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”
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”
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”
When it comes to jobs and careers, parents the world over tell their children more-or-less the same message: you can do anything you want in life. Follow your dreams, and the rest will work out in the end. Of course, those same parents leave early each morning to go to a job that — as statistics show — they probably don’t love.
Years later we find reality to be something a little bit different than a dream. Work is still work, we might have a boss with an ever-so-slightly different vision, and MY GOD why is that woman using the blender right now?!!
So, should we chase our dreams? Are we being misled by pages of digital content and feel-good aphorisms created by outliers? Let’s first begin with a true story.
Continue reading “Chasing Your Dreams is Probably a Bad Idea”
Alrighty then, let’s get back down to some brass tacks, shall we? I originally started this website in a heartfelt effort to get folks thinking about their finances. And what was the bait? It was our story of a potential early retirement. So how is our plan coming along?
Continue reading “Early Retirement: Is It the Solution?”
From the way we dress, the content we put on social media, to even the routes we climb, our ego often runs the show. To pursue mastery of any sort, a high level of discomfort is required, usually in spite of the ego’s desire for pedestal-worthy achievement. I’ve had a slow and steady awakening over the past few years, allowing me to begin to see just how much my ego is in control. (Cliff Notes: a lot).
Let’s start with a climbing example, but hang in there non-climbers (PUN)!
Continue reading “Ego and Mastery: Looking Good vs Being Good”
There are many reasons why people choose to pursue financial independence. And then of course, financial independence isn’t for everyone. Some folks experience discontent in their jobs, some want to spend more time with their children, and some want a life of international slow-travel across the globe. The list goes on. For us, this journey started as one of financial security during times of limited job security. In this post, we’ll examine the catalyst that made us re-tool our financial situation, and we’ll also explore why job security is virtually non-existent in the modern world.
Continue reading “Job Security: Our Catalyst to Financial Independence”