Tag: retirement
Time is Money #2: Save By Adding Value in the Present
Have you ever wondered why people save money? We all believe we have the answer, but it is still worth a deeper dive. We recently explored debt and how it keeps you focused on the past. Now it’s time to focus on today, which reduces much of our stress. What is saving? Most people think…
You Can Now Skip Car Loan Payments: Don’t Skip Your Car Loan Payments!
I logged in to pay my monthly car payment and received a strange notification. I could now skip my car payment for a $25 fee. The implications of this type of program are far-reaching. In essence, it’s a payday loan. Keep in mind that this came from a Federal Credit Union—the supposed good guys. The…
No Freakin’ Way I Am Working Another 25 Years part 3
Another year, another birthday. I turned 42 less than a week ago, and I feel great! My life couldn’t be any better, even if I tried. I started writing this series in 2021 (part 1, part 2). I had just turned 40 and realized that the American society wanted me to work until age 65.…
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,…
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…
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…
Dividend ETFs vs. Index Funds
A few improvements to investing have changed the game for the average middle-class investor. These are fractional shares, zero commission fees, and automated investing. Today, we can invest $5/week into our favorite index funds and dividend ETFs to slowly grow our portfolio. Plus, we can still go all in with $5,000 when we get our…
Middle-Class Investing 111: Middle-Class Investing COMPLETE
The Middle-Class Investing 101 Series was super fun to write and develop. Investing gets a bad reputation among the middle class. People believe investing is about taking all kinds of crazy risks and flying by the seat of your pants. In reality, it is the exact opposite of this scenario. Investing is about creating a…
The Great Family Reset: The Independent Person Experiment Failed
It was an experiment for the ages. The idea was to send a person out of the home at age 18 and see if they could make it in the world. They used words like “be independent,” “go build,” and “become a man” to entice us into the world alone and without resources. A few…
Increase Your Savings Rate: It Determines When You Can Retire
How fast do you want to retire? Do you genuinely want to work until the full retirement age of 66? I know I don’t want to work for another 25 years. But what is the best way to retire early? We all hear terms like Financial Independence Retire Early (or F.I.R.E.), but what does that…
Middle-Class Investing 109: Create a Paycheck with Income Investing
We have finally made it to my favorite type of passive income—income investing. Although we took the long way, it is necessary to understand how we got here. Income investing is not for the faint of heart. That’s why starting with interest from high-yield savings accounts is good, and slowly work your way forward. Welcome…
Home Buying for the Average Person 2
“You will own nothing and be happy.” This thought process comes from the higher beings inside our governments, businesses, and military. Why is this quote so important to the middle-class family? Because we must be wary of how things slowly play out to fulfill this new reality. We used to buy physical products such as…
Two People, One Budget: Create a Budget and Start Income Investing
They say finances cause most marriages to fail, but what specifically is the disconnect between couples? More importantly, how can we prevent these issues from causing a division between the lovebirds? My wife, Kristina, and I have been married for 17 years, and we are on the same page financially. When we didn’t have “the…
Social Security vs. Income Investing
We should not depend on the government. That’s not to say that the government is terrible or plans to ruin our lives. However, the government is not our best source of reliable income; we are. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to create our own happy cash flow retirement system. I wrote an article titled…
Middle-Class Investing 103: Create Additional Streams of Income
To sit comfortably in the middle class, you must create additional income streams. Holding one or two jobs in the household is risky. Rich people understand the power of having multiple streams of income. It is how they continue to accumulate wealth, even during a recession. Welcome back to the Middle-Class Investing 101 series (101,…
Bonds for Mom: A Low-Risk Retirement Plan for Mom
As our mothers increase in age, chances are they will receive some kind of windfall. This can be from an inheritance, a life insurance policy, downsizing a home, or cashing in a 401K. As the son or daughter, you will want to ensure this money lasts until the end. Most people will turn over the…
What is Your Net Worth? How Long Can You Survive Without a Job?
Net worth has become a status symbol; apparently, if you are a net-worth millionaire, that is supposed to mean something. However, having a high net worth doesn’t necessarily mean you are wealthy. There is a massive difference between static and functional wealth. Today, let’s determine your net worth (and mine’s) and see how this money…
The Perfect Life: RV Life & Royalties
What a fantastic time in which we live. Never has it been easier or more convenient to make money from anywhere in the world. However, easier doesn’t mean less challenging. Living the laptop life comes with extreme discipline and consistency. We can merge the ideas of freedom and remote work with RV life. This means…
