Funding the Adventurous Life
After over 89,000 words written here to date, I wonder if I’ve consistently taken the correct tone. It’s very easy to point the finger in judgment, to be the cynic, but there is far more difficulty in being a source of encouragement or inspiration. So, let’s take a step back today. I want to explain why I started this project, and why I care so deeply about you and your money.
Continue reading “From Love: Why I Care About Your Money”
This week’s post was written as a guest post for the UK-based Chalkbloc.com. I’ll admit, there’s a bit of controversy here. I love climbing as much as the next guy, but I believe that full pursuit of the sport can leave us a bit unbalanced. Steve Bechtel, in his interview here last week, rightfully points out that no one is really all that balanced. You’ll hear no argument from me, but we might as well try. Financial stability is very simple, but not necessarily easy. Let’s see what it really takes to find the freedom we’ve been longing for.
Continue reading “Full Pursuit of Climbing Isn’t Full Freedom After All”
Steve Bechtel is a Lander, Wyoming-based climber, trainer, author, and business owner. Steve is also a pillar of the Lander outdoors community, a long-time owner of Elemental Performance + Fitness and Climb Strong, a training program specifically tailored to climbers. After following Steve’s work for a number of years, I suspected he might bring his thoughtful approach to climbing and training to other aspects of his life. In this interview, he doesn’t disappoint.
Continue reading “Steve Bechtel: The Importance of Time”
I’ve written much about the realities of American job satisfaction. I’ve routinely pointed out the growing sense of discontent in the traditional workforce, and that fewer people are truly passionate about their work. The ability to be creative is often associated with increased job satisfaction, so you can imagine how someone of that leaning would feel when forced to spend their days filing paperwork.
Last week I had an incredibly thought-provoking phone conversation with an old friend. My friend is one of the lucky few who are excited to jump out of bed and face the work day. But not only that, he’s also secured another foundational pillar of life satisfaction: financial security. I came away from this conversation with thoughts swirling in my head, and a clearer picture of what lies ahead for me as my corporate career comes to a close.
Continue reading “Creative Craig and His Incredibly Captivating Career”
I really like to walk. Or maybe I really loathe sitting still. Ask my wife or any of my family members. If you invite me over and expect the bulk of the experience to be shared on a couch, you will find me pacing like a deranged man on his third rail of cocaine. YEAH! LET’S DO THIS!
This = moving around your living room aimlessly and without purpose, probably chewing my fingernails.
The Fitbit craze of late has people obsessed with the seemingly arbitrary 10,000 steps. And although counting steps carries an essence of the bizarre to me, I’m glad there’s incentive to get out of the chairs and sofas and start moving. But perhaps one of the best benefits of walking has less to do with fitness and more to do with the mind. What are we missing when we’re not out on our own two feet?
Continue reading “Walking the Walk and Other Tales by Foot”
This website certainly should fall more in the “personal finance” category than any sort of typical rock climbing website. But I will remind you that I’ve carried a full-tilt obsession with climbing for over nine years. So good.
My number one goal for nearly a decade has been to be a better climber than yesterday. And in doing so, I’ve kinda/sorta/accidentally wrapped my self-worth into a sticky web of climbing performance, often to my own detriment. But in the last year I’ve found a balance, taken a step back, and incidentally improved my performance. Just dumb luck? I don’t think so.
Continue reading “Obsession and Performance Don’t Always Mix”
I’m assuming roughly 100% of people reading this post envision some sort of eventual retirement. You might view this as a subject only worthy of future consideration, but it will happen. There’s no way you could be making a living wage in your 70s and 80s, right? In this post we’ll examine why you might be out of a job sooner than you think, and perhaps without a safety net. But this isn’t all dark clouds and cold rain my friend, for we can solve this dilemma with such little effort. And we can start today. Let’s go!
Continue reading “Retirement? Don’t Worry, I’ll Be Fine!”
Yes, it’s true. Mrs. CC and I have an established high-income career in the oil and gas industry. And yes, it’s true. Our incomes far exceed our needs. So that’s it right? There’s no more that needs to be said.
Of course we can save and invest and be financially independent when we’ve sold our soul to the devil for a fat paycheck. Everyone in the industry must be wiping their oily and gassy asses with $100 bills and planning their early retirements on the French Riviera. Au contraire dear reader, for I have a story to tell.
Continue reading ““Financial Freedom Is Only Possible With Your Soul-Sucking, High-Income Career””
Hi, good morning. This is not a regularly scheduled broadcast. However, I wanted to quickly let you know that I was featured on a brand-spankin’-new podcast hosted by Eugene Ting, The Financial Independence Forum.
Continue reading “Podcast Interview: Financial Independence Forum”
Alright, alright, I get it: not a product review! Gross! Folks, I’m with you. Any website I see that reviews almost anything, I close the page. So when I was offered an advance copy of the brand new book from the creators of the Choose FI podcast and author Chris Mamula (Can I Retire Yet website), I was…well…a little hesitant.
Continue reading “Choose FI Book Review: A Blueprint Indeed”