Don’t confuse the two. Don’t mistake the symptom for the disease, that is, don’t mistake the surface problem for the underlying problem. Consider the problem of terrorism. Terrorism is a symptom when a ruler holds the military advantage while oppressing the people. In this case a fraction of the people... Read more »

A clothesline is not just a wrestling move on WWE Monday Night Raw, it also used to be a place where people hung their wet clothes out to dry. The concept is uniquely simple. When the washing cycle is done, clothes are hung up on a taught string until they... Read more »

As any college student knows, using cliche based material in a drinking game is a great excuse to get drunk, and what better way to find cliches than reading about lifestyle design, since these days pretty much every lifestyle is a design except of course those icky conventional ones that... Read more »

Some strategies for discovering things that go unnoticed would involve ignoring the “junk mail” and go to the (usually smaller) shops in the side streets. These often offer better deals because they do not sell low margin junk and compensate for it by volume and advertising like the mass stores.... Read more »

Some people seem to take pride in their ignorance of specific topics. For instance, I used to know a couple of overly educated intellectuals who seemed to make a point out of not knowing how to program a VCR (yes, I show my age here). Not only did they not... Read more »

Learn how to retire early with kids from the dad who has 14 of them! Rob shares how his family achieved FIRE six years ahead of schedule. Read more → The post How to Retire Early With Kids (14 of Them!) appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

I finally talked to the person who introduced me to the idea of financial independence - Jacob Lund Fisker from Early Retirement Extreme! Read more → The post Early Retirement Extreme – A Systems Approach to Lifestyle Design appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

There's a better alternative to resolutions and goals...especially if you're pursuing financial independence and early retirement. Read more → The post A Better Alternative to Resolutions and Goals appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

Military servicemembers have access to incredible tax, investing, and travel benefits that can accelerate the journey to FI! Read more → The post Military FIRE – The Tax, Investing, and Travel Benefits of Military Service appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

The Ultralearning Experiment was a bigger success than I'd even hoped and here's what I learned from it (plus a massive announcement)! Read more → The post 8 Key Lessons from the Ultralearning Experiment (and a Huge Announcement) appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

It was another busy month here in the Root of Good household. We have been busy with final preparations for our seven week road trip across the USA. I think we are ready to go. Two of our kids are completely done with school for the year. Our third kid... Read more »

How does every month fly by so fast? Is it really May already?! I'm going to hit the pause button for a minute and reflect on the last month.  It was a very busy month for us. The kids had spring break in early April with lots of fun times... Read more »

Well folks, here we are in April. It's no longer winter but it's not quite summer yet. Maybe we'll enjoy a little bit of spring before the heat sets in? Right now we're suffering through the horrible intermediate phase of "pollen season" here in North Carolina. It lasts a week... Read more »

Unless you are an heir to a big fortune or you have won the lottery, you have to work hard to have money.  To accumulate wealth, you have to make more money than you spend.  The key is to keep your expenses low.  And there will be sacrifices.  Nothing crazy... Read more »

Time flies when you're having fun, right? Although in the case of February I think it flew by because it's the shortest month of the year. Only 28 days! Here we are in March, just a couple of weeks away from the official start of spring.  I'm looking forward to... Read more »

Warren Buffett needs no introduction. He knows a thing or two about investing and making money. Want to invest just like Buffett by owning the same stocks as Buffett? Want to know which of Buffett’s stocks are most buyable right now? For more on three of the most buyable stocks... Read more »

The greater fool theory states that the price of an asset is determined by whether or not you can sell it for a higher price. It doesn’t matter how high that price goes, or how irrational it becomes – it’s only about the higher price. The greater fool is deemed... Read more »

Passive income is the holy grail for a lot of people out there. Unlike the holy grail, though, passive income is very attainable for everyday people. I’d know. I went from in debt to earning more than $1,000 per month in totally passive dividend income. For more on how to... Read more »

Dividend growth investing is a fantastic long-term investment strategy. It gives you the opportunity to build a gaggle of golden geese who lay ever-more golden eggs. Some of these golden geese are laying a lot more golden eggs than they were just last year. In fact, one just increased its... Read more »

This company might just be more investable than it’s ever been before. That’s due to a transformative acquisition, accelerating growth, and powerful long-term tailwinds. In addition, the valuation might just be more compelling than it’s ever been. It’s rated a “BUY” right now. For more on this high-quality dividend growth... Read more »

I'm making a big claim today, but for good reason: It's time to retire the FIRE movement (and to split up those pursuing more control over their time). Read on to find out why.... Read more »

I'm back on the blog after a long time away to write my next book, Wallet Activism, and to reflect on what's actually worth saying after the last year. Though this wasn't a break I intended, it taught me a lot about the value of stepping away for a while,... Read more »

My last post was about how the discourse of the FIRE community upholds systemic racism, but today's is much more personal. This is about how our choices as individuals -- as investors, as people choosing where to live, as earners, as tax payers and as charitable givers -- impact and... Read more »

It's deeply uncomfortable for a lot of us, white Americans especially, to talk about race. But if we care about helping people with their finances, or about not upholding systemic racism built into our system, we have no choice but to talk about it. Here is the tough but necessary... Read more »

We're in an unprecedented moment in history, with people staying home, businesses closed, stock markets going for a wild ride, and most of all, fear for our lives as the coronavirus pandemic worsens. What does all of this mean for the FIRE movement? What does it mean for you? Read... Read more »

It's fairly easy to understand why a significant number of men have been radicalized over the past generation. It's because there has been a lot of disruption lately.Men used to be breadwinners and women were homemakers. Then women joined the workforc...... Read more »

Past the $1.5M mark now. This is just under 23 months from when I entered this thread. If we keep up this pace, we will hit $2M by mid-2023. It's definitely going faster than I anticipated.... Read more »

Quote from: MaybeBabyMustache on Today at 08:51:25 AMMy son received a yard sign & metal holder for his middle school graduation. He has zero interest in displaying said yard sign. I posted on my local Buy Nothing, & ...... Read more »

Quote from: Zamboni on June 11, 2021, 07:30:38 PMInteresting information. In terms of percentages, it's stunning how little the wealthiest individuals pay to support our common society, but I don't suppose it will change ...... Read more »

Congrats on the house purchase! The market is definitely insane crazy right now.... Read more »

It's been a couple months since my sudden retirement, readers, and the days have been calm. Rewarding, even. This is the type of balance I need, at least while the pandemic drags on, Mrs. Done by Forty continues to work, while nearly nine months pregnant, and Toddler AF seeks our... Read more »

2021 is determined to deprive us of nice things, so some tired click bait has been making the rounds again: claiming that a $400k income somehow qualifies as middle class in some coastal cities. I don't have to link to this junk, right? No, I don't. We won't. We don't... Read more »

Now that congressional Democrats have moved past the Republican's latest political showboating (this time in the form of a twelve hour vote-a-rama) the non-fascist party can move forward with a COVID relief bill. They'll likely do so through reconciliation, a process that allows certain bills to pass with only 51 votes in... Read more »

I wasn't sleeping, and for the usual reason. I was so stressed from work most nights, thinking about deadlines I wasn't able to meet and the series of conversations I'd need to have explaining when we could deliver, that I couldn't turn my brain off enough to relax & doze... Read more »

Like so many other Americans, we celebrated a bit these past couple weeks. We felt some relief that a (too-small) majority of Americans made a choice for competence, decency, and democracy. And because of that, we're allowing ourselves to feel a little hope, too.It's premature. The primary problem with voting... Read more »

In this episode, Brad and Jonathan discuss investment strategies with Brian Feroldi, a seasoned veteran of the stock market and author for The Motley Fool. Brian shares with Brad and Jonathan some insight into the current landscape of the market, why some stocks perform the way they do, and why... Read more »

In this episode, Brad and Jonathan are joined by Alan Donegan, an entrepreneurial guru and host of the "Rebel Entrepreneur" podcast. Together, the trio discuss their own entrepreneurial journeys, tips and strategies for up and coming entrepreneurs, and where entrepreneurship could fit within your FI journey! Resources Mentioned In Today's... Read more »

In this episode, Brad and Jonathan take a look at the ways in which people aren't properly marketing themselves. By running through a thought experiment, Brad and Jonathan uncover skills, abilities, and valuable traits that may be absent from your resume. They also discuss imposter syndrome and how it can... Read more »

In this episode, Brad and Jonathan reexamine the stages and checkpoints of Financial Independence. In our community, many people are just trying to figure out where they are on this path to FI. While every individual’s journey will be unique, when you can gamify the process, the journey can be... Read more »

In this episode, Brad and Jonathan reexamine the stages and checkpoints of Financial Independence. In our community, a lot of people are just trying to figure out where they are on this path to FI, and while every individual's journey is going to be unique, when you can gamify the... Read more »

Long-overdue greetings to all my readers out there.  With 2021 right around the corner, it’s a perfect time to start your tax planning for next year.  You know what means, right?  Yeap, it’s time for my most requested post of the year, 2021 Free Money!    What Exactly Is Free... Read more »

Great News:  We’re Still Healthy! Warm quarantine greetings from swampy South Georgia!  Tomorrow starts week 3 of no school for us (and most of the country).  All in all, our daily life is pretty normal except that we no longer have jobs to report to.  It’s almost like we’ve re-FIRE’d... Read more »

Okay, I know this post is late, but here it is.  Before I get into last year’s accomplishments and this year’s goals, it’s worth mentioning that there are many things in life that are more important than money:  family, community, faith, health, and love.  As I write these words, the... Read more »

Happy New Year!  I just wanted to let you know that I did an interview with Breanna Reish of the One Million Apples podcast.  We talked about our 2019 hardcore savings, geo-arbitrage, my Twitter “rants,” and my never-ending obsession with Bigfoot.  I hope you enjoy the interview. Gerry... Read more »

The holiday season is upon us:  fall weather, pumpkin spice, falling leaves, cool breezes…actually, who cares?  It’s tax-planning time, so it’s time for my most anticipated post of the year:  2020 Free Money! Refresher:  What is “Free Money!”? For the uninitiated, my Free Money! posts are an attempt to simplify... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA321.mp3" title="How to Transition to Your Dream Career, with Ashley Stahl" artist="Paula Pant" social="true" social_twitter="true" social_facebook="true" social_gplus="true" social_linkedin="true" social_stumble="true" social_pinterest="true" social_email="true" ] Picture this: You’re searching for jobs, but you’re not stressed. You know exactly what you want from a career. You've built strong, solid connections. You've spent long... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA320.mp3" title="Ask Paula - Thinking about Money from First Principles" artist="Paula Pant" social="true" social_twitter="true" social_facebook="true" social_gplus="true" social_linkedin="true" social_stumble="true" social_pinterest="true" social_email="true" ] Rob hopes to retire at age 60, but he has a pesky mortgage balance he wants to eliminate beforehand. He and his wife expect to inherit $300,000. Should... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA319.mp3" title="The Scout Mindset, with Julia Galef" artist="Paula Pant" social="true" social_twitter="true" social_facebook="true" social_gplus="true" social_linkedin="true" social_stumble="true" social_pinterest="true" social_email="true" ] Do you tend to see things as they are? Or do you tend to see what you want to see? To cut to the chase: how important is it to seek... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA318.mp3" title="Ask Paula - How to Think About Finances at the 30,000-Foot Level" artist="Paula Pant" social="true" social_twitter="true" social_facebook="true" social_gplus="true" social_linkedin="true" social_stumble="true" social_pinterest="true" social_email="true" ] Kim is newly divorced and celebrating the freedom to make her own financial decisions. She’s struggling to make a living -- also as a new... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA317.mp3" title="How to Win at Work & Succeed at Life, with Michael Hyatt & Megan Hyatt Miller" artist="Paula Pant" social="true" social_twitter="true" social_facebook="true" social_gplus="true" social_linkedin="true" social_stumble="true" social_pinterest="true" social_email="true" ] Does work/life balance sound like a mythical wonderland that only a select few ever achieve? Do you make it a goal... Read more »

Bloomberg published an article recently (possible paywall) that made some waves.  The title of the article was Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home, and pretty much says it all. One passage that really stood out to... The post Work From Home Or Quit? appeared first on... Read more »

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #44! Here are some things I really like and that you might too.    Finance Articles Developing Systems To Conquer Your Early Retirement Fears (Can I Retire Yet) – “How much risk are... The post T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 44 appeared first on Accidental... Read more »

Recently I spent a blissful weekend backpacking on the Appalachian Trail with an old friend.  We had perfect weather and the trip was more than just good for me, it was therapeutic.  I could feel the stress and anxiety leaving... The post What Am I Running From? appeared first on... Read more »

Subscribe To New Posts Here! The post Days Of The Week I Look Forward To appeared first on Accidental Fire.... Read more »

I’ve received numerous reader emails asking about my diet.  At first I thought this was a bit weird but one recent inquiry was from a person struggling with weight loss and who’s also trying to get into cycling. They said... The post My Financial Independence Diet appeared first on Accidental... Read more »

Burnout and Finance I was recently asked to speak to a bunch of medical residents about my story of burnout and my general philosophy on finance and life. I declined for a variety of reasons, but upon reflection I realized that this was a topic I had not addressed. This... Read more »

Hey philosophers, just wanted to let you know about a couple of small projects I participated in recently. I haven’t had much time or motivation to write these last couple of weeks. I have been paying the work price for my two week vacation to Alaska. Flexibility to take a... Read more »

As my feet rhythmically hit the belt of the treadmill, it briefly occurred to me this was perhaps the weirdest time to start my journey back to some sort or reasonable physical fitness. The treadmill was gently rocking side to side and I was looking out at an endless expanse... Read more »

As an evangelist of part-time work for physicians, I occasionally get an e-mail from a physician reader asking if cutting back on work is the right move for them. Often times they are early in their training, and I’m not sure how to respond. I feel conflicted. I know what... Read more »

A feeling of dread suddenly came over me. The numbers just didn’t add up, yet I could not figure out where I went wrong. Maybe I typed something in wrong or missed a section, but everything looked more or less complete. Maybe I’m just getting too old for this and... Read more »

For those of you following along, you know I've been a bit busy lately. In addition to my own music, podcast, and software projects, I've also been popping up on other people's podcasts. A few weeks back I sang a few bars of Michael Bublé on The FI Show with... Read more »

Back in November of 2017, a tired, burned out version of myself was pushed past his breaking point. After months of mandatory unpaid overtime, morning self pep-talks, stress-eating, and yelling at coworkers, the old Joel finally had enough. He walked up to his boss, and with a surprising, zen-like calm,... Read more »

Wait a minute. Strike that – reverse it! I know, I know, I haven't updated this blog in months. What gives?! If things get any more sporadic around here I'll be on the Miss Mazuma publishing schedule! 😉 Maybe I should adopt the slogan of Wait, Buy Why and claim that I'll have... Read more »

This week, I'm thrilled to be featured on Coryn Quester's “Discover What's Possible” Podcast! In the interview, we talk about everything from the ‘Why' of FI,  to the most challenging aspects of financial independence for those just starting out. But one of the more interesting questions she posed really got... Read more »

This past weekend The Wife and I went to see Crazy Rich Asians, and really enjoyed it! (Featured image credit: Entertainment Weekly) Having been on the FIRE journey for a few years now, it was fun taking in all the over-the-top luxury on the screen. Of course, this wasn't the... Read more »

With the popularity of remote work growing at a rapid pace, freelancing is one of the most popular ways to make money. There are countless different services you can offer, and it’s an extremely flexible way to make money part-time or full-time. If you’re a freelancer or just starting out,... Read more »

I write a lot about credit card rewards and signup bonuses at Vital Dollar, and this article covers one of the reasons why I love this “free money”. See all the details of my family’s Disney World vacation that was completely covered with cashback and rewards. Last week, my wife... Read more »

Banks want your business, and many of them are willing to pay you a bonus just for signing up for an account and depositing some money. If you need a new bank account, or if you just want to make some easy money, bank account bonuses are a great opportunity.... Read more »

If you’re looking for a side hustle and have great typing skills, you may have considered transcription. There are many platforms offering online transcription jobs. So, here we’ll delve into Transcription Outsourcing, LLC to provide the details you need to make an informed decision. A Brief Overview Transcription Outsourcing, LLC... Read more »

Rewards credit cards and cashback apps provide easy ways to save money, but the results get even more impressive when you stack the rewards several layers deep. If you want to spend less money, save more, and make the most of the money you have, this article is for you.... Read more »