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
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
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
It’s been 52 months since we set a goal to pay off the mortgage (on our condo) and to have a net worth of at least $1M by 2020. This is the 52nd update on the progress of the goal. If you’re wondering why we set this goal, click here. These past couple of months have been a blur. … Read more
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read this disclosure for more info. “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” – Charlie “Tremendous” Jones I’m a firm believer that, in addition to the people you surround yourself with, the … Read more
I had never really heard of ‘financial independence’ as a concept until Mr. FrugaLee started talking about it here. This whole idea is new to me. I’m still exploring what it is because everyone has their own definition. To me, financial independence means planning ahead, setting goals, and working hard so that you can live … Read more
It’s been 2 months since we set a goal of paying off the mortgage by 2020 and to have a net worth of at least $1M by 2025. This is the 2nd update on the progress of the goal. If you’re wondering why we set this goal, see here. Mortgage progress: This month, we paid a … Read more
If you’ve ever contemplated the idea of becoming an Uber and/or Lyft driver, I’m about to give you a realistic look at how much you can expect to earn (figures are from the D.C. Metro area). As a side hustle / learning experience, I signed up to be an Uber and Lyft driver in the Northern … Read more
Last month, we set a goal of paying off the mortgage by 2020 and to have a net worth of at least $1M by 2025. Each month, I’ll be posting an update on the progress of the goal. Mortgage progress: Over the first month, we were able to pay down $4,824 towards the mortgage, which … Read more
Is retirement bad for your health? What do people do after they retire? Do people get lonely? What are some things that can make retirement better? These are some of the things I’ve been asking myself as I reflect on my goal of early retirement / financial independence. Thinking about retirement makes me think about my … Read more