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 »

Here’s how to make refried beans (unit cost: negligible) First you get a 20lbs bag of pinto beans for free at freecycle.org 😉 Second, you take a large bowl and soak the some beans in water all day. Third, you cook them in a pressure cooker. An ordinary pot works... Read more »

When facing a challenge, some will seek ways to make the challenge easier and lighter and some will seek ways to become stronger. Which one will you be? Something to meditate on. I think approximately half [perhaps intentionally] misunderstood the point I was aiming at with my 31 word post,... Read more »

It is much more gratifying to say “I did that” than “I paid for that.” Copyright © 2007-2021 earlyretirementextreme.com This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. The use of this feed on other websites breaches copyright. If you see this notice anywhere else than in your news reader, it... Read more »

csdx brought an interesting concern too bear on the last post, namely, that if we all dialed back our 9–5 what would happen to technological progress. Would we become a world of luddites? On a related note, what if people decided to work less? Well, no. The Soviet Union and... Read more »

I joined a virtual Bogleheads meeting to talk about life after financial independence and early retirement! Read more → The post Bogleheads – Life After FIRE appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

A Mad Fientist reader shares how he utilizes tax-advantaged accounts to unlock even more cost-saving benefits! Read more → The post How to Stack Tax Benefits for Even More Savings appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

It's been five years since I left my full-time job so here's my fifth (and final) annual update on post-FI life! Read more → The post Fifth (and Final) Annual Update appeared first on Mad Fientist.... 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 »

Another fun and busy month of early retired life is in the books! During the past month, we hosted a big Thanksgiving celebration at our house. Since the weather was nice in November, we spent a lot of time outdoors.  I really stretched my DIY muscles in November too. I... Read more »

We spent two nights in Page, Arizona. While in Page, we visited the Glen Canyon Dam, a nearby lakeside rocky area known as The Chains, and the Horseshoe Bend overlook of the Colorado river.  After leaving Page, we traveled south and then west to the Grand Canyon National Park. We... Read more »

Our family of five visited Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park in Utah in the summer of 2021. The most impressive part of Bryce Canyon was the strange looking hoodoos, or stone pillars that protrude from the hillsides and valley floors throughout the park. The vibrant orange coloring... Read more »

Fall is in full swing here and I'm loving it! We enjoyed a fun October and look forward to more of the same in November as Thanksgiving approaches. Throughout the month we spent lots of time lounging outside, going on long bike rides, and plugging away at our travel planning... Read more »

We left Cortez, Colorado and headed to Arches National Park in Utah for the day. After a hot day hiking around the arches and cliffs in the park, we continued to our hotel in Green River, Utah.  From Green River, we drove through the scenic Utah Route 24 on the... Read more »

Would you like a good deal on a great stock? Like the idea of collecting safe, growing dividends that beat the market? Want to know about a high-quality dividend growth stock that’s down nearly 30% from its recent high? Then you have to check out today’s video. For more on... 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 »

Have some cash to invest? Looking for high-quality businesses that handsomely reward their shareholders with safe, growing dividends? Want to know my top five stocks for December 2021? Then you have to check out today’s video. For more on my top five dividend growth stocks for December 2021, check out... Read more »

Think making more money is awesome? Does making more money for doing nothing sound even better? Want to know about stocks that keep paying out more money? Then you have to check out today’s video. For more on six dividend growth stocks that just boosted their dividends, check out our... Read more »

Looking to make money moves like Warren Buffett? Want to know which stocks Buffett is selling? Interested in finding out why these stock sales might be a huge mistake? Then you have to check out today’s video. For more on which stocks Warren Buffett is selling, and why I think... Read more »

When we talk about crypto, far too often we talk about whether it's a good investment monetarily or not, as in: "Will I make or lose money if I buy this?" But we rarely ask whether buying crypto is ethical, and whether its costs to the planet and to our... Read more »

If you've been wanting to change how you and your family or other gift-giving group do the holidays, there has never been a better time. The supply chain issues give you lots of excuses to buy less or even to stop buying newly manufactured items altogether. Here are some ways... Read more »

So that it’s all together in one place, here is a full rundown of all of the events I’m doing to launch Wallet Activism. I’ll keep this page updated as we add new events and links. All of these events are free, though I hope you’ll consider buying […]... Read more »

Many of us have a bad habit of talking about and thinking about risk in entirely the wrong way. There's no perfectly safe way to go through life, and that's true with our money and true with everything else, too. There's rarely a safe option and a risky option, but... Read more »

My new book and podcast, both called Wallet Activism, are here (or at least in pre-order form for the book). This post is all about why I undertook this new project, how you can read and listen, and what's in it for you to pre-order the book.... Read more »

Thanks! It'll look even better with some paint. The putty dries different colors depending on how thick it is. The dark spots are the thick spots that stuck out from the wall and I needed to sand down. The lighter spots are the low spots that got fille...... Read more »

Quote from: ditheca on Today at 08:14:36 AMIs the physical location of the property part of "other tests, evaluations and verifications of the Property deemed necessary or appropriate by Buyer" or do I have a reasona...... Read more »

Quote from: GuitarStv on December 07, 2021, 12:20:58 PMQuote from: SpeedReader on December 07, 2021, 11:56:48 AMAfter the year that my sisters and I all gave each other gift cards (living in different...... Read more »

Quote from: chemistk on Today at 01:06:56 PMQuoteThe benefits of active management are widely understood, although investors hold varying views about how durable manager-level alpha can be within different market s...... Read more »

Good question! I think it's important to think about this and understand the potential downsides here. Let's look at the different types of distributions and how they're taxed:1) Qualified distribution: to reimburse yourself for medical expenses, incl...... Read more »

Early retirement has been a blessing in these long days of the pandemic. Our days went from a non-stop juggling of work, parenting, cooking, and cleaning to, well, a leisurely juggling act of the same things. Mrs. Done by Forty decided she wanted to keep working and it's been a... Read more »

The other day, a question came up on my Twitter feed. Do you consider yourself rich?I like this sort of question. Ideally, it inspires a little introspection and gets me to step back and get some perspective. Do I understand where we stand financially? Do I appreciate how lucky we... Read more »

So there was a slight omission in our last annual "are we on track for FIRE" post. Okay, two small omissions, that totaled twenty thousand dollars. Unintentionally following a trend that swept America while we were cooped up in a pandemic, we bought not one, but two, used cars: a... Read more »

Bill Simmons once mentioned that people have a weird quirk when it comes to talking about weddings. No matter how many people you had at your wedding, if someone had twenty more people at their wedding, then they had a huge wedding. If someone had 20 fewer people, they had... Read more »

I turned forty one a couple weeks ago, which was kind a bummer. I've never been a big fan of my birthday and this has only gotten worse with age. I'd like to stop commemorating it altogether, but I have these people who love me and reminding me is a... Read more »

In this week’s episode, Brad and Jonathan discuss planning your short and longterm FI goals in a manner that is realistic to your current situation. By taking an approach that favors longterm success as opposed to rapid growth, you can position yourself in a manner that will allow for luck... Read more »

In this week's episode, Brad and Jonathan are joined by Lyn Mettler from "Families Fly Free" to discuss optimizing your travel rewards when traveling with family! Join the trio as they discuss different ways to utilize travel rewards programs so you can be one step closer to finally taking the... Read more »

In this week's episode, Brad and Jonathan are joined by Measure Twice Money's founder Cody Garrett! Together, they discuss important details about DIY financial planning, such as identifying where you do and don't need help with your financial planning, exercising the rational and reasonable approach when financial planning, and ways... Read more »

In this week's episode, Brad and Jonathan are joined by Sean Mullaney to get a jump start on 2021's tax planning season. Together, they discuss managing Backdoor Roth IRAs before the 12/31 deadline, changes to the relevant tax regulations, amended returns, solo 401k's for contractors and entrepreneurs, and so much... Read more »

With volatile assets like Tesla stock, Ethereum, and Bitcoin, how do you keep a level head while investing? In this week’s episode, Brad and Jonathan are joined by friend of the show Brian Feroldi to discuss managing your runaway winner investments and balancing your portfolio! Listen along as Brian shares... Read more »

Greetings millionaires!  When the Covid-19 quarantine began back in March of 2020, I suddenly had a lot of free time to fill.  My daily routine of working out, jogging, reading, cooking, and red wine was going along great, but I needed a “special project” to make the most of my... Read more »

Greetings future and current millionaires.  A few years back, I wrote that I would continue to do net-worth updates until we hit the $2 million dollar mark.  Well, that means that this will be my last net-worth update. Finally, a Millionaire in My Own Right As the stock market has... 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 »

[smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA346.mp3" title="Ask Paula: How Can We Reach Financial Independence by 35? " 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" ] Anonymous and his wife have $275,000 saved and a child on the way. They’re 27 and want to reach financial independence by 35. They want to... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA346.mp3" title="Ask Paula: How Can We Reach Financial Independence by 35? " 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" ] Anonymous and his wife have $275,000 saved and a child on the way. They’re 27 and want to reach financial independence by 35. They want to... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA345.mp3" title="How to Understand Your Medical Bill, with Marshall Allen" 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" ] Let’s talk about one of the biggest expenses you might ever encounter: health care costs. When you get a hospital bill, do you understand it? After all, it... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA344.mp3" title="Ask Paula: I’m Bored at Work, and I’m 14 Years from Retirement; Should I Tough It Out?" 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" ] Anonymous is on track to be financially independent in 14 years, but isn’t living up to her potential working a... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/paulaandjaymoney/AA343.mp3" title="Are We Heading for a Housing Crash in 2022?" 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" ] The real estate market in 2021 has been bonkers. That’s the technical term. From 2012 to 2020, home prices nationwide rose at an annualized average of 5.8 percent... Read more »

Stuff.  We all buy it and need it.  In a post a few years back I laid out my three rules of stuff, coming from a frugal and financially independent mindset.  And recently I posted about maximizers and satisficers and... The post The Upgrade Effect appeared first on Accidental Fire.... Read more »

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #57! Here are some things I really like and that you might too.   Financial Independence/Retirement Articles Do You Harbor Any Regret About Retiring Early? (Stop Ironing Shirts) – “If sitting in... The post T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 57 appeared first on Accidental... Read more »

Regular Accidental FIRE readers know I have a background in GIS and mapping and that I constantly scour the web for cool mapping tools.  Being this is primarily a personal finance blog I have a special place in my dorky... The post Are You Paying Too Much In Property Taxes?... Read more »

What is work and why do we do it?  A classic definition of work is “activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.”  Another is “a task or tasks to be undertaken; something... The post The Unpaid Work We All Need appeared first... Read more »

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #56! Here are some things I really like and that you might too.   Financial Independence/Retirement Articles Did Limiting Beliefs About Money Make Me a Millionaire? (One Frugal Girl) – “The list... The post T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 56 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 »

Walking is a part of everyday life, so wouldn’t it be great if you could get paid to walk? You may be surprised by the number of apps that pay you to walk. In this article, we’ll look at 20 legit options. If you get a lot of exercise already,... Read more »

Referral programs can be a great way to make some extra money or to save on things you would buy anyway. Many companies use refer-a-friend programs to get exposure, so there are plenty of opportunities. Chances are, you already tell your friends and family about the products and services you... Read more »

Saving a significant amount of money, like $10,000 can be a life-changing accomplishment. There are a lot of great things you could do with that money. You could buy a car, use it towards a down payment on a house, boost your retirement savings, pay off credit card debt or... Read more »

Many investors want to add exposure to real estate in their portfolio, and one of the most practical ways to do it is by investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on real estate holdings. ETFs tend to have low expense ratios, although the details can vary significantly from one ETF... Read more »

If you’re looking for an investment that has the potential of producing strong returns, you may want to consider cryptocurrency. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other popular cryptocurrencies have generated incredible returns over the past few years. With blockchain technology being used in more ways, many experts believe the adoption of crypto... Read more »