Funding the Adventurous Life
Howdy folks, after last week’s interview with the Frugal Professor, we decided to exchange stories. He sent me some great questions, and I wrote a whole bunch of words in return.
Continue reading “Interview with Mr. Clipping Chains at the Frugal Professor”
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”
Two interviews in a row?! Why the hell not? This week I am exceptionally pleased to bring you this thought-provoking interview with Mike Personick. Mike is a 5.14 rock climber, husband, dad, and former business owner. And now, like me, Mike is living the financially independent rock climber life.
In this interview we delve into the early days of Mike’s climbing in tandem with a remote job. We learn how Mike managed to become a nails-hard climber while simultaneously honing a craft that led to a breakout business, and in time, a lucrative buyout. We hear Mike’s fascinating story of meeting his future wife and traveling in Europe for a year, eventually adding a third human to the equation. Perhaps most importantly, we discuss the simple investing methods that can build financial freedom for us all, as well as the psychological challenges that can topple any kingdom.
Read this one all the way to the end. Mike delivers.
Continue reading “Mike Personick: Dirtbag Entrepreneur”
Becky Switzer is a Bozeman, Montana-based climber and strong advocate for education, both in climbing and in the world at large. She draws great strength from surrounding herself with like-minded females. Yet, in the end, she’s a climber, not a female climber. Becky has taken a pragmatic stance to building the climbing life, recognizing when relationships aren’t working, dream jobs don’t pay, and when vans make for a less-than-ideal daily driver, among other things.
In this interview, we discuss using training and climbing as an emotional outlet, the transition to becoming a sponsored athlete (and the reasons for doing so), a real-life and hard look at the van life movement, and even the nature of privilege in climbing. Relevant to the times, we discuss the vast shift in population, demographics, and way of life in small mountain towns like Bozeman. And of course, once and for all, we lay to rest the controversy of secret crags 😉 .
Continue reading “Becky Switzer: The Powerful Pragmatist”
This week I am very pleased to bring you an exciting interview with a climber and young professional that you don’t know: Neil Phillips.
As a matter of fact, I’m 100% positive that you don’t know Neil Phillips, because that’s not his real name. And I get that too, because I also don’t use my name. Money and jobs and the internet are like oil and vinegar. They don’t mix. As a matter of fact, we’ll discuss a bit about the taboo of money, and why Neil and I think it’s so damn hard to discuss personal finance.
Neil is a young professional, rock climber, and has many interesting stories and suggestions for anyone trying to get the upper hand with their money.
In this interview we discuss Neil’s desire for financial strength, his story of eliminating debt, pursuing financial independence, and preparing for a year-long road trip. And of course, we even have some good-ole-fashioned climbing talk.
Let’s go!
Continue reading “Neil Phillips: Money as a Means to an Incredible Journey”
Okay friends, let’s do an interview, shall we? This week I bring you Bethany Macke, a climber and trainer with a unique approach to correcting muscle imbalances and mechanics, an often-overlooked foundation to building movement skills. Bethany, along with her husband Adam, bring more than just a different approach to training. She also has an interesting story of change, adversity, and building meaningful work, even during the pandemic. And sometimes change comes in high doses. In the age of Covid, there’s much we can learn from Bethany’s resiliency, and mastery of the career and personal pivot. And of course, we even discuss a bit about the freedom of financial strength.
One quick note: Bethany has a lot of great little nuggets in this interview, so it’s a long one. Please let me know in the comments or via email if you’d prefer to see interviews this long broken into two or more parts. Or maybe you prefer it all in one place. Let me know!
Let’s go!
Continue reading “Bethany Macke: The Powerful Art of the Pivot”
The global coronavirus pandemic flipped the world on its head: spreading tentacles of infection led to a stock market collapse and unprecedented unemployment for those not fortunate to have remote work. A thick, dry underbrush of discontent and polarization grew unchecked for months, sparked by a series of lightning strikes, resulting in a raging inferno. People amassed on the streets in search of change, driving each side someplace closer to their dreaded corners of hate.
With a new decade came so much promise, yet the rate of change experienced in the first seven months of 2020 feels like that new decade has already come to pass. So much to consider in seven months.
But with all this negativity can come so much promise. While there can be an element of guilt to consider silver linings, we must. We must always look for promise and hope in times of darkness, for every night eventually turns to day.
One such ray of sunshine is the movement towards a more permanent remote work culture. The fortunate white-collar world has been working business on top, party on the bottom (nice shirt for the screen, underwear in the seat) since March.
So…what’s it going to take to keep that cushy remote job in a post-pandemic world?
Continue reading “Keeping Remote Work in a Post-Pandemic World”
Alrighty folks, we’re back on the interview bandwagon! This week I am pleased to bring you an interview with the industrious and energetic Lauren Abernathy. Lauren is a 25-year old professional, fully-obsessed climber, writer, and lover of adventure. And she’s a boss of her money.
At an age when Lauren began optimizing her professional life and learning to save for her freedom, I was trying to free myself from four to three nightly PBR’s.
Grab a cup of coffee, PBR, or whatever and let’s settle into some incredibly important life lessons for those at any point along their journey.
Continue reading “Lauren Abernathy: Finding the Balance”
We all want to live the best life. Today we examine the paradox of how attempting to do just that can result in less happiness after all. For all of us that dream of the greener grass on the other side⏤a full-freedom lifestyle or a better job⏤why do so few find a life of contentment once they’ve hopped the fence?
Continue reading “The Fallacy of Happiness and Meaningful Work”
WHOOAA!! Yes, it’s true. By the time you are reading this, I have finished my last day in Corporate America, facing an uncertain future. We have achieved financial independence, perhaps reaching a new pinnacle of unrelatability. I have no job, and I have no plans for a job. The story of how this came to be is both planned and not, but either way, I’m incredibly excited for what is to come. So, how did we get to this point?
Continue reading “BREAKING: I (Sort Of) Quit My Job”