Budgeting & Savings

How Couples Can Adopt The Same Financial Goals And Win

In 2024, I am transitioning from a spender to a saver’s mindset out of necessity. I am returning to frugal habits reminiscent of my lifestyle in the first thirteen years after college. This change is prompted by the need to rebuild liquidity. One area I’m targeting to cut expenses is food. After a three-month experiment […]

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Before Having Kids, Consider Spending Lots Of Money

Most responsible adults who want children will strive to save and invest as much money as possible before becoming parents. However, after being a parent for six years, I realize this advice might not be ideal for living your best life. Everybody knows raising children is expensive, especially if you live in a major city.

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The Ideal Number Of Banking Relationships To Feel Safe And Secure

Most people have a bank account where they securely receive, withdraw, and manage their cash. But is having just one banking relationship enough today when established banks are at risk to close down overnight? I don’t think so. After the collapse of SVB and Signature Bank, I decided to review our existing banking relationships and

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How To Prepare For Another Bank Run As The Contagion Spreads

Sadly, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB, $SIVB), the 16th largest bank in America at the end of 2022, experienced a bank run. Now the contagion has spread to other regional banks such as First Republic Bank, Signature Bank, Zions Bancorp, PacWest, Comerica, and Charles Schwab. Even the largest banks were getting hit as well. Ultimately, The

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Minimalism And Early Retirement Go Perfectly Together

Minimalism and early retirement go together like peanut butter and jelly. Each item compliments the other. Minimalism helps get you to early retirement sooner because you are lowering your cost structure. Early retirement makes you want to simplify life so you can remain retired and enjoy your time more efficiently. Since 2012, I’ve worked on

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Americans Can Save A Lot Of Money If We Want To, Don’t Worry!

During the pandemic, we learned that Americans can save a lot more money if we want to. Take a look at the historical American personal saving rate chart according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the St. Louis Fed. After lockdowns began on March 18, 2020, the U.S. personal saving rate skyrocketed from

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Treat All Investments As Expenses If You Want To Grow Richer

Some people who critique my various budget charts are annoyed I list retirement contributions and investments as expenses. Therefore, I thought I’d explain my logic in this post. Once you start treating your retirement contributions and investments as expenses, you will begin to build much more wealth than the average person. And once you build

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