In an effort to reduce the outgoing mass of garbage, this being a good proxy for measuring ecologic inefficiency and by implication, economic inefficiency, I have built a worm composting system out of two plastic totes. I essentially followed the instructions I found on a website. The two grey 10... Read more »

Following this post, I got this interesting question from “The Executioner” (slightly rephrased) “You still have a full-time job, right? How can you call your blog “Early Retirement Extreme” if you’re still on someone’s payroll as a full-time employee?” Yes, I have a full-time job, a part time job, I... Read more »

Modern homes are a curios reflection of our culture. They have brick facades that are not part of the structure. They are built out of sticks with plastic insulation being the main barrier between the inhabitants and the elements. In essence they are like big boxes of plastic designed with... Read more »

I just finished reading the E-Myth. It is slightly interesting from a strict early retirement perspective but more interesting/recommend for anyone who is engaged in entrepreneurial activities; particularly if they are still learning and come out of a different background. Incidentally, the E in E-myth has nothing to do with... Read more »

It is important to realize that world views between different generations are different. This is a cause for endless confusion when discussing something like retirement or how a career would take shape. I was born in 1975 and so I fall somewhere between Generation X and Generation Y. For example,... Read more »

For the first time, Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You to be Rich shares his thoughts on FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)! Read more → The post Ramit Sethi – I Will Teach You to be Rich appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

In this new Mad Fientist experiment, I'm starting an online business from scratch and will be documenting the entire process! Read more → The post Online Business Experiment appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

Author Cal Newport joins me on the podcast to discuss Deep Work, Digital Minimilism, and the important things you need to consider before retiring early! Read more → The post Cal Newport – Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, and the Key to a Happy Retirement appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

Grant from Millennial Money shares how he achieved financial freedom and increased his bank balance from $2.26 to $1.25 million in just over 5 years! Read more → The post Millennial Money – From Broke to Millionaire in 5 Years appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

It's easy to think early retirement will solve all your problems but what if it actually makes your life worse? A reader named Tony shares his story. Read more → The post Tony – Going Back to Work After Early Retirement appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

Time flies when you're having fun! We're almost half way through May and I'm just now updating our April financial snapshot. We have been vacationing, volunteering, and enjoying the wonderful springtime weather. What can I say? I'm retired and don't always have time to focus on this blog!  We had... Read more »

Spring is definitely here in Raleigh. Warm afternoon temperatures bring us outside while green clouds of pollen filling the air push us back inside. And everything is in bloom!  We had a busy March as you'll see in this article. April will be no different. We are just a few... 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 »

To celebrate our fifteenth wedding anniversary, we visited Mexico City for an 11 day vacation (without kids!). We have visited the city several times before, so we didn't plan on hitting the tourist trail too hard while in the city.  On most days we spent a few hours sightseeing and... Read more »

We're back for another monthly update on the life and times (and finances) of Root of Good! February was a whirlwind of activity that had us out and about exploring the Raleigh area during periods of unseasonably warm weather. Then we hopped on a jet plane to go south of... Read more »

Consumerism, materialism, and excess. All signs of our time. But not because companies are evil and forcing anyone to buy more than they need. Instead, it’s just the innate nature of who we are as human beings that leads to buying stuff we don’t need, with money we don’t have,... Read more »

Time to open up the books on how much money I spent last month. Managing expenses is absolutely critical to becoming financial independent at a young age. In fact, I’d argue it’s much more important to be an excellent saver than an excellent investor in this regard. And in order to save, you must... Read more »

Every Sunday, I uncover a high-quality dividend growth stock that appears to be undervalued. These pieces are published at Daily Trade Alert, which is a site that focuses on dividend growth investing, stocks, and unique investment opportunities. I’ve been writing for them for years now, and they’re just great over... Read more »

I go over Berkshire Hathaway’s latest buys and sells in their common stock portfolio each quarter, after their latest 13F is released. I’m a huge fan of Warren Buffett, as are millions of other investors around the world. And so it’s a great honor to see what he’s up to.... Read more »

I recently turned 37 years old. Had an awesome birthday. Oh treated me to a burger, fries, and a Coke. She knows me too well! While birthdays lost their luster years ago, I found this particular birthday to be an interesting milestone for one big reason. It marks five years... Read more »

Today’s guest post is from Robert @ Stop Ironing Shirts.  He recently declared early retirement from a 15 year career in finance.  Robert struggled with walking away from career paying $300,000+, an income level only achieved after ten plus years of on the job training after his undergraduate degree. He... Read more »

If you’ve got an ideal investment portfolio and you’re perfectly content with your asset allocation (the percentage of stocks and bonds),  your asset location (where those funds are located, ideally in the most tax-efficient manner) and the choice of assets you hold, this post is not for you. If, on... Read more »

The Sunday Best is a collection of articles I’ve curated from the furthest reaches of the internet for your reading pleasure. Every week, I scan hundreds of headlines, read dozens of posts, and bring you the best of the best to save you time and mental energy. Financial Independence (FI)... Read more »

My taxable account might be my favorite account. It holds about half of our retirement assets, is immediately available, and is more flexible than any other account we own. When I first opened one, I didn’t have a guide like this. I bought actively managed, tax-inefficient funds. I didn’t know... Read more »

Behind most successful ventures are a string of failures. It’s true. A person’s first grand idea rarely works out. The key is to fail forward and learn from your mistakes. That’s what Michael Norton, the author of today’s guest post, has learned. He’s actually got a half-dozen lessons that he’d... Read more »

Thinking about cash-out refi to get back to 5/1 leverage, if rates go much lower...... Read more »

Quote from: DadJokes on Today at 12:39:31 PMQuote from: Jim Fiction on Today at 12:01:57 PMQuote from: DadJokes on Today at 08:35:45 AMI try to ...... Read more »

Quote from: GuitarStv on Today at 12:57:00 PMQuote from: DadJokes on Today at 12:39:31 PMThat doesn't mean I am opposed to abortion. If someone is willing to get an abortion, that ...... Read more »

25. Hold Tight by Harlan Coben26. Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult28. Fault Line by Barry Eisler29. The Woods by Harlan Coben30. Unnatural exposure by Patricia Cornwell31. The Bogleheads' Guide to investing by Taylor Larimore32. Under the dome by St...... Read more »

Quote from: Blahhhh456 on Today at 12:53:50 PMAwesome! Thank you for the breakdown in point two. I am sensing I need to figure out if we are going to stay in this house for longer than 3 years. We moved from NC to MA ...... Read more »

Last week I put up a poll on Twitter, asking all three of you readers to decide what I should write about.Would you rather read a post on tariffs being regressive taxes or, what I assumed would be more popular, our latest life hack that involves a time delay safe?Apparently a... Read more »

A reader asked me a good question last week, after reading my jumbled rant on systemic problems, and the individual tactics that aren't going to solve them. What, short of running for public office, can we citizens do to encourage systemic solutions?I have to admit that stumped me a bit.... Read more »

I've always been a bit of an asshole. While I try my best to be nice, to get along, sooner or later people realize that I'm actually kind of mean.One of the biggest issues I deal with is being fairly intolerant of others' ideas.Specifically, I'm really bad at accepting when... Read more »

Annie Duke was always one of my favorite poker players. Like everyone else who watched Rounders in the late nineties, I was immediately hooked on Texas Hold'em and the new ESPN shows devoted to the game.  Unlike many of the personalities being promoted in WSOP tournaments, Duke wasn't brash or... Read more »

Last week, we dreamed up the idea of our mortgage swoop, where we'd pay off our mortgage all at once as soon as our financial independence fund got to $1M plus our mortgage balance. The feedback from readers was a little...mixed. With few in outright support of the swoop, I... Read more »

Alan Donegan joins us to discuss leveraging the power of FI to pursue your dreams with the ability to be free to fail. For more information, visit the show notes at https://choosefi.com/128 ... Read more »

Gina Pogel joins us to discuss different types of debt and how to tackle them. We also dive into tactics to optimize both your health and your debt. The goal is to simplify your finances and your health by stacking multiple optimization tactics together. For more information, visit the show... Read more »

Brad and Jonathan discuss health optimization strategies with Dr. Scott Sherr. This episode is packed full of useful information, however, do not make life altering medical decisions based on this show alone. Although we are talking to a real doctor, do not take this as medical advice. Consult with your... Read more »

Brad and Jonathan tackle a listener question about annuities and discuss some updates to the travel rewards landscape. For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/126R ... Read more »

Last week, Brad and Jonathan talked to Chelsea Brennan about her Family Emergency Binder. In the same theme of planning for your family's future, today we talked to Mark Moss about estate planning. For more information, visit the show notes at https://choosefi.com/126 ... Read more »

Last September at FinCon 2018 in Orlando I was talking with the coolest cat in the cave, my FIRE brother J. Money of Budgets Are $exy, about how to shine some light on the abuses in the K-12 403b marketplace.  After about five seconds of reflection, he said, “Oh, that’s... Read more »

Welcome back millionaires.  Let me apologize for that insane April Fool’s post extolling the benefits of 403b plans.  Here are my real thoughts on those “benefits.”   Incredible Oversight?  Ha! If you have a 403b plan, brace yourself:  your retirement savings are adrift in the Wild West of the financial services... Read more »

Beautiful South Georgia spring greetings to all my millionaire readers!  Even though we had a mild winter, the change of season is more than welcome.  It’s so pretty here this time of year. So far, our move to Statenville, Georgia has been a resounding success.  We love our new home,... Read more »

Greetings to all my Free Money! tax-planning brothers and sisters.  With 2018 almost over, it’s now time to take a look at our 2019 Free Money! amounts.  (This is by far my most anticipated post every year; it amazes me how many inquiries I get about the status of this... Read more »

If you live long enough, you’ll see many unimaginable and “impossible” things.  Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve seen:  the Patty film, the discovery of the giant squid, the Braves, Cubs, and Red Sox win the World Series, the Saints and Buccaneers win Super Bowls, and even my Davidson... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA194.mp3" title="The 7 Faces of Fear -- with Ruth Soukup" 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" ] Fear shows up in our lives in countless ways. Sometimes, fear takes the form of procrastination. We're afraid of botching something, or we don't like the feeling of... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA193.mp3" title="Ask Paula - I Spent Ten Years in School, and Now I'm Behind on Retirement Savings" 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" ] Lori is behind on retirement savings, as a result of being a full-time student for more than a decade. She makes... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA192.mp3" title="The Latte Factor, with author David Bach" 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" ] “Don’t buy lattes.”This classic snippet of personal finance advice isn’t specifically anti-Starbucks. “Lattes” are a metaphor for the tiny expenses that leak money from our pockets, often without us realizing... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA191.mp3" title="Ask Paula - Would You Live in an RV to Save Money?" 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" ] Should Russell rent a cheap apartment, or should he take out a loan for an RV in order to save money on rent? Carl is... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA190.mp3" title="The Next Millionaire Next Door, with Dr. Sarah Stanley Fallaw" 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" ]More than 20 years ago, affluence researchers Dr. Thomas Stanley and Dr. William Danko surveyed a vast number of millionaire households in the United States.What they discovered was... Read more »

As regular readers know my main side hustle right now is selling graphic designs online.  It’s something I really love, mainly because it’s 100% self-paced and almost completely passive.  I create a design and upload it to various websites, and... The post Have Patience With Your Side Hustle appeared first... Read more »

Artificial Intelligence and technology are rapidly changing jobs and the future of work.  The job environment that will exist when you reach financial independence or retire will be very different, perhaps to your advantage.  This post is the latest in... The post My Post-Retirement Gig – Heavy Machine Operator appeared... Read more »

Most people have things they’re striving for, things they want to be.  For many it’s to lose weight and live healthier.  Or maybe it’s to start that successful podcasting business.  A common trap in modern society is to look at... The post Using Sunk Costs To Your Advantage appeared first... Read more »

Subscribe To New Posts Here! The post W2 Career Progression, The Options appeared first on Accidental Fire.... Read more »

“Final check on gear” the guide yelled. “One minute!”  Our little aluminum jon boat was bobbing violently in the beautiful Caribbean waters.  We were a few miles off the coast of Roatan Honduras, an island paradise famous for its scuba... The post Apply Pragmatism On Your Journey To Financial Independence... 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 »

There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys, how’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at... Read more »

The purpose of doing an experiment is to learn something about yourself, and to see if there is an opportunity for growth or positive change. I started the Buy Nothing 2018 experiment with this in mind. It started with a no clothes challenge, but since I had plenty of clothes... Read more »

I was sitting on a bench just enjoying the beautiful fall day. It was sunny and warm, or perhaps I was warm due to the semi-vigorous bike ride. Every now and then a cloud would briefly cover the sun or a gentle breeze would throw a slight chill in the... 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 »

Real estate is one of the most popular investments to build long-term wealth, but not everyone wants the responsibilities of being a landlord. The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, passed in 2012, opened up the possibility for real estate crowdfunding. Since that time, more than 100 different websites/companies have... Read more »

If you’d like to work from home, whether part-time or full-time, virtual assistant training can be exactly what you need to make it a reality. Virtual assistants are able to benefit from a flexible schedule, enjoy high demand for their services, and make money by using their existing skills. While... Read more »

Whether you’re looking for a way to make some extra money on the side of an existing job or looking for a business idea that could lead to a full-time income, offering a service is a great option. There are countless different services that you could offer as a freelancer,... Read more »

In the world of personal finance, there aren’t many topics that are more divisive than credit cards. Some experts and writers suggest that you should never use credit cards. Others, like myself, talk about the benefits of using credit cards. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of credit... Read more »

When it comes to managing your money, there are a few different approaches you can take. The most common choices are either to hire a financial advisor or to do it yourself. The Financial Freedom BlueprintⓇ provides an intriguing blend of the two. You’ll get the guidance and assistance of... Read more »