Recently, I’ve been experiencing a bout of financial hopelessness that’s been surprisingly hard to shake. Rationally, I know I’ll be OK, but mentally, I’m stuck in this negative loop. It started after I decided to save money by flying Basic Economy to surprise my father for his 80th birthday. Saving ~$180 off Economy and ~$1,300 […]
Overcoming Financial Hopelessness When Life Feels Impossible Read More »
As savers, we are being rewarded with higher risk-free yields. Treasury bills (T-bills), Treasury bonds, and money market funds are still paying over 4% without taking equity or credit risk. Because Treasury interest is exempt from state income tax, these instruments are especially attractive for higher earners in high-tax states like California and New York.
Selling Treasury Bonds Is Easy, But Consider The Tax Implications Read More »
Ideally, you want to find a home with both a big lot and amazing views. These are the two special features that most buyers covet the most, which create bidding wars and higher re-sale prices. However, they rarely coexist at an affordable price. Usually, when a home has amazing views, it’s perched on a hill
Big Lot vs Great Views: Deciding Which Home Offers More Value Read More »
Conventional wisdom says we’re in a housing affordability crisis. With higher mortgage rates and higher home prices, buying a home has supposedly never been more expensive. But what if I told you this entire narrative is wrong? In reality, housing affordability could actually be at or near an all-time high. Sound crazy? Maybe. But if housing
Why Housing Affordability Could Actually Be At An All-Time High Read More »
Well folks, the time has finally come to buy a new car. After buying eight cars in my first ten years out of college thanks to my former car addition, I now dread the idea. All I want is to drive one car forever to save time, hassle, and money. However, my 2015 Range Rover
Time to Buy A New Car: Mine Is 10 Years Old & Causing Problems Read More »
About 10 years ago, I tried logging onto SSA.gov to check my Social Security benefits. You would think after decades of paying FICA taxes (6.2% for SS, 1.45% for Medicare), the government might make it easy to see what you’re entitled to. Nope. Instead, the system demanded to physically mail me a PIN. I tried three times
Living Solely Off Social Security Benefits In Retirement Is Possible Read More »
At our core, we all just want a fair chance to compete. We don’t want handouts, and we certainly don’t want to rely on the Bank of Mom & Dad to prop us up as adults. They have their own retirement to worry about. The real satisfaction comes from seeing what we can build through
Thankful for the Opportunity to Keep Competing and Thinking Read More »
I was talking to a full-time mother the other day, and she was pissed. Her full-time working husband was heading out on yet another business trip. It was his third week-long trip that month, and she was over it. Their two kids missed their father, and she didn’t think all the travel was truly necessary,
How To Overcome Travel Guilt As a Stay-at-Home Parent Read More »
People knock real estate for being slow and tedious. I get it. It’s not nearly as exciting as chasing big tech or the latest AI winner. But slow and steady might be exactly what the doctor ordered for building tremendous long-term wealth. With stocks doing well for decades, you’d think most people would be far
Made More From One House Than 26 Years of 401(k) Investing Read More »
On the road to financial independence, sacrifices must be made. And perhaps more importantly, once you achieve financial independence, further sacrifices should be made to stay free and appreciative of what you have. For my latest trip to Oahu, this time to surprise my father and take him out for his 80th birthday, I decided
Survived Basic Economy And Then Won The Lottery Read More »
