The Frugal Professor: Let’s Get Deep in the Weeds

Frugal Professor Interview

Alrighty, folks. This week I’m pleased to bring you a low-down-and-dirty financial deep dive with climber, writer, father of five, and lover of personal finance: The Frugal Professor. In this interview, we hold our breath and plunge into complex issues surrounding actually spending all this money we save for periods of no traditional income, meanwhile navigating the treacherous, shark-infested waters of the US healthcare system.

I’ve always said that saving and generating wealth is shockingly simple once some key concepts are understood, implemented, and doggedly followed, through thick and thin. And I’m sticking to my story.

What is not so straight-forward, however, is threading a very fine needle on living off the money we’ve saved. In a period of no traditional income⏤call it “retirement” if you want⏤we shouldn’t be just selling shares and calling it a day. We have to optimize healthcare spending, minimize taxes, and avoid early withdrawal fees and penalties meant for a much more traditional retirement.

But with a little planning, it ain’t no thang.

Let’s roll up our sleeves with the Frugal Professor and get a little dirty, shall we?

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The Wondrous And Fantastic Power Of Compound Growth

Compound Growth

(And Why It Doesn’t Pay to Wait)

It’s so easy to assume that saving, investing, and even considering a retirement is something to do later. Unfortunately, well…no. We don’t need board room salaries or country club memberships to consider a retirement. But we do need an ally. And who can we put on our side of the ring? Compound growth.

Today we delve into the concerning data behind millennial retirement planning, some misconceptions on what retirement should be, and the shocking power of compound growth and how it can, quite possibly, save us from ourselves.

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Shocking Headlines of the 2008 Financial Crisis

(And Why They Are So Important Now)

I don’t want to talk much about the novel coronavirus today. I want to talk about money, because that is what I do here. Money may not be a priority for you and your family now amongst a spreading virus. However, I want to calmly acknowledge that the world is also facing a very real personal finance threat, one that could be far more impactful for most Americans than the virus itself (which I’m not taking lightly). Before we make rash decisions in a time of panic and hysteria, let’s examine some important headlines from the 2008 financial crisis and why those messages are so incredibly important right now.

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Retirement? Don’t Worry, I’ll Be Fine!

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!

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