Why I Don’t Regret Paying Off Our Mortgage Last Year

Last year, on April Fool’s Day, we paid off our mortgage. Was it foolish to pay off a 2.0% interest rate mortgage instead of investing in the stock market? Being immersed in the personal finance world, I know what the conventional wisdom says to do. Expected returns in the stock market are far greater than … Read more

Is FIRE (Financial Independence / Retire Early) Right For You?

Do you ever wish you weren’t stuck in your job? Do you dream of a life where you can work when you want as much (or as little) as you want? If so, FIRE may be right for you. But which type? There are many different kinds of FIRE. What is FIRE? FIRE, sometimes also … Read more

Are ARMs (Adjustable Rate Mortgages) Worth The Risk? A Look At The Numbers

Are ARMs (adjustable-rate mortgages) worth the risk? First, let’s take a look at how ARMs work. Then, we’ll take a look at the numbers. What is an ARM (adjustable-rate mortgage)? I’ll go over what I consider the important things to know about ARMs. If you want all the details, here’s a great resource. With an … Read more

7 Life/Money Lessons We Can Learn from Monopoly (As a Real Estate Agent)

As I was playing Monopoly with my son, I realized there are some profound life and money lessons that can be learned. I used to play with my twin brother when I was young, but I see it so differently now after working as a real estate agent for almost a decade. First, let me … Read more

Want To Do Something Big? Start Small and Expect A Lot of Failure

It’s easy to get down on ourselves when things don’t go our way. I hope this post brings some encouragement to my readers (and to myself). I’ve set many goals for myself. Some I’ve given up on and some I’ve been able to achieve, just a little late. Here are some goals I’ve set recently … Read more

We Paid Off Our Mortgage And Hit Baby Step 7!

Last month, we decided to pay off our mortgage. It wasn’t an easy decision. By the way, no, that’s that’s not a picture of our house, silly! That’s just a stock photo. I wouldn’t put a picture of our house on the internet. I only put up all of our finances for the world to … Read more

2021 Year-End Financial Summary and Life Updates

crop unrecognizable financier using calculator on smartphone near dollar banknotes

Wow, we’re at the end of 2021 already! Here is my year-end financial summary. I’m doing these financial updates twice a year now (semiannually) to keep track of my progress. This is the year we finally became millionaires (read that post here). After over 5 years of hard work and tracking that goal, we eclipsed … Read more

November 2021: Update #5 on my 5 Minute Mile Goal

This is the 5th monthly update on my goal to run a 5 minute mile (see post here). I’ll keep track of my training and progress here. Training For the most part, I neglected my speed training this month. Instead, I ran a 50k and a half marathon. With the cold weather, the holiday season, and … Read more