Funding the Adventurous Life
Are those who become financially independent “lucky?” Are successful business owners, elite athletes, or artistic masterminds “talented?”
Perhaps. But it’s hardly the entire story. Where and how does good fortune end and real “luck” begin?
Continue reading “Wow! You Are So Lucky to Retire Early!”
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’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””
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”
The stock market is scary. I completely understand; there was once a time when I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. In fact, according to Ally Invest, 65% of survey respondents are intimidated by investing. It seems like a Wild West proposition, and surely only well-trained professionals are equipped to predict the future success of individual companies. You realize the potential of investing, but you wouldn’t know how to start. It’s probably best to pay a financial advisor for this service, right?
Some say the answer to whether you need a financial advisor is “maybe,” but I’m more strongly in the “no” camp. Here’s why.
Continue reading “Financial Advisor: Who Needs One?”
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”
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?
Continue reading “Do You Deserve a Life You Can’t Afford?”
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?”