Uncategorized Archives - Page 4 of 5

April 22, 2019August 9, 2021

Van Life: The Economics and Trade-0ffs

Now more than ever the parking lots at popular climbing areas across the country are being crowded by big boxy Sprinters and a variety of less-sexy creeper vans. As I’ve touched on before, the allure of climbing and other lifestyle sports is incredibly strong. The power to hit the road is so strong that climbers are increasingly dropping the creature comforts of modern building dwelling to pursue the mobile dream in the back of a van, a pull trailer, or sometimes even a Honda Civic. This, my friends, is Van Life.

At face value, assuming you think you can handle the obvious discomforts of a claustrophobic space in the dead of winter on a snowy day, the economic decision seems like an obvious win. Right?

April 15, 2019August 9, 2021

Reader Case Study: Maximize Adventure or Career?

Full disclosure, I’m posting this week’s case study as an interview, but no one is being interviewed here. This post is the amalgamation of several email discussions I’ve had with readers in the last two to three months. The premise is this: folks out there know some form of career is necessary, but they’re overwhelmed by the idea of 40+ years of something that isn’t the dream job. Oh yeah, and they’re obsessed with rock climbing.

I’m going to outline below the basic way we’ve structured our lives to be career-focused for only a small portion of our adult lives. From there, we’re free to pursue whatever it is that gets us giddy (which can still be a career).

April 8, 2019May 8, 2020

Net Worth: It’s Really Going to Matter…Someday

I promised at the end of our post on spending tracking that we’d also be addressing and tracking one’s net worth. I’m a man of my word, so here we are.

Net worth is defined as total assets minus total liabilities (debt). Simple enough right, so why the post?

First, there’s some nuance involved in the categorization of assets and debt.

Second, and most importantly, despite the relative ease in calculating net worth, I speculate that very few have taken the time to calculate their own. Guys, forget early retirement. Failure to take note of the reality of your finances can leave you very much hosed by the fatty knot of life. Deliberate attention and a hard look at “normal,” however, can flip the script. There’s no better time than today, and we’re here to help.

March 18, 2019March 18, 2019

Tara Kerzhner: Lights, Cameras…Kittens?

Howdy folks, we’re back on the interview wagon again after a couple of weeks of “you’re spending too much” rants. I feel better, thanks for asking. This week we are once again going to focus on the lifestyle of folks in the climbing industry, and the financial implications for building a sustainable life in a world where money most certainly does not grow on trees. As usual, I reached out to someone whose work I respect, the very talented photographer, filmmaker, and climber Tara Kerzhner. Not only does she do exceptional work behind the lens, she has a unique character that makes her stand out — particularly a running theme of cats, which permeates her online persona.

March 11, 2019August 9, 2021

Tracking Your Spending: The Ultimate Task

I realize that only some small subset of the folks who end up on this website are likely to pursue financial independence. It’s not for everyone. But if we can make a single small impression on you, dear reader, it would be to invest time in tracking your spending. It doesn’t matter if you are clawing your way out of debt or nearing retirement in your late 20s, you must know exactly how much money is being spent. The more specific you can be in tracking your spending, the more power you have in making change.

March 4, 2019June 21, 2019

Personal Finance: Not Very Sexy, huh?

In terms of interests, I’ve always strived for simplicity. Drawn to the outdoors at a very young age in the dense Appalachian forests of western North Carolina, and later to rock climbing, I believed fully that a life in pursuit of simple pleasures was good enough. I didn’t need a big salary to buy nice things to impress others. Sadly, this is the rhythm and life of too many people. I never considered the utility of a personal finance strategy. So why should you?

February 25, 2019March 6, 2021

Jonathan Siegrist: Life After Professional Climbing

If you’ve been in this climbing world for more than a few days, you know that my guest interview today, Jonathan Siegrist, needs no introduction. He’s simply one of the world’s top climbers, and he’s crushed it in all major facets of this game we play — sport, bouldering, and trad.

We’re going to mix things up this week and feature Jonathan not because he’s pursuing a life of financial independence or running a business, but because he works damn hard and is a man with a plan. He is laser focused on his goals, but he knows there will be more to life than professional climbing. There’s not much luck in this story.

February 11, 2019February 11, 2019

Financial Independence: So Who is This For?

We’re almost five months in on this project, but I’ve never clearly defined the intended audience for this content. As mentioned here, this site was launched to link the seemingly unrelated topics of personal finance and rock climbing. No doubt, the overlap on the Venn diagram of these two communities is going to be slim. So who is both willing and able to achieve a life of financial independence?

February 4, 2019February 21, 2021

Mallorca: January Adventures and the Cost to Do It

We’ve just wrapped up a two-week stay in Europe, most of which was spent on Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain. As previously discussed, we jumped on what was essentially a free flight to Frankfurt, Germany, spending a night on either end of the trip there. We also leaned on our five key tips for saving money while traveling abroad. Shall we take a look at some pretty pictures and tally the final bill?

January 21, 2019August 9, 2021

Traveling Abroad: You’re Paying Too Much

Traveling abroad is an adventure that everyone should experience at some point in their lives. And I’m not talking about an all-inclusive stay in Cabo, where you’re shuttled from the airport and kept within the confines of a protected resort. I mean going to a place and living amongst the locals for at least a couple of weeks, stumbling through a foreign language, and learning first-hand what it feels like to be a minority.