Funding the Adventurous Life
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”
New research presents a natural solution to being smarter, stronger, slimmer, wealthier, more attractive, more likable, less anxious, depressed, and generally far healthier. Sounds dreamy, eh? Is there possibly a natural homeopathic method to improve all these arenas in life; some sort of fountain of youth? The answer is a resounding yes, and the solution is simple: We simply must improve the quantity and quality of our sleep.
But you might already know that.
So how do we actually sleep more and sleep better in a world that wants us awake?
Continue reading “The Shocking Truth About Sleep”
Life has been good lately, which I correlate with the general sense of hope in the air. I thought this week would be a good opportunity to just check in and talk about life, and uncomfortably for me, my own climbing. After all, aren’t we pursuing financial wellness as part of a broader plan for a life well lived? What is that, anyway? And have we struck the balance lately?
Let’s see.
Continue reading “Lately: Is Hope Really in the Air?”
I almost didn’t write this post. It’s been such a strange and bizarre year that I didn’t at first consider it representative of the typical “early retirement” experience. Upon further reflection, however, I realized that life—just like those “irregular” regular one-off expenses—is typically atypical. It’s still life, just without a job.
With so much information about self-care, wellness, early retirement, and a life-by-design, I’ve had a lot of time to sift through the noise. And shockingly, perhaps I don’t recommend retiring early.
Here are some lessons from one year without a job…
Continue reading “Six Lessons From a Year Without a Job”
This week we’re taking another look at your specific questions. Today we examine the thorny subject of income and how much is needed to pursue financial independence, how we fund our lives without a job, the best option for medium-term saving goals, some discussion of real estate investing, and a requested expansion on last week’s post about emotional fragility, plus plenty more.
Here’s what you wanted to know…
Continue reading “Your Questions Answered: Volume 2”
Until the advent of the Scientific Revolution and the pronounced growth of technology and tools of human innovation, the vast majority of humans lived in squalid conditions of abject poverty. Picture your modern neighbor with three garages filled with late-model cars, his-and-her jet-skis, and a really impressive angle grinder. In 1437 this same middle-class citizen would be just another expendable, filth-ridden pawn serving some narcissistic warlord. He likely lived with his family in fetid conditions, in very poor health, with a narrow range of skills necessary to provide life or keep from being brutally executed in front of blood-thirsty neighbors hungry for a good-ole’-fashioned Saturday rip-about. Life was extremely difficult for the vast majority of humanity until very recently. Emotional fragility was not a useful trait.
Life, without question, sucked.
Today, developed societies have everything. We squabble over macronutrient ratios and the pros and cons of carbs while failing to appreciate that our ancestors would have dropped dead of a heart attack if they stepped into a Costco or the produce section at Whole Foods. We have vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers that vacuum and mow without us even being present! The internet provides endless information and the ability to make (in theory) well-informed choices and decisions to better our lives.
Life is unquestionably better and easier in modern times. Yet for so many of us…life still sucks. We aren’t happy, and we’re getting less happy every year.
Why are we so unhappy when life is so much easier? Are we becoming an emotionally fragile society?
Continue reading “Emotional Fragility: Is This the New Normal?”
Back in October, after the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I wondered if healthcare was about to get a lot more expensive. Now, health insurance is about to be far more affordable for those of us at lower income levels.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is a $1.9 trillion stimulus package, signed into law on March 11, 2021. And this thing is massive! Tell them Large Marge sent ya! Mainstream media has expectedly latched on to the $1,400 stimulus checks and the very generous extended child tax credit. However, the news bulging my eyeballs is the boost coming to the Affordable Care Act (also lovingly known as Obamacare).
Continue reading “Some Fantastic News on Health Insurance Costs”
This week’s post is not about ways to save money or plan for a retirement. There’s not even much here about climbing. I spent some time alone this week, and as such, fell (pun intended) into a bit more of a contemplative mood. This is an essay on wild places, loneliness, and the compounding emotional effects of night. Finally, and perhaps unexpectedly, we examine the continued relevance of the death of Chris McCandless in the Alaskan wilderness.
Continue reading “Fear and Limping (Alone) in Las Vegas”
This week I decided to dig through my emails and finish answering some questions.
In this post we take another look at investing now vs later, the dynamics of financial independence without retiring early, housing and home ownership, more on day trading and investing apps, what the hell I do with my time, and much more.
Here is what is keeping you guys up at night, or at least spurring mild curiosity.
Continue reading “Your Questions Answered: Volume One”
We’ve been back in a house for just over a month, which feels like a good time to reflect on our five-month 2020 life on the road.
We’ve all heard the myriad benefits of a life of full-time travel: a new and ever-changing environment, chasing good weather, meeting new people, and abundant nature. And certainly, we’ve seen all the photos. But with this sense of freedom comes some significant trade-offs in comfort, ease of living, work productivity, and sometimes even freedom itself.
Does life on the road live up to all the social media hype? How about the costs? What type of vehicles, vans, or RVs are even affordable?
Here’s what to expect:
Continue reading “The Simple and Complicated Life on the Road”