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?””
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”
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”
Today on episode 18 I want to welcome Kenzie King. If you listened to last week’s interview with Michael Langer you will recognize Kenzie as Michael’s girlfriend. Kenzie and Michael walked away from lucrative engineering careers in Houston, Texas and moved into a van. Only months later, seemingly on a whim, they smashed the Pacific Crest Trail, hiking over 2,600 miles across California, Oregon, and Washington.
I promise that this is not a retelling of last week’s story. Kenzie has a very unique perspective on their journey. And regardless of your thoughts on the backpacking or thru-hiking, Kenzie shares a number of insightful opinions on the evolving dynamics of workplace culture, relationships in trying environments, and levels of financial or emotional security necessary to make bold and truly lasting changes in our lives. Hang on all the way to the end for some of the best moments of this conversation.
Continue reading “EP 18: Kenzie King: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail”
Today on episode 17 I want to give a very warm welcome to my guest Michael Langer, who along with his girlfriend Kenzie, walked away from lucrative engineering careers in Houston, Texas and moved into a van. Only months later, seemingly on a whim, they smashed the Pacific Crest Trail, hiking over 2,600 miles across California, Oregon, and Washington.
Today we will hear Michael’s perspective on this wild and unexpected journey, but it doesn’t end there. Next week stay tuned for an interview with Kenzie King, who shares her own unique perspective and motivations for their abrupt shift in lifestyle. After all, it takes a special couple to trade a solid paycheck for a heavy pack and mosquitos for five months.
Continue reading “EP 17: Michael Langer: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail”
This week on episode 16 I want to revisit a two-part series on the nuts and bolts of our very simple investing strategy. I wrote these posts early in the history of this website, back in late 2018. We felt an investing strategy needed to be simple and lasting, so you might be surprised to learn how boring it all seems. But in this case, boring is good.
And like a simple investing strategy should be, it really hasn’t changed much. However, once we achieved financial independence and left our traditional jobs, we have made some minor changes to our plan. And I’ll share those changes with you today.
Continue reading “EP 16: (Part 1) The Boring Guide to Successful Investing”