The Bureau of Labor Statistics just released the results of its 2016 American expenditure survey, and the results are fascinating. Here are a few of my observations. Housing Is Your Biggest Opportunity Housing remains the single largest expense, easily double any other category, and often more than 10x other categories. If...
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The Secret to How Bloggers Actually Make Money, Pt 2
Your belief that blogs make money just from ads is outdated. Here’s how several million dollar blogs are actually making their money and how you can employ these techniques for your own blog. A tutorial on the major monetization methods. This is part two of the series on The Secret To How Bloggers Actually Make...
Demystified – What Your Stock and Bond Allocation Should Be, At All Stages of Life
Can you explain – with data – why you own the allocation of stocks and bonds that you do? Can your financial advisor? This article will give you the framework to decide the appropriate allocation of stocks and bonds for your family, at all stages of your life. The Goal In Portfolio Allocation...
Retirement Ages Around The World
A graphic showing both the official and average retirement age in countries around the world. Sneak Peek: The US compares poorly. You may want to find a different group to use for comparison. I came across an intriguing graphic which compiles both the official retirement ages as supported by government programs as well...
A Professional Investor Spills: How To Fall In Love With Investing
Confessions of a former professional investor…who actually didn’t like investing to begin with. If you’ve struggled to develop an enthusiasm for investing, or tried and found yourself quickly overwhelmed, this is for you. Plus tips to ensure you get back on track. I have a confession to make. I spent seven years as...
Your Biggest Mistake Is Ahead Of You: 60% Efficiency And The System To Catch The Leaks
If you think you’re doing all the biggest things you can to build your nest egg, you’re probably wrong. Here’s the system that will prevent you from missing the biggest opportunities. I am asked often what my biggest mistake was on the road to financial independence. It’s a good question. The person asking...
A Harvard Education in 10 Minutes
Here are the major life lessons I learned at Harvard in one free, 10-minute post. I took a road trip with some friends of mine this weekend. They are expecting a kiddo soon, and the conversation at some point turned to education. Would they want their kid to attend an expensive private college...
Revealed! What We Spent In The First Full Year of Retirement
When I was planning out my retirement, one of the things I was most curious about was what actual spending looked like post-career. I saw a lot of budgets that I knew wouldn’t fit our lifestyle, because we lived in a highly urban, very expensive city whereas many early retirees were living in the...
Discipline is Overrated: A Systems Approach to Early Financial Freedom
I’ve been doing a number of interviews lately, and when I talk about my path to early retirement, I almost always get some sort of comment about my “unparalleled focus and discipline.” Focus I’ll take. But disciplined? A lemming with Alzheimer’s probably has more discipline than I do. I hate the idea...
Why Normal People Need Prenups
You are probably reading this with your hand covering the title, because prenups are totally that kind of subject. “Prenup” falls into the 2nd circle of dirty words, something that splashes its way across US Magazine which you can’t utter in polite company. However, I’m convinced that prenups, or premarital agreements as they are...