Once I hit 45 in mid-2022, I decided to enter a decumulation phase. Instead of continuing to save and invest aggressively, I decided to spend more aggressively. One way to decumulate is to spend more money on food. Dying with an excess of money is suboptimal. If we do, it will have meant that we […]
Spending More Money On Food: An Experiment In Decumulation Read More »
Just like job loyalty, bank loyalty often doesn’t pay. I made the mistake of being a loyal employee for eleven years at my previous firm. If I had job-hopped, I probably could have made $1 million more in my career. During my capital raising process to buy a home with all cash, I’ve had to
Bank Loyalty Has Long-Term Benefits But Short-Term Costs Read More »
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.
Before Having Kids, Consider Spending Lots Of Money Read More »
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
The Ideal Number Of Banking Relationships To Feel Safe And Secure Read More »
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
How To Prepare For Another Bank Run As The Contagion Spreads Read More »
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
Minimalism And Early Retirement Go Perfectly Together Read More »
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
Americans Can Save A Lot Of Money If We Want To, Don’t Worry! Read More »
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
Treat All Investments As Expenses If You Want To Grow Richer Read More »
Recently, I was told by a producer of a certain podcast that I was being overly frugal. This comment came after an interview covering my upcoming book, Buy This, Not That was done. I had thanked her over e-mail, pointed out a spelling error in my name in the show notes, and also asked her
Being Called Overly Frugal Or Cheap Means You’re On The Right Track Read More »
A forced savings account will help make you rich over time. It forces you to save versus relying on your own discipline to save. A mortgage is exactly this, a forced savings account where the homeowner pays down principal each month and builds equity. One of the main reasons why the average net worth of
Mortgage As A Forced Savings Account To Build Wealth Read More »
