Funding the Adventurous Life
Today on episode 29 I want to welcome back to Clipping Chains writer, climber, father of five, and fellow personal finance geek, The Frugal Professor.
We cover it all on this one, from how the Frugal Professor was able to save nearly $2 million dollars with a family of seven, to how my wife and I are continuing to navigate a post-Financial Independence life.
Continue reading “EP 29: Back in the Weeds with the Frugal Professor”
Many of us understand that investing in an appreciating asset results in compound growth of our initial investment. But how does this really work? How can a small sum of money grow to something that can provide financial freedom with little to no effort beyond securing the initial investment? And most importantly, what are the different outcomes when debating whether to invest now or later in life?
Continue reading “EP 28: Compound Growth: Can I Catch Up Later?”
This week on episode 26, we revisit the Roth conversion ladder, a method used to spend retirement money early without penalty and with little to no tax burden.
Continue reading “EP 26: How to Spend Retirement Money Early”
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?”
It’s been almost exactly two years since I last worked for anyone else. Two years since I made a paycheck. Two years since I commuted. Two years since I waited too long, ran like a fool with a backpack smacking me in the ass, missing my bus home anyway. Two years since I rushed to the gym, exhausted after a full day of work, and grinded out a training session anyway. It’s been two years since I hurriedly traded slacks and dress shoes for chalk-covered pants and approach shoes in a cold parking garage. Two years since I told any inappropriate jokes to coworkers before a meeting began. Two years since I lived in an old house in Denver with “character” and loud, hateful neighbors. Two years since we bought a tiny A-frame camper, eventually living on the road. It’s been two years since so much changed, and today I’m here to tell you about what this sense of freedom is really all about.
Continue reading “Seven Lessons From Two Years of Financial Freedom”
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”
My guest this week is climber, math professor, and real-deal van lifer, Craig Faulhaber. On September 19, 2021 Craig was involved in a very serious climbing accident. This is the sort of accident that can end a life at worst, and dramatically alter its course at best. But, as you will hear in this conversation, Craig has an amazing sense of optimism in the face of very difficult life events.
To add to my shock at his accident, I was surprised to learn that Craig was on the cusp of retiring early just before his accident. Please enjoy this special conversation where we discuss the delicate nature of life, unconventional living, home ownership, relationships and marriage, and even the ethics of investing. Plus so much more!
Continue reading “EP 15: Craig Faulhaber: Near-Death Experiences and Early Retirement”
Today I’m excited to bring you an interview with writer and outdoor enthusiast Chris Mamula. Chris is a well-known figure in the personal finance community, particularly the Financial Independence community.
Chris worked as a physical therapist before achieving financial independence and leaving his career in 2017 at age 41. Shortly thereafter, Chris—along with his wife and daughter—moved across the country from Pennsylvania to Ogden, UT, where they now reside.
While Chris and his family yearned for an adventurous life out west, he’s been candid about the challenges of changing too much too soon. We discuss those challenges and how he’s worked through them. We also discuss financial and lifestyle choices that are unique to the outdoor community. Finally, we address the importance of options and flexibility for an unknown future.
Plus much more!
Continue reading “EP 3: Chris Mamula: One Bite at a Time”
When I first discovered financial independence, the thought to retire in my 30s warmed my soul like a batch of hot stew on a late February night. If I could rely on the wondrous and fantastic powers of compound growth to build a bitchin’ snowball of money, I’d never need to work again.
And it was never about the money. It was about the life. I yearned for a life spent in pursuit of passion, surrounded by a vibrant and meaningful community, with copious time to immerse in nature, climb, travel, and most importantly…sleep. The rigid and mechanical pipeline of school to work was cracked and beginning to leak.
So, what’s not to love?
Continue reading “Six Important Reasons Not to Retire Early”
Hi. Good morning. How are you? I’m excited this week to bring you a much more in-depth analysis of the Roth Conversion Ladder, a method used to spend retirement money early without penalty and with little to no tax burden. I’ve already talked about this method here, here, and here, but I decided this very important topic needed its own special post.
Changing subjects momentarily, I get a real kick out of directly translating ridiculous American expressions in other languages. For instance, when in a German grocery store in 2018, I suddenly wondered if German lovers addressed each other as honig, the German word for honey.
Honig! I’m home!
See, isn’t that fun?
This week we will investigate the intricate web of methods designed to spend the money you’ve saved. It’s not all milch und honig.
Continue reading “The Bold And Beautiful Roth Conversion Ladder”