Funding the Adventurous Life
Today on episode 25 let’s give a hot stew welcome to climber and all-around curious guy, Erich Purpur. Erich works in the university system in Virginia, finding time in the margins to climb up to V10 and 5.13c. Recently, Erich is beginning to envision a potential life of financial independence.
But achieving financial independence may only be the beginning of the next journey.
Continue reading “EP 25: Erich Purpur: What is the “Good Life?””
I couldn’t go on with another week with talk of climbing or investing without acknowledging the massive elephant in the room: the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the threat of evolving war.
Financial markets are not high on my mind. Without a doubt, I sit on a throne of privilege to be able to even consider this article. But all that being said, I have been asked my thoughts on this matter, so here we go.
Today we take a historical look at past market environments during times of war. Importantly, we have to examine if this time could be different.
Continue reading “War and Financial Markets: What You Need to Know”
Today on episode 24 I’m thrilled to host Piggy and Kitty of Bitches Get Riches. Yes, you heard that right. These ladies have generously self-applied the “B” word, offering me cover from the internet masses for using it in this case. You’ll hear it soon: I’m cancel-proof on this one. Piggy and Kitty write and host their own podcast dedicated to imparting “funny lessons about the adulting skills we were never taught, yet mysteriously expected to know.” Sound familiar?
Continue reading “EP 24: Bitches Get Riches: What Do We Really Value?”
Today on episode 23 I’m happy to welcome climber, dentist, and real estate investor, Erik Jenson. In addition to paying down hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, Erik is now living rent- and mortgage-free through the process of house hacking. This form of real estate investing involves renting out rooms in the home where he lives, allowing him to build equity and repeat the process with additional properties. Referring to this process as “real estate investing with training wheels,” Erik is generating an outsized return compared to the single-family home so many of us consider “investments.”
Continue reading “EP 23: Erik Jenson: Real Estate Investing with Training Wheels”
This week we are returning to the digital mailbag to answer your questions!
In this Q&A episode, we take the plunge on inflation fears, cryptocurrency, real estate investing, the debate between loans and all-cash offers, mid-week climbing partners, the Roth 401(k), autoimmune conditions, and some more intimate details about where and how we hold our money in various accounts. Finally, I reveal some notable changes to Mrs. CC’s schedule, among a variety of other topics.
Continue reading “EP 22: Your Questions Answered: Volume 4”
Today on episode 21 I want to give a very warm welcome to climber and certified professional life coach, Blake Cason. Blake is the founder of Pivot Wellness and the co-founder of Climbwell, two organizations that allow Blake to integrate her extensive background in mental and behavioral health to make our lives better.
Blake moved to St. George, Utah at almost the same exact time that my wife and I were moving into our new home there. What fascinated me about Blake’s story is that, prior to her new home purchase, she worked as a solo entrepreneur on the road in her camper for years.
The first half of this interview is spent studying the history and logistics of this career path and work setup. For the second half of this interview, we dive into Blake’s bread and butter of examining our motivations, with actionable steps on how to improve and find balance in both our careers and passionate pursuits.
Continue reading “EP 21: Blake Cason: Going Out on My Own”
It’s been almost exactly two years since I last worked for anyone else. Two years since I made a paycheck. Two years since I commuted. Two years since I waited too long, ran like a fool with a backpack smacking me in the ass, missing my bus home anyway. Two years since I rushed to the gym, exhausted after a full day of work, and grinded out a training session anyway. It’s been two years since I hurriedly traded slacks and dress shoes for chalk-covered pants and approach shoes in a cold parking garage. Two years since I told any inappropriate jokes to coworkers before a meeting began. Two years since I lived in an old house in Denver with “character” and loud, hateful neighbors. Two years since we bought a tiny A-frame camper, eventually living on the road. It’s been two years since so much changed, and today I’m here to tell you about what this sense of freedom is really all about.
Continue reading “Seven Lessons From Two Years of Financial Freedom”
Today on episode 20 I am so very pleased to welcome back to Clipping Chains climber, coach, trainer, and all-around great guy, Steve Bechtel. Steve joins us from Lander, Wyoming where he is the owner of Elemental Performance + Fitness and Climb Strong. Steve is a highly regarded pillar of the climbing coaching and training world, seemingly due to his no-nonsense persona, a dedication to simplicity, and a focus on key principles that generate results for his athletes.
That said, regardless of your dedication to training or even climbing in general, Steve has so much insight and clarity into living our best lives. Perhaps most poignant of all, Steve values the impermanence of today. If we can understand that the glass is already broken, a topic we’ll discuss, we know that every moment with it is precious.
Continue reading “EP 20: Steve Bechtel: The Glass Is Already Broken”Today in episode 19 we return for more details on our boring guide to successful investing. Now that we have an idea on types of funds and asset allocation from part 1, we can take a detailed dive on each investing account and how to simply save more and minimize taxes. Oh boy!
Continue reading “EP 19: (Part 2) The Boring Guide to Successful Investing”
I’ve thought a lot this year about the pace of change. We know from the study of ancient civilizations that multiple generations could pass with only the most modest and trivial changes in tools and methods for survival. You might have a lived a life shockingly similar to your great-great-grandfather, swinging a very similar hammer.
Yet as 2021 comes to a close, I can attest that my grandfather looks upon the world with dumbfounded astonishment, unable to clear his full voicemail inbox on his now ancient flip phone that, only a little over a decade ago, felt like the dawn of a new era.
Continue reading “2021: A Year of Accelerated Change (and Top Posts)”