Funding the Adventurous Life
I’m very pleased to welcome back to Clipping Chains Mark Anderson, an elite-level climber, father, husband, training enthusiast, and now-former full-time engineer and manager. Mark and his family have recently achieved financial independence, allowing Mark to step away from his career and focus first on family, and perhaps surprisingly, climbing as a distant second priority.
Continue reading “EP 10: Mark Anderson: The Seasons of Life”
I want to welcome back to Clipping Chains Becky Switzer, a Bozeman, Montana-based climber who delivered a great written interview about a year ago. When I first met Becky in summer of 2020, I was living out of a tiny A-frame camper with my wife and dog. We were passing through Bozeman, and I remembered someone I sort of knew from Instagram who might help me with some local beta: Becky Switzer. I asked if she’d be willing to meet for coffee, and much to my surprise, she was. This was the first pre-interview discussion where I wished I was recording. It was during this conversation that I resolved to eventually start a podcast, and over a year later, here we are.
Continue reading “EP 8: Becky Switzer: This is Real Life”
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”
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”
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”
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”
I’ve finally caved. I’m happy to announce that I’ve been busy building a podcast as an extension of this website.
Welcome to the new and (hopefully) improved Clipping Chains platform. Will you join me?
Continue reading “Announcing the Clipping Chains Podcast”
It’s been almost exactly 18 months since I quit my job and watched the last corporate world elevator close behind me.
Reflecting on that time, it’s clear that my best career years—those defined by rewarding assignments, autonomy, increased paid time off, and better work/life balance—all came after I knew I was going to leave. Weird, huh?
How can we explain this paradox, and do we even need the drastic measures of financial independence to improve our work life?
Continue reading “Why Trying to Quit My Job (Sort of) Made It Better”
“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!”
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”