to set themselves free from workplace stress and financial anxiety? I didn’t grow up with many resources, so I joined the US Marine Corps at age 18 in 1999. I served for 20 years, struggling to get my finances…
Stock Market Investing in Your 70s: Passing Income to Future Generations
An asset is something we can pass on to future generations. Focusing on their futures ensures we make the best decisions for our and their well-being and longevity. Honestly, we should be financially savvy and independent in our 70s; there is no reason not to be. Therefore, we can begin mapping out our future endowments…
Make Passive Income: All Day Every Day
I was 38 years old when I came across the term “passive income.” I was 20 years into my career in the Marine Corps, and my finances were in shambles. My wife and I weren’t big spenders. We didn’t drive brand-new cars or renovate our homes. We simply did not have the financial information we…
Stock Market Investing in Your 60s: Let the 401K Conversions Begin
We all love the idea of recycling—turning something old into something new. In our 60s, we can turn our pile of money (401K) into a massive passive income stream. That’s right. We will forget the 4% rule and earn 9-10% yields on our invested capital. Do you need a financial advisor to manage your money…
Dividend ETFs vs. Asset Managers: The Best Place for High Growth and High Yield
We love to do things ourselves. However, sometimes, it is best to leave things to the professionals. Picking individual stocks can be challenging, especially when considering an unknown future. Luckily, we can access professionals by purchasing shares of dividend ETFs and asset managers. Both products offer high growth and high yields; however, they are unique.…
Stock Market Investing in Your 50s: It’s Time to Take Control of Our Finances
Our 50s allow us to finalize any loose ends as we prepare for retirement. Although there will be many bumps along the way, income will enable us to live our dream retirement. We wrestle the horns of the bull during our 50s. This decade is a “Do or Die” time for our finances. We must…
