Tag: kindle unlimited
The 401K Lie: Saving 10% is a Fool’s Errand
Have you ever been flush with cash? Have you ever received random amounts of money that you truly do not need (or want) to spend? Well, this is my life every day as an income investor. I invest for dividends that help me fund my lifestyle today (in my 40s) and tomorrow (in my 70s).…
Renting Rooms to Family Members
Do you own a big single-family home with only a single family living inside? Well, congratulations, that’s a fantastic feat. The follow-up question is, how is your financial situation looking? Chances are, it is not looking too good. The bait and switch. Who told Americans we all deserve to live in 2,000-square-foot, 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom homes?…
Why You Need Passive Income!
I woke up yesterday to find some emails containing passive income in my Gmail inbox. I received $97 from Fundrise, $22 from Direct2Digital (books), and $60 in dividends. There is nothing like receiving money you don’t need. To earn passive income, you do the work once (invest or write) and continually reap the rewards. Why…
The True Value of Owning a Home
Sometimes it takes work to distinguish between value and price. In my last article, I discussed the true costs of owning a home. However, you can deal with the costs if you understand the value. Owning a home is difficult but can be an essential investment in the long run. Inflation protection. The best reason…
The True Costs of Owning a Home
If you are on the fence about owning a home, this article is for you. No matter how bad this makes homeownership seem, it’s still a must. In the following article, I will discuss the VALUE of owning a home. But, before value, I need to talk about the costs. Let’s make one thing clear—owning…
Being Mediocre is Not Okay
The world wants you to be mediocre. The best way to sell products, enforce taxes, and inflate prices is to have a society of losers. We should all strive to be our best selves; this prevents us from being average. The new world order uses new catchphrases to keep us at the bottom. Some of…
The Six Types of Income Investing: Sorted by Risk
Income investing is my favorite type of passive income by far. However, it’s not for most people, and it takes an above-average knowledge of financial systems. If you are up for the challenge, I can briefly tour this wonderful “hobby.” Income investing can help you free yourself from the chains of employment much earlier than…
Saving & Investing with $500 per Month
If you can save and invest $500 per month, you are in the elite class of America. Sadly, I am being completely serious. Most Americans cannot save $500 over the course of a year or even a decade. America is a tough place to save because everything costs. If you own a home or have…
The Magic of Waking Up Early: The Early Bird Gets The Dollar
The world is programming you to become unsuccessful. Almost every news bite I hear from celebrities and entrepreneurs tells you to work less or focus on finding happiness. Beware of false prophets. Over the last three years, they told you to quit your job, be happy earning minimum wage, and not buy a home. Then…
Dividend ETFs vs. Bonds 2: The Tax Edition
After writing “Dividend ETFs vs. Bonds,” I got to thinking about taxes. As we head into retirement, taxes will play a significant role in our decision-making. Let’s rerun the $500,000-401K scenario, but this time with a perspective focusing on taxes. Let’s assume we are 66 years old and drawing social security. What are qualified dividends?…
Dividend ETFs vs. Bonds: The Best Investment for Retirees
Retiring from the workforce can be stressful. We spend our entire lives earning a paycheck and living on a salary. Now they expect us to live on our investments and a small amount of social security. Most of us don’t spend much time learning how to invest. When we retire with a nice nest egg,…
Getting Rich is a Team Sport: The Individual American Dream is Dead
They really did a number on us. They will have us believe that in one lifetime, we can get a college education, climb the corporate ladder, get married, stay married, have children, raise children, fund our children’s education, and save for retirement. Yeah right. The American Dream is much more than $5 million today. With…
Becoming an Entrepreneur #6: Creating Your Sales Funnel
Attempting to sell something to another person seems simple but is quite complex. Very rarely do people just buy things without establishing some form of relationship—either with the product or the brand. Your mission as an entrepreneur is to turn people “off the street” (leads) into people who purchase items from you (customers). Ideally, we…
Becoming an Entrepreneur #5: Building an Audience
Now it’s time to put all our reading, training, and education into action. I firmly believe in the content-first approach to business that the book “Content Inc.” discussed. Welcome back to the Becoming an Entrepreneur Series (Part #1, Part #2, Part #3, Part #4), where we take you from employee to entrepreneur. Why is building…
Make a 5-Year Commitment: Treasury Notes vs Certificates of Deposit
Certificates of deposits used to be one of the safest investments in town. However, we had a troubling turn of events in March 2023. Three large banks failed in about a week: Silvergate Bank, Silicon Valley Bank (SVC), and Signature Bank. Silicon Valley was the 16th largest bank in America (by deposits). These bank failures…
Are We Living in Fast Forward? Things Have Changed Since 2020
The other day, I was listening to my favorite YouTuber as I worked on my books. He said he felt like life has been moving in fast forward since the pandemic. This statement got me thinking. I always tell my Marines that this new world will give them ADHD. Everyone and everything is trying to…
So Your Kid Wants to be a Doctor? Here’s How You Can Help
Parents, you will not like this article. I have been tough on parents over the last three years, and today the tradition continues. Don’t worry; I am a parent of two kids, 16 and 12. We all want the best for our children, but most people forget to do the most crucial thing—learn. Fixed versus…
Welcome to The T.I.C.E.S. Society: Tycoon, Investor, Creator, Entrepreneur, Scholar
It’s hard to express how fragile our lives become without knowledge. When we depend on a job, a person, or a government to save us, they usually come up short. Americans have become more educated over the years—meaning more people have college degrees than ever. However, most people need more financial education to grow a…
Becoming an Entrepreneur #4: Training vs. Education
The most difficult concept for most starving entrepreneurs to grasp is the idea of training versus education. There is a massive difference between these learning techniques. Eventually, as an entrepreneur, you’ll find yourself in new territory where no one else has traveled. If you don’t understand the difference, you will find yourself lost in the…
Homeownership Will Only be for the Rich
When did Americans become so greedy? Okay, I may need to word this differently. When did Americans become so entitled? As Americans, we want to work a standard job but own a home, drive two late-model cars, and put our kids through private school and college. And we want to do all these things without…
