Despite finally having the permission to live it up in retirement, I still find it hard to spend money on things I don’t truly need. A big part of building wealth has always been about endurance and suffering. The more we can withstand—long hours, delayed gratification, and the occasional investment blowup—the greater our odds of
How to Endure Suffering to Build Greater Wealth and Resilience Read More »
Since 2009, I’ve encouraged readers to practice Stealth Wealth instead of flaunting luxuries. You don’t want to attract unnecessary hate and scrutiny on your journey to financial independence. But one example last week caught me by surprise. Senator Amy Klobuchar, while defending the extension of enhanced healthcare subsidies, tweeted in support of a couple featured by CNBC
Newsletter For Oct 25, 2025: Love For The Wealthy Is Back Read More »
It’s been several months since we returned from Hawaii, and surprisingly, my FOMO about the AI tech boom has faded. Sure, I still don’t have a job paying me gobs of money as AI CapEx surges higher, but that’s OK. Instead, I’ve allocated enough money to AI investments to where I no longer feel the
The Main Way To Save Your Children From AI Is To Invest In AI Read More »
If you’re a parent who took out loans to help your child through college, first of all—kudos. That’s no small thing. You didn’t just write checks; you made a deliberate investment in your child’s future. And now, with them hopefully launched, you’re looking at that repayment schedule for your Parent PLUS loans and asking: Should I
When Refinancing Your Parent PLUS Loan Makes Sense (And When It Doesn’t) Read More »
Deciding whether to pay off a mortgage early—or how long to keep one—is ultimately a personal choice. In this post, I’ll share my perspective by drawing on both real-life experience and some numbers to frame the decision. In 2022, my wife and I finally paid off the mortgage on our Lake Tahoe vacation property. That
The Ideal Length Of Time To Hold A Mortgage Until Paying It Off Read More »
In 2020, during the heart of the COVID pandemic, I remember listening to a FIRE-focused podcast hosted by two people who claimed to be financially independent and retired early. Even though it’s been over 16 years since I first started writing about FIRE, the topic still fascinates me. The journey toward financial independence is full
Being Truly FIRE Is Terrible For Entrepreneurship, But That’s OK Read More »
What if one of the best ways to get wealthy is to trick yourself into thinking you’re poor? It sounds counterintuitive, even ridiculous. But after decades of saving, investing, and observing how people behave around money, I’ve realized one thing: abundance often breeds complacency. When you feel flush, you spend more, work less, and get
Artificially Feeling Poor May Help You Grow Rich One Day Read More »
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from investing and writing about personal finance since 2009, it’s this: nothing stays the same for long. Markets rise and fall, interest rates swing like a pendulum, governments change policies, and new technologies like AI disrupt entire industries overnight. If you’re relying on a single financial strategy to carry
Why Diversifying Your Financial Strategies Is More Important Than Ever Read More »
The older I get, the more I dislike being a landlord. There’s too much potential for disappointment, misunderstanding, or outright unpleasant moments. When you’re dealing with people and one of your most valuable assets, the margin for frustration is high. If you want to be a successful landlord—and not get run over—you need to set
To Be A Successful Landlord, Setting Expectations Is A Must Read More »
Embattled Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is facing accusations of mortgage fraud—specifically, owner-occupancy mortgage fraud. The claim is that she took out two mortgages in two states, within two weeks, while designating both properties as her “primary residence.” If true, it’s a terrible look for someone sitting on the Fed, the very institution tasked with
Owner-Occupancy Mortgage Fraud: Benefits, Risks, and Legal Workarounds Read More »
