Ingredients: Tortillas, corn or flour, 6″, 8″, 10″, … it doesn’t matter. Some kind of food grade oil, … it doesn’t matter. Salt (sodium chloride, though, that matters) and other spices. Use a pizza cutter or a knife or simply tear the tortillas into whatever forms you prefer. If you... Read more »

Yesterday, I broke my thermometer and thus I can no longer boil water to the exact temperature of 194F(90C) required for optimal taste—by now, it is well-known that the right temperature is nine tenths of the secret to great coffee. Here’s where my education comes into play. I know that... Read more »

We just came back from one week’s vacation at the in-laws, so now I need a vacation. I always seem to need some time to recover after the bustling activity of family gettogethers. Anyway, staying in an 2.5 bedroom apartment for the first time since we moved into the RV... Read more »

When discussing the concepts of extreme early retirement, an often heard objection is that “it’s impossible”—followed by the runner-up “Yes, maybe I could do it but my spouse/children…” or the more generic “Yes, but that’s because you’re special/different/….” [I got a bit carried away in the comments section of this... Read more »

The difference by definition: A closed-ended problem is a problem that only has one solution leading to one answer. Typical closed ended problems are text book questions leading you to the answers that are given in the preceding chapter, what kind of a shampoo to buy (cleverly disguised as an... Read more »

Scott Young joins me on the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about "ultralearning" and why it's great for people pursuing early retirement! Read more → The post Scott Young – Ultralearning appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

The best thing about financial independence is also the worst. I explain what it is and also share details about the secret project I've been working on! Read more → The post The Best and Worst Thing About Financial Independence appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

It's been three years since I left my full-time job and this past year was the best one yet! Here's a short podcast episode with everything I learned. Read more → The post Valuable Lessons from My Third Year of Freedom appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

A real-life experiment that compares paying off a mortgage early versus investing the same amount of money in the markets! Read more → The post Mortgage Payoff Experiment appeared first on Mad Fientist.... 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 »

Welcome back to another edition of Root of Good Travels the World. This time we're recapping a slice of our seven week Southeast Asia vacation. After departing Saigon, Vietnam, we traveled for six hours to the heart of Cambodia, the capital city of Phnom Penh, where we spent a week... Read more »

Summer is officially over and fall is here (finally). Between the heat and humidity of our summer vacation in Southeast Asia and the excessively warm September in North Carolina, I'm definitely ready for cooler weather. Fall, my favorite time of the year, means more pleasant outdoor weather for lounging in the... Read more »

Here we are days away from the official start of fall. We are fully recovered from our eight week vacation in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. After we landed in Raleigh, we were immediately busy with back to school shopping for supplies and clothes and several rounds of school orientations now... Read more »

What do you do when you save a bunch of money and retire at 33? Spend months at a time traveling the world of course! This summer we spent eight weeks exploring the temples, palaces, and waterways of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand in Southeast Asia.  In today's article, we cover... Read more »

The Root of Good family just got back to the US after an eight week adventure in Southeast Asia. We spent the month of July split between Cambodia and Thailand.  Now that we're rested up and mostly recovered from the jet lag, I wanted to take a break from life... 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 departed from the United States in 2017 in favor of living as a dividend expat abroad. More life for less money could seemingly be had in a number of other countries around the world. Geographic arbitrage is a powerful concept, especially when combined with FIRE. I felt like it... Read more »

The FIRE Fund is my real-life and real-money dividend growth stock portfolio. I call it that because the portfolio allowed me to reach financial independence and retire early (FIRE) at just 33 years old. This six-figure collection of some of the best businesses in the world is generating the five-figure and growing passive... 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 moved to Thailand back in 2017. I did so with just two bags. That’s right. Two bags held all of my physical possessions.  A move halfway across the world isn’t easy. But it is much more difficult and expensive if you’re trying to lug a bunch of unnecessary stuff... 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 »

Burnout is a hot topic among medical professionals. Some call it moral injury; others refer to it as a lack of resilience. Personally, I probably had some mild symptoms, but knowing that I had a clear pathway to a different life kept burnout at bay. It helps to know you... Read more »

The Christopher Guest Post is back! For years, I published one of these faithfully every three weeks. This is the first one since Jillian Johnsrud paid us a visit in early July. What happened? A few things, I suppose. The main one is that it was a busy time as... Read more »

It was unseasonably warm for late September in Portfolia. It was the time of year when the leaves began to change, the harvest was in full swing, apple orchards thrived, and the Marble Movers would make their quarterly rounds to the homes of each and every villager. You see, in... 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 »

Did you actually do the math all the way through? If your plan gives you 1500 and you save 1200 in taxes, you aren't "saving" $3k, you are saving 300 by choosing the PPO, and only if everything else is equal, which is unlikely. What is the difference ...... Read more »

Well, I'm not FIRE, but have more than one kid.  Some things I've realized in planning around kids in retirement:1) Houses in higher-rated school districts are more expensive - restricting your ability to move somewhere cheaper after FIRE2) Private s...... Read more »

Quote from: sherr on November 07, 2019, 10:01:38 AMQuote from: talltexan on November 07, 2019, 07:13:28 AMAnd I have to ask myself why it's broken: I think it's largely because of this absence of shared...... Read more »

It depends on whether you view the utility of a watch as only its timekeeping function or whether you see it as a piece of jewellery or even an heirloom, like a nice rug or sofa. If the latter, then the "real value" is far greater than a dollar store... Read more »

I'm here to play devil's advocate and suggest a slightly different take: my parents really never talked about money at all, and it worked really really well. I see elements of this strategy in some of the answers above.I didn't get an allowance...... Read more »

I've often heard that people should think of themselves as businesses: that I am the CEO, the Chief Marketing Officer, and sole employee of "Me, Inc." I honestly kind of like the metaphor. I like the idea that, when it comes to our money, we should think about it in... Read more »

You'd think that after working towards financial independence and early retirement since 2012, a full seven years, that we'd have a thorough plan of what we want to do right after leaving work. Even though we have some decent ideas of what we'd like to fill our days with --... Read more »

It's open enrollment time for Mrs. Done by Forty and me, a strangely exciting time for a board game geek like me, since open enrollment decisions are like a very nerdy puzzle. One to be noodled over, guessing at how likely certain outcomes will be, weighing costs and tax benefits,... Read more »

Whenever someone asks me how we're able to even consider hitting financial independence or an early retirement by the time I'm forty, I try to be honest. I try to avoid the temptation to tell them it's because we drive a paid off car, that we use our bikes or... Read more »

Today is the first day of Mrs. Done by Forty's new job, a cool post-doc position that will let her work in her field for a couple of years and let us stay local, all complete with a hardly-believable set of benefits. We're both excited for this opportunity for her to use... Read more »

Medical debt has the power to seriously hurt your financial future. Many Americans are faced with unavoidable medical debt that has crippled their financial situation. RIP Medical Debt is a nonprofit working to forgive medical debt for pennies on the dollar. Today on the show, they share their background and... Read more »

Big ERN comes on the show today to break down the numbers of Becky’s retirement plan. He works through their real numbers to determine how solid their retirement plan is. For more information, visit the show notes at https://choosefi.com/152R https://choosefi.com/becky... Read more »

Becky Heptig shares her personal story to show that FI is an attainable goal at any age. It is an encouraging story because it shows no matter what age you find FI at, it is not too late to change your life for the better. For more information, visit the... Read more »

Using David Hauser’s framework from last week of decision making through split testing, Brad and Jonathan look at their sleep, fitness, and diet. For more information, visit the show notes at https://choosefi.com/151R ... Read more »

As a successful start-up founder, David Hauser felt mercilessly driven to create success through extreme measures. Today, he opens up to Brad and Jonathan about his drive to succeed and how he has applied an experimentation framework to his health and wellness. For more information, visit the show notes at... Read more »

Swampy fall-is-finally-here greetings to all current and future millionaires.  With the third quarter over for 2019, it’s now time to see how we’re progressing towards our annual financial goals.  Our main financial goal for 2019 is to save $130k in our various tax-advantaged accounts:  457, 403b, IRA, and HSA accounts. ... Read more »

Nota Bene:  While this post is about our move to Echols County, Georgia back in 2009, it’s still interesting and relevant to anyone contemplating a geo-arbitrage move.  I never got around to putting it on my blog until now…better late than never!  Here’s what I wrote back when our net... Read more »

Long overdue summer greetings to my dozens of faithful readers!  School has been out for a few weeks now, but I’ve been busy with my new basketball duties.  After a tough (and winless) basketball season and a sudden coaching change, guess who became a head coach again?  Yep, yours truly! ... 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 »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA225.mp3" title="Ask Paula - How to Invest for the Next Five Years" 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" ] Lauren is 26 and earns $48,000 per year after taxes. She saves $12,000 annually in retirement accounts, and an additional $18,000 per year for a downpayment... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA224.mp3" title="The Science of Rapid Learning, with Scott Young, author of Ultralearning" 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" ] Today on the show we feature Scott Young, author of Wall Street Journal best-selling book Ultralearning. Scott finished a 4-year MIT computer science curriculum in one... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA223.mp3" title="Ask Paula - Should I Choose This or That? How to Weigh the Tradeoffs" 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" ] Elizabeth is curious to know: what does a good net worth breakdown look like? Is it appropriate to have a lot of your... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA222.mp3" title="Seven Ways to Escape the Rat Race, with Michael Robinson" 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" ] Michael Robinson and his wife, Ellen, achieved financial independence at age 33. They ‘retired’ (they still enjoy working) three years later at age 36 on two five-figure... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA221.mp3" title="Ask Paula - How Much of My Company Stock Should I Buy?" 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" ] Vanessa is curious about Fidelity and Vanguard. She asks: what are your thoughts on the no-fee Fidelity index funds? What are your opinions on Vanguard’s... Read more »

Aries You’ll achieve new levels of hypocrisy when you drive an eighth of a mile to the nail salon in your massive SUV immediately after bitching about climate change on Twitter. Taurus After reading self-help books, you try to take... The post Your Money Horoscopes appeared first on Accidental Fire.... Read more »

If I asked you what the average age of a successful startup founder was, what would you say? 25? 30?  If you’re like most, you probably guess a number under 35.  Start up lore is chock-full of young guns who... The post Why Middle Age Is The Best appeared first... Read more »

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #3! Here are some things I really like and that you might too.   Finance Articles The Longer I’m Away From Corporate Life, the More Ridiculous a 9-5 Schedule Seems. – Zach... The post T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 3 appeared first on Accidental... Read more »

Regular readers know I focus on the behavioral aspects that affect personal finance a lot. On a bike ride recently a thought struck me.  It might just be harder than ever in 2019 to maintain good behaviors in life that... The post Is The Deck Stacked Against Us? appeared first... Read more »

Subscribe To New Posts Here! The post The Financial Risks Of Big Box Stores appeared first on Accidental Fire.... 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 »

If you’re looking for a great side hustle, flipping items for cash may be the perfect option. Just about anyone can do it, and there’s plenty of opportunities. You don’t need a lot of experience or skill, although as you go you’ll get better and more profitable by becoming familiar... Read more »

What could be better than owning stock in growing companies and increasing your net worth? How about getting those stocks for free! As crazy as it sounds, there are actually several different ways that you can get free stocks. A number of companies and apps are giving away free stock... Read more »

Gift cards are the next best thing after cash, and they’re becoming the standard form of payment for everyday online tasks. Do you love going to Starbucks but hate spending the money? If you are looking for legit ways to earn free Starbucks gift cards, then you are not alone.... Read more »

Modern ecommerce platforms like Etsy have made it possible for nearly any creative handcrafted entrepreneur to start an Etsy shop and make money selling their crafts. In fact, the idea of selling your own craft has become such a great way to make extra money, that ecommerce giants like Amazon... Read more »

This article is sponsored by Brigit. All opinions are my own. There’s nothing more frustrating than overdrawing your checking account. Just when finances are tight, you get hit with more fees from your bank. And if you don’t catch it right away, several charges may come through and you’ll have... Read more »