One thing I despise is debt. It gets in the way of all my plans to pursue financial independence. Debt means you owe someone something and in this case, I’m referring to money. You owe money because you borrowed money whether it’s a car loan, student loan, mortgage loan, second mortgage loan, credit card balances, 401K borrowing, or any other financial obligation you may have. Before thinking about financial independence you have to become or get very close to a…
When I think about real estate, I think about the home I live in, the home that I purchased for my family, and hopefully a home that it will appreciate in value. Buying a home to live in is an investment. Real estate is one of those assets that typically appreciates in the long run and when you do sell, hopefully you will see a gain. Real estate investing is what I consider a long term investment. When I hear…
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world and when I say the world, every country was impacted. Millions of people lost jobs, thousands lost their lives, and the economy took a dive, are some of the impacts this virus has had on us. If you are one of the fortunate ones who still have a job, are receiving a paycheck and benefits, and allowed to work remotely, this is the time to save. I am fortunate to be one of those…
Have you ever sat around surfing the internet, coming across a website, a blog, a YouTube video, a Facebook site, or any other, thinking that’s something I could do also? Have you stared at your computer or mobile device binge surfing or watching, and next thing you know 2 hours have passed and nothing has changed? Have you thought about doing a project, doing your research, continuing to research, and making excuses that you’re still doing research and the project…
Lunch is the time you get to take a break from work, go out with co-workers, and enjoy a meal. It’s a time to mingle, socialize, and be part of the many people waiting in line to get food. It feels good seeing other people in a loud restaurant or food hall. In my 20’s and 30’s I used to go out to lunch all the time. Even if my co-workers didn’t want to go out, I’d still go out…
I wanted to write about an investment article but with COVID-19 here today, I felt that I should write an article about investing during a time of a pandemic and what I’ve done. Here is a list of what’s going on now COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the economy and forcing over 30 millions people to file for unemployment, numbers not seen since the great depression The federal government has issued multiple stimulus packages to help the population…
Money is your friend; money is your enemy. Ever since I was young, I was never good with money. Like many kids I had a piggy bank. When it gets full, guess what I do with it. I spend it! Not a great practice when you’re talking about working towards early retirement. What I’ve learned about myself is that my self-discipline is weak and therefore I have to deliberately put myself in a situation to force me to save. I’ve…
Gambling is definitely fun and entertaining. It’s also very stressful especially when you lose money. The gambling I’m referring to are the casino games and betting events, slot machines, Keno, and lottery. How about investments, like putting money into the stock market? Some might consider that as gambling as well. I would agree that it is a gamble to put money in the stock market or invest into a particular company. The biggest difference between the two, that I believe,…
What do you think when you hear the word coupon? I think of a piece of paper cut out from the newspaper coupon section, giving it to the cashier when you shop, and have your subtotal price go down. Coupons are still around, clipping, organizing, sorting by expiration date or category. Have you ever saw the show Extreme Couponing? I admit…I watched my share of episodes and I actually tried couponing. I subscribed to the Sunday paper; didn’t even read…
Money…a major need for early retirement, whether you have money or a plan to earn money. It’s the most important factor for early retirement. My father taught me that “a penny saved is a penny earned.” These days a penny can’t buy much, but if you have a lot of pennies it adds up. So how do you save all these pennies? In modern day terms, we’re not saving physical pennies but it’s the idea of finding ways to save…