News and Information

Here’s some of the interesting things I’ve read recently on the topics that interest me. They are mostly financial independence type sites. But I’ll also post some other stuff that interests me in making a happy, healthy, and whole life.

8 Nov 2018

To get started in investing, here’s a great Link to MoneyPeach. The article goes over the very basics of some investing options. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll remember back on Post 006, Always “Bee” Learning, that just by doing a little over a long time will go a long way to significantly increasing your base knowledge in an area. The link above will provide a good list of topics you can pick to increase. Read the article, pick an investment, and do some google research on it. Just a little every day.

I’ve also been reading about Stoicism. One of the daily emails I get is from the Daily Stoic. Here’s a Link to an article about a guy who donates everything he makes over $30K per year to a charity of his choosing to help the greatest impact towards others. If you like it, check it out. While this may not be your thing, this can show that it is possible to live on less than $30K per year. So, it’ kinda fits the FI model.

12 Aug 2018

Here’s a great Link for some resources. It generally links to the top level site, so you may have to dig for specific information on a topic that you are seeking. I’ve personally used, read, or listened to many of them, but not all.

9 Aug 2018

I’ve been a member of my local county library for about two years now. In the last two years I’ve checked out maybe a dozen books. The books were for the grandkids. Finally the last time I was at the library I saw a table that was promoting their audiobooks. Anyone who knows me knows I have a long commute and listen to podcasts on that commute. So, when I learned that I could check out audiobooks for free, I jumped at the chance. They use rbdigital as the platform. I downloaded it and I was on my way to listening to books. In the last three months or so, I’ve completed seven books. A great feature of rbdigital is that you can listen to the books at 2x speed! If you are like me, listening at regular speed will put you to sleep. On 2x your mind must pay attention or you’ll miss stuff. So, the 2x speed actually keeps you keenly engaged in the book. If you haven’t done this, maybe your local library has the same opportunity. Completing seven books in a couple of months durning my down time seems very productive. Give it a try!

1 Aug 2018

The True Cost of Recurring Expenses is an article I ran across last week. Maybe you’ve been around savings, spending, investing etc long enough to know that “cutting expenses” can help you significantly. This article gives a few techniques that can help you estimate the impact of whatever you are trying to cut. By understanding exactly how much those bottled waters, soft drinks, etc can impact you, read this. Disclaimer: I havn’t verified the math, but it seems close just by other comparisons I’ve done over time.

27 Aug 2018

Here’s a small purchase that I use every day. Perhaps one of the best purchases I’ve made in quite some time. It’s a Bluetooth to FM Transmitter. With this simple to set up device I can play music, listen to a podcast, talk on the phone and even hear the map directions right through my car’s stereo. It’s simple to set up. Just plug into your 12V (Cigarette lighter) assessors outlet and sync this to your Bluetooth phone. Then make sure the FM transmitter and your radio are both tuned to a non-transmitting station. Mine is 104.7 in the Dallas area. That’s it.

This gives me all of the capability of the new cars on the market for under $20! So now my old Honda Accord is wireless. No more aux cables to hook up. No more aux cables to break or wear out. Give it a try!

23 Aug 2018

When Is Enough Enough? When More Money Won’t Make You Happier is a post from Choose FI. It will provide some insight to how much is enough for your situation. It will take you beyond just reaching your FI number. I went to a funeral this week and really did some thinking on this one. You don’t need the best boat to go fishing. Heck, you don’t even need a boat. You don’t need the best truck to go hunting or help a friend move. This guy had more pictures of outdoor activities that would make most out door enthusiasts envious. But none of his stuff is outrageous. So, it can be done without going broke. Steve for the balance between cost and function.

8 Aug 2018

Check out Saquon Barkley’s plan for his $31M NFL contract Here. It’s refreshing to see that some of these players are seeing how much their money can benefit them for the rest of their life if they invest it properly. Pretty great plan if you ask me!

7 July 2018

Financial Calculators are useful tools. Here’s a quick and easy Financial Calculator you can use to figure out the answers to how much your investing will be worth after some period of time. Take a look and get familiar with it.

Here are a few other Financial Spreadsheets to help with different aspects of your finances. Looking at your finances from several different perspectives can help you get a better understanding of how you are doing overall. Or you can drill down to something very specific.

Here’s a good article about the difference of FIRE versus fire. FIRE is a goal. Fire is what drives you and is independent of your financial goals. Your drive (fire) should carry you well past your goal (FIRE). For example your FI Number could be $1M. But then what? What are you going to replace 40 hours per week doing? Surely it’s not just sitting on your butt waiting to pass. My fire is and continues to be spending as much of the short time on earth enjoying family, friends, and interesting people. What is your FIRE versus fire?

If you are curious about some of the milestones to measure your progress towards FI you can check out FI Milestones to get some idea of where you stand. You can also go to Choose FI . If you have something to measure your progress, here’s one Blogger’s perspective for milestones to use.

If you are curious about some of the milestones to measure your progress towards FI you can check out FI Milestones to get some idea of where you stand. You can also go to Choose FI If you have something to measure your progress, here’s one Blogger’s perspective for milestones to use.

29 June 2018

Financially Free: The Moment You Became a Money-Grown Up. This link really hit home for me. It wasn’t until later in life that I really understood the meaning and benefits. Sure, saving was always mentioned, but it never really sunk in as to why. I was saving, but it wasn’t for specific things. It was just stressed, so that’s what I did. In the link, you can read about some of the details as to why this is important. I guess I was just a late bloomer.

If you need a free site to check your credit score, here’s a great link Credit Sesame. It’s limited to only showing a total score. It doesn’t show the same level of information as a full credit report, but you’ll be able to track if you are heading in the right direction. If you are trying to clean up credit, you’ll need the full report to get the names and addresses of each account that is dragging you down. But for a quick look, this is a goos site. If you have no idea of what your credit score is currently, this is a great free site to do a quick check and track your progress.

Here’s a link to a story about a couple that spend their lives unaware of the long term impacts of financial maturity. Click here Average Example. The story doesn’t give much to the details of how they got there, but it can be a real example of not watching your finances. It could also be many other things. The take away is to watch your personal finances and optimize the best that you can.

Serge from Mage’s Mind blog posted an inspiring post this week called Hold On. It’s an easy quick read, but worth the minute or so to read it. Hope you like it. Hold On

19 June 2018

So, what is this FI stuff I’ve been talking about really. Here’s a link to Wikipedia. It will give you a general definition and a little broad information.

Is this crazy talk? Check out the link Why Financial Independence ? to see. It may seem a little strange at first. But it’s all the stuff you’ve heard before. Earn a decent paycheck and spend less than you’ve earned. Then save or invest the rest. Simple right…but not easy. There are many distractions, flashing lights, glitter, and Average influences that can get you off course.

Here’s a great post on another blogger’s site. My Early Retirement. She’s heavily strapped with federal student loans. She started a couple of years ago and is making great progress. Check out here site. It reinforces that it doesn’t matter where you start, just start. Pay attention to your finances. Your progress may surprise you.

Are you thinking of buying a house? Here’s some interesting data on from Accidental FIRE. It’s a compilation of data comparing average income and average home costs across the nation. It’s worth the read, if for nothing else to see how your state compares to the rest of the nation.