lifestyle Archives - Page 3 of 3

September 2, 2019October 20, 2019

Should I Buy a Home? Part 1

In the personal finance world, the decision to own a home or rent is a particularly frothy debate. Traditionally, the long-held belief goes something like this: a home is an investment and a path to building wealth. I’m here to put a gentle and understanding hand on your shoulder, but deliver the hard news that your home is no longer an investment or an even remotely efficient wealth-building machine (was it ever?). But can it still be a better long-term financial alternative to rent?

This will be the first in an on-again-off-again series as we consider selling our home over the next year. We plan to document all incurred costs of homeownership, and compare to what we likely would have spent if renting all along.

But as current homeowners, was it a mistake for us buy in the first place? What should you do if you are weighing home ownership? Quick, math!

August 19, 2019August 18, 2019

Do You Deserve a Life You Can’t Afford?

This is a tough subject, brimming with unspoken taboos. The more I’ve researched, read, and written about personal finance, the more deeply I’ve come to understand a fundamental truth: many people want a certain lifestyle, and they are going to live that life regardless of whether there is money to support it. Do you deserve a life you can’t afford?

July 8, 2019May 6, 2020

I Was Really Fat Until I Fixed It

There was a time when I was fat.

Not “athlete fat,” where you’d like to drop five or ten pounds — I’m talking about obese.

As I write this, I weigh 148 pounds. In Peak Blubber days, circa 2001 (age 17), I weighed approximately 240 pounds. And there was no muscle to speak of.

Over a 10-15 year period, I eradicated nearly 100 pounds of excess mass from my body — and along with it— the shame, disgust, and self-loathing from my mind.

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 18, 2019May 6, 2020

Regrets: Any Day Could Be Your Last

I’ve been sitting on this concept for a while, but I lacked the inspiration until it hit me like a sack of bricks early last week. I stumbled upon a must-read news article with an unbeatable title: Colorado trail runner attacked by mountain lion choked cat to death with hands, arms and feet. Yes, that is the actual title. Regardless of your religious or agnostic leanings, we have one shot at this life. I know nothing about this man — clearly the stuff of legends — but a peaceful run in the mountains very nearly came down to his final moments. It begs the question: if your life ended today, would you have any regrets?

September 8, 2018December 22, 2018

The Goal of Clipping Chains: Linking Up Personal Finance and the Climbing World

Two facets of my life that keep me fully engaged are rock climbing and personal finance. I’m guessing you’ve come to this site because you are more interested in one of these seemingly unrelated subjects than the other, but I’ll slowly, hopefully, make the case that there are valuable lessons to learn from my experiences in wading deep into either respective…pool?