Funding the Adventurous Life
I’ve finally caved. I’m happy to announce that I’ve been busy building a podcast as an extension of this website.
Welcome to the new and (hopefully) improved Clipping Chains platform. Will you join me?
Continue reading “Announcing the Clipping Chains Podcast”
I want to check back in on a topic near and dear to many: housing affordability. We’ve witnessed soaring real estate prices nationwide, with many cities exceeding a 20% year-over-year growth in sales prices of homes. Is income growth keeping up? For those looking to get into the housing market for the first time, can you expect better future prices or less competition?
Well, let’s see…
Continue reading “Housing Affordability: This Isn’t Normal”
The grass is always greener on the other side. No truer words were ever uttered. Get it? Utter? Cows? Grass? Anyway, it’s our expectations that lead us in search of new experiences, but do they always pay off?
This concept of something better on the horizon has governed my existence for as long as I can recall. Under the constant glare of incandescent lights in a corporate office, I dreamed of selling my house and living on the road. But once I was living that reality, I discovered the very real contrasts of life on the road that I already knew existed.
When I was surrounded by all the nature, I just really wanted to lay on my living room rug with air conditioning, a lacrosse ball under my lower back, watching The Great British Baking Show.
It didn’t take long for us to decide that some sort of hybrid life was our best option. We opted to buy a house in St. George, Utah, intent on nesting here for the majority of the year, like Roland’s Rock House. For the rest of the year, particularly the hateful summer, we planned to travel and perhaps rent out our home.
So, how is that going?
Continue reading “The Happiness Curve: Beware of Expectations”
It’s been almost exactly 18 months since I quit my job and watched the last corporate world elevator close behind me.
Reflecting on that time, it’s clear that my best career years—those defined by rewarding assignments, autonomy, increased paid time off, and better work/life balance—all came after I knew I was going to leave. Weird, huh?
How can we explain this paradox, and do we even need the drastic measures of financial independence to improve our work life?
Continue reading “Why Trying to Quit My Job (Sort of) Made It Better”
We used to worry about every dollar spent. But then we learned to stop fretting and live well through value spending, putting our efforts where it matters most.
Here’s how we made major and repeatable changes to our spending habits without materially changing our enjoyment of life.
Continue reading “Value Spending: How to Really Save Money”
“Should I Quit My Job for Climbing?”
I get some form of this question from time to time.
“Hi Mr. CC. I really don’t like my job and I think I’ve saved enough for a road trip. What do you think about leaving this job and traveling for a year or more? Will an extended road trip hurt my finances?”
Well…let’s take a look.
Continue reading “Should I Quit My Job? I Want to Climb!”
We’ve all heard the phrase “money doesn’t buy happiness.” However, new research suggests a strong correlation between income and well-being, with no apparent ceiling. How can we interpret these results and reconcile what we’ve always been told about money and happiness?
Continue reading “The New Research on Income and Happiness”
We now find ourselves approaching the mid-year point of 2021. So, how about we check in on those simple, yet highly effective methods for actually saving real money? I’m taking a break from my typical long-form post while we travel, so hopefully you’ll find this one straight and to the point.
Continue reading “Mid-Year Financial Check & All the Latest”
When I first discovered financial independence, the thought to retire in my 30s warmed my soul like a batch of hot stew on a late February night. If I could rely on the wondrous and fantastic powers of compound growth to build a bitchin’ snowball of money, I’d never need to work again.
And it was never about the money. It was about the life. I yearned for a life spent in pursuit of passion, surrounded by a vibrant and meaningful community, with copious time to immerse in nature, climb, travel, and most importantly…sleep. The rigid and mechanical pipeline of school to work was cracked and beginning to leak.
So, what’s not to love?
Continue reading “Six Important Reasons Not to Retire Early”
Hi, how are you? I’ve been doing some traveling by plane. After a 15-month hiatus from the grind, I found refreshment in some good-ole’-fashioned civilization this week. Apologies for the departure, but you will find no tips about finances or rock climbing today. This is an essay on the inherent ridiculousness of human nature and the forgotten joys of plane travel.
Continue reading “Forgotten Lessons From a Jet Plane”