Tag: Financial Independence
BCRE: Become Capitalist Retire Early
Do you really want to work until you are 65? At some point in my working life, I thought I would have a 30-year military career followed by 20 years in the civilian workforce. And then I changed my mind. In 2021, I wrote “No Freaking Way I Am Working Another 25 Years.” That was…
$5,000 Dividend Shopping Spree!
Isn’t it fun to go shopping with money someone else gives you? I remember my parents giving us $100 in 1991 to shop for the school year. We had to purchase our jeans (Wranglers), T-shirts, socks, and underwear (whitie-tighties). We had so much fun during those times. Those days were over once I turned 16…
Dividend Investing for Everyone! Change Your Life Today
Are you tired of being the low person on the totem pole? Do you hate not having money in your pocket when you want to purchase something? I hated working hard for money and not having enough money in the budget to take my family to the movies. But I changed my life. I now…
I Bought a Tiny Home: Are They the Solution to the Housing Crisis?
Millions of Americans are experiencing the housing crisis. Those who bought homes before 2020 should be sitting pretty. However, things look bleak if you are in the market after the pandemic. Personally, I believe the solution lies in having multiple families living together and saving money. Eventually, they will be able to afford a home…
The Sacrifice of Retirement: It Won’t Come Easily But Is Possible
When did we start believing that retirement would come easily? Why do we think someone would pay us for our most unproductive years? The concept of retiring is a reasonably new idea. People who owned farms and businesses usually worked until they died. When social security became an entitlement, the government believed people would only…
Floating Away: The Magic of Floating Rate Preferred Shares
Something strange happened to me the other day; I received more money from one of my preferred shares than anticipated. Rarely do things surprise me, but this was a great way to start the day. Nothing makes you feel more special than earning more money on your investments than you thought. But what happened? Why…
Don’t Work Hard for Money 2; Work for Income-Producing Assets
Why do you go to work? Is it to pay bills or provide for your family? Do you go to fund your kid’s college tuition or purchase a home? These things are noble but may not get you the desired results. In fact, there is truly only one reason to work—at least at first. Why…
Count Every Penny: Budgeting Your Way to Financial Independence
Why is it so difficult for us to budget and save? Why do we use scapegoats like inflation, price increases, and wage stagnation to deflect? The simple fact is that we must count every penny that enters and leaves our homes. That’s the only way we will build wealth and retire early. But somewhere along…
The 40-40-40 Plan vs. Happy Cash Flow Retirement
They told us that if we worked hard, were smart with our money, and planned well, we would have a great, exciting retirement. How is that working out for you? The 40-40-40 plan involves working 40 hours a week for 40 years and receiving 40% of your income during retirement. That was the plan they…
The Options Wheel vs. Dividends
We need to keep our money working for us at all times—in the safest way possible. Sometimes, this means using a high-yield savings account, investing in dividend stocks, or even trading options. I recently discussed selling covered calls and cash-secured puts versus buying dividend-paying stocks. The conclusion was that trading options can be much riskier…
Selling Cash-Secured Puts vs. Treasury Bills
How much money can you earn in a 30-day cycle? I guess it depends on how you choose to earn your income. You can do it the safe way or add a little spice. Ultimately, it depends on your objectives. If you want to juice your returns to retire earlier, you’ll have to take on…
Cash-Secured Puts vs. Dividends: The Best Passive Strategy
The best way to retire early is through dividend investing—hands down. But that doesn’t mean that dividend investing is the best way to generate income. The goal is to create a Happy Cash Flow Retirement where new money comes in every day. Dividend investing can create lots of cash flow, but you will surrender much…
Selling Covered Calls vs. High Yield Savings: The Best Way to Invest $1,100
I love comparing various financial products against one another, but this one will take the cake. How do you compare the safest option to the riskiest one? So, let’s simplify the comparison: How would I safely grow a small nest egg of $1,100? The easy answer is to put the money into a high-yield savings…
Covered Calls vs. Dividends: The Best Passive Strategy
If you want to retire in America, you must build a stream of passive income. There are many ways to generate income in your sleep; however, understanding these streams is vital to building wealth. Two ways to generate a return on your invested money are selling covered calls and investing in dividend stocks. Both options…
Should You Take a Home Equity Loan? There Will Be a New Gold Rush
The new rush to gold will be home equity loans; mark my words. The average American homeowner is up to their eyeballs in debt, and the federal government has a solution. Instead of teaching people fiscal responsibility, the government wants to support the secondary market for home equity loans (or secondary mortgages). This means the…
Secondary Mortgages for Everyone! The Government wants to get into the Home Equity Loan Business
The US economy is stalling because the average consumer is overburdened with debt. The answer is for everyone to live below their means, pay down debt, and generate passive income from investments. But that sounds boring. The easy answer is to offer everyone the ability to assume more debt. That’s precisely the route the federal…
Find Happiness Inside of a Budget
I learned many things during middle and high school. However, one thing that I don’t remember learning is budgeting. Budgeting is perhaps the most essential element of building wealth, so why don’t “they” want us to learn how to do it? It’s simply that they want us to spend our money frivolously and without regard…
Reject the 40-40-40 Plan: 40 Hours Per Week, For 40 Years, For 40% Retirement
Most of us are halfway (or more) through our financial journeys, but it’s never too late to change course. The plan the experts sold us was never going to set us free. To become financially independent, especially before 50, we must travel a different path. To obtain assets, we must learn to leverage capital markets…
No Freakin’ Way Am I Working Another 25 Years part 4
I vividly remember my 40th birthday. I was in Okinawa, Japan, on a two-year unaccompanied tour away from my family. I was working hard to establish my writing and book publishing business. I had been in the Marine Corps for 22 years at the time. The last three years were the hardest because stress levels…
Retiring to a Small City and Living on Passive Income 2
Do you want to have the chance to retire in this lifetime? Even better, do you want to retire early, perhaps in your 40s or 50s? There has never been a better time to create a Happy Cash Flow Retirement, but it will take sacrifice. Your company no longer gives you a nice pension with…
