Tag: Financial Independence
Choose Between $100,000 Active Income and $50,000 Passive Income
I will ask you a question that will rattle you to your core. Do you really want to go to work every day? It’s okay to be truthful; I’ll go first. My job fulfilled me for the first 15 years after high school. At a random point, it became more of a chore than entertainment. …
Series “I” Bonds vs Index Funds: Making the Leap From Saver to Investor
The most challenging aspect of becoming financially independent is making the leap from a saver to an investor. It’s nearly impossible to save your way to financial freedom. As much as we love the comfort of having our money in savings, earning 3-4% on your cash won’t net you enough to retire. How do we…
Give Your Kids a Different Path: Set Them on the Path to Financial Freedom
The days of working a 40-year career at one job are over. Even if these jobs still existed, is that the life you want for your child? Why are you sending your kids off to college? Do you know how to make money in today’s ever-changing economy? If you don’t understand how to make money,…
Quiet Quitting vs Loud Rehiring: Time to Go Back to Work
Did you buy into all the hype surrounding the quiet quitting and great resignation movements? How did that work out for you? I agree with you on one thing—the workplace is terrible in its current form. There are two crucial elements missing: leadership and mentorship. However, you’ll need to go back to work until you…
Happy Cash Flow Retirement 9
There is nothing preventing us from retiring early except ourselves. We have all the tools to live a fulfilling life without working a day job. So what prevents 97% of the population from riding off into the sunset before age 50? The answer lies in our need for more information and action. Welcome back to…
5 Takeaways from “How to Pay Off Your Mortgage in Five Years”
“How to Pay Off Your Mortgage in Five Years” by Clayton and Natali Morris centers around performing a lot of math. If you don’t enjoy math, this may not be the book for you. However, they present a good argument for how to pay off your mortgage quickly. If you are a financially disciplined person,…
The Golden Handcuffs of Lifestyle Inflation 2
The workforce is becoming a terrible place to spend your time. Everyone is running around with their hair on fire. If your company pays you, they expect you to always be on call, answer all emails within one minute, and never say “no.” Why do people remain in the labor market if things are going…
Save (for) the Children: Series “I” Bonds vs Roth IRAs vs HSAs vs 529 Savings
Life is good when you understand your finances. There are many tools parents have to assist children in getting a head start. To prepare your children financially, YOU must be financially prepared. Therefore, getting your act together is a top priority before your children leave home. I spent many years struggling with my money until…
The Leveraged Millionaire: Increase Your Risk, Increase Your Returns… Maybe
Leverage is a powerful tool to expedite your path to wealth. Leverage, sometimes called other people’s money (OPM), can also destroy your wealth, progression, and livelihood. I read in a book (I can’t remember which one) that you can only become as rich as the amount of money you borrow. For example, if you borrow…
Becoming an Entrepreneur #2: Dropping the 9-5 Mindset
If you feel weird without a job, it is not a coincidence. From the start, they programmed us to find a job and stay there until retirement. Consider the school system, where you attend from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Does this sound familiar? However, having a job isn’t a bad thing—what’s…
Annuities vs. Income Investing
Do you like betting against yourself? Do you believe someone can handle your money better than you? Although there are times to let the professionals handle the situation, we can still learn the information to give us additional options. Every American should have an income investing portfolio to assist them through life. Even passively earning…
5 Takeaways from “The Everything Budgeting Book”
“The Everything Budgeting Book” by Tere Stouffer is a massive book covering everything about budgeting (as the title implies). You will find budgets from having a baby, saving for college, and growing a retirement fund. This is the book I should have read right before I joined the military in 1999. Many of the lessons…
I Love Paying Bills Because I Mastered the Process
I remember hating to pay my bills in my early 20s. I didn’t have a cell phone back then, but I had a car loan, insurance, and maintenance costs. I hated paying bills because I didn’t comprehend the process; I wasn’t serious about keeping tabs on my expenses. I got married in 2006, and my…
Financial Freedom is a Mindset, Not an Account Balance
I didn’t feel financially free when I was $77,000 in debt. I was earning over $100,000 at my day job, but I still felt behind. However, once I started to read articles on passive income, compound interest, and getting out of debt, I immediately knew I would free myself and my family. That was back…
Series “I” Bonds 4 Life: It’s Always a Good Time to Buy Savings Bonds
As inflation slowly recedes, so does the hype for one of my favorite investment tools—Series “I” Bonds. The hype turned into mania when they paid 9.62% interest last year. The goal of an “I” bond is to protect your cash from inflation while giving you a modest return. When they hit 9.62%, it was probably…
Achieve F.I.R.E. via Income Investing
We all want to escape the workforce. I have been working since 1997, when I started at McDonald’s, and I’ve never seen an employment market like this. Everyone is overworked, underpaid, and struggling to survive. Leadership is even more chaotic and unorganized than the employees. If you do not have your finances in order, you…
Becoming an Entrepreneur #1: Reading the Right Books
What’s the difference between an entrepreneur and an employee? The employee receives a paycheck for going to work, while the entrepreneur gets compensation for adding value. They may sound similar, but they are vastly different mindsets. Why would an employee want to become an entrepreneur? Over the years in the workforce, your company will severely…
Position Yourself for the Next Bull Market
We are near the bottom of the bear market. Pessimism in the markets peaked, and we can begin to see optimism show its lovely face. But we still have time to make some life-changing moves while prices are excellent and everyone focuses on surviving. To invest wisely during a bear market and recession, we must…
How to Start a Business Cheaply
The future of the economy is unknown. Will we delve into a recession or start the next bull market? We all must lay and wait, but we can take massive action to improve our chances. One way to change our fortunes is to start a business. When people think of business, they think of physical…
Change Your Money Cycle: Your Spending Habits Determine Your Wealth
We hit the jackpot by being born in America. We have the chance to go from broke to rich in one lifetime. Heck, we can achieve incredible wealth in 20 years if we truly try. Unfortunately, most people will never seize this fantastic opportunity. Not because they didn’t work hard but because their money cycle…
