So many of us in the outdoor world choose a life and career path guided by a seemingly unavoidable fork in the road. Do we choose a safe path, paved with a steady paycheck and a retirement plan? Or do we cobble together whatever it takes to make it work, focusing on experience and patching the inevitable cracks as we go? Today we examine the completely accessible and exciting grey area between these two black and white choices. We can have money and still enjoy life.
Continue reading “Shades of Grey: How to Enjoy Life and Have Money”EP 7: Luke Mehall: The Dirtbag Dream is Not Enough
Today I’m happy to welcome climber, author, and founder of the Climbing Zine, Luke Mehall. Luke is the kind of climber I thought I would never reach with a platform focused on saving, investing, and financial wellness. Luke existed for many years as a self-proclaimed hand-to-mouth dirtbag. He lived on the road for months at a time, barely making ends meet. But as Luke puts it, “the dirtbag dream is not enough.”
At a low point in his life, Luke started publishing stories about the climbing life that didn’t have a home in the major publications. The Climbing Zine was born, which has now grown into a thriving business and paved a path for Luke’s personal and creative freedom. Now he’s turning his focus to expanding the business and facing all the real-life adult stuff so many of us will find familiar: buying a home, saving for the future, and generally evolving with the roller coaster ride that is the modern world.
Continue reading “EP 7: Luke Mehall: The Dirtbag Dream is Not Enough”EP 5: Diana Crabtree Green: Pay Yourself First
Today I bring you a discussion with Diana Crabtree Green, a rock climber and now part-time Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with more than twenty years of experience in personal finance and tax.
Diana is another one of these climbers that I didn’t think existed in large numbers when I started this project three years ago: Diana and her husband could technically be retired in her 40s. But they both continue to work, at least part time. We’ll discuss why they’ve chosen this balanced approach.
Learn how outdoor enthusiasts are primed to get the ball rolling.
Continue reading “EP 5: Diana Crabtree Green: Pay Yourself First”EP 3: Chris Mamula: One Bite at a Time
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”EP 2: Value Spending: A Damn Good Start
In this podcast episode, it’s just little ole’ me. Today we begin where financial strength nearly always begins: with value spending. Here we discover why value spending habits, not unsustainable frugality, really impact the bottom line.
In this episode we cover:
- The Pareto Principle and how to apply to personal finances
- Identifying our spending “weaknesses”
- “The Big Three” spending categories and cost saving solutions
- Help with one-off expenses and compulsive spending
EP 1 🎙: Mike Tritt: Rocking in the Free World
Today I’m very happy to bring you a live, in-the-flesh interview with Mike Tritt, a Denver-based climber who achieved financial independence and retired from his mechanical engineering job at age 35.
Mike now climbs full-time and supports his fiancée Suzanna in her career, which she has chosen to continue pursuing. In this interview we discuss how Mike juggled climbing with a career and then walked away from mandatory work in his 30s. We address how Mike is striking a balance between a home-based relationship and the desire for long trips on the road. Finally, we take on the subject of purpose in life without traditional work. Plus, so much more!
Continue reading “EP 1 🎙: Mike Tritt: Rocking in the Free World”Value Spending: How to Really Save Money
We used to worry about every dollar spent. But then we learned to stop fretting and live well through value spending, putting our efforts where it matters most.
Here’s how we made major and repeatable changes to our spending habits without materially changing our enjoyment of life.
Continue reading “Value Spending: How to Really Save Money”Should I Quit My Job? I Want to Climb!
“Should I Quit My Job for Climbing?”
I get some form of this question from time to time.
“Hi Mr. CC. I really don’t like my job and I think I’ve saved enough for a road trip. What do you think about leaving this job and traveling for a year or more? Will an extended road trip hurt my finances?”
Well…let’s take a look.
Continue reading “Should I Quit My Job? I Want to Climb!”The New Research on Income and Happiness
We’ve all heard the phrase “money doesn’t buy happiness.” However, new research suggests a strong correlation between income and well-being, with no apparent ceiling. How can we interpret these results and reconcile what we’ve always been told about money and happiness?
Continue reading “The New Research on Income and Happiness”Mid-Year Financial Check & All the Latest
We now find ourselves approaching the mid-year point of 2021. So, how about we check in on those simple, yet highly effective methods for actually saving real money? I’m taking a break from my typical long-form post while we travel, so hopefully you’ll find this one straight and to the point.
Continue reading “Mid-Year Financial Check & All the Latest”