Thank you for all the nice comments and messages on my recent post. A couple of recent unexpected medical bills have reminded me how much life has changed. Not because the bills were catastrophic. But because there was a time in my life when they absolutely would have been. Bill #1: Dental Care My daughter recently had cosmetic dental work done for peg lateral incisors (small side teeth that can look pointed and undersized). She’s been self-conscious about them for awhile and finally asked if there was anything that could be done. The dentist added composite to reshape them and they look fantastic! She’s happier, more confident, and willing to smile now with her teeth! The problem is that our dentist indicated that the majority of the cost could be covered by insurance. That turned out to be incorrect. After our claim was denied, I ended up footing the bill. To the tune of $215. Bill #2: Mammogram Unexpected bill #2 had to do with routine health screening I undergo. Because I have dense breast tissue and a family history of breast cancer, I have bi-annual mammograms and annual breast ultrasounds. For my most recent mammogram, I was already driving en route to the appointment when I received a call from the office. The woman on the phone sounded genuinely uncomfortable and apologetic, calling to let me know that due to my high deductible health insurance plan, I would need to pay $250 out of pocket to receive my services. She kept apologizing for the late notice and even asked if I still wanted to keep the appointment or if I needed to cancel and reschedule given the unanticipated cost. She said something like, “I know if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to just pay an unexpected $250 bill out of nowhere.” All I could think was, “Wow!” Not because $250 is nothing. It’s still a lot of money. But because there was a time in my life where that phone call would have caused actual panic. When I likely WOULD have had to reschedule the appointment, or skip it entirely. Medical bills from the past When I was in graduate school, I distinctly remember one such example. I got really sick and even though I don’t remember now what I was diagnosed with (sinus infection? some sort of viral infection?), I remember feeling miserable and finally dragging myself to the doctor. My student insurance at the time covered the cost of the office visit, but the student health plan had no coverage for prescription medications. I still remember standing at the pharmacy counter and hearing the price of the medication. I don’t remember the exact amount now, but I’ll never forget the feeling in my stomach when they told me. I couldn’t afford it. Not “I’d rather not spend that much.” Actually I couldn’t afford it. So I declined the prescription and went home sick because getting better literally cost more money than I had available.

I recently had an email exchange with an Oblivious Investor reader about the (new for 2026) deduction of $1,000 ($2,000 if married filing jointly) for charitable contributions, for people who don’t itemize. The question was whether the deduction reduces adjusted gross income (AGI) or not. The short answer is that, no, it does not reduce adjusted gross income. But what’s perhaps more interesting is the conversation the reader was having at the same time, with […]

Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche had been on my reading list for years. I finally got to it recently. While I didn’t really like the book, there was one chapter that really got to me, called “Of Voluntary Death.” This is the idea: Live so fully and intentionally that when death comes, it feels like a completion rather than an interruption. I love that. Think about it. Most of us don’t live that way. We […]

You may have heard of the rule called “The Rule of 72” whereby you can calculate the number of years it will take to double your investment depending on the annual rate of return. The Rule of 72 formulaNumber of years to double yourinvestment = … Read morePF Blog Round Up: Rule of 72 Edition The post PF Blog Round Up: Rule of 72 Edition appeared first on Genymoney.ca.

A update on the FIRE meetup front. Mrs Hoefnix and I have setup a new site specifically dedicated to FIRE meetups in the Netherlands. You find find this here: https://www.firemeetups.nl/ (in Dutch only!). We will be using this site as our central location for all news, updates and ticket sales for our FIRE meetups going forward. But if you want to do a FIRE meetup yourself, which we sincerely appreciate and support, you can drop either of us an email to have your event added tot his site. The site will get a calender in the future where you can clearly see which events are when and where. There is also the opportunity to register yourself for an e-mail list, so you can receive updates when available. We have now also added a post for the upcoming event: Utrecht on FIRE – Financial Horror Edition. Utrecht on FIRE – Financial Horror Edition FIRE Meetup in Utrecht When: 31 October 2026 Where: Utrecht – Leidse Rijn (details will be provided to ticket holders) What time: 12:00 doors open – 21:00 doors closing Ticket Price: €25 What’s included the ticket price: Lot’s of (healthy and horrible) snack & drinks during the day. No lunch, no dinner! Where to buy your ticket: Click here Let’s use a pretty picture to summarize! Program for the day 12:00 – 13:00: Doors open (No lunch included!) 13:00 – 13:15: Welcome and agenda for the day 13:15 – 14:00: Financial Horror Stories (if you have any, from personal experience or from others, and you want to share, please let us know!) 14:00 – 14:30: Coffee Break 14:30 – 15:00: Breakout sessions Part one (5 sessions to chose from including: FIRE for beginners, FIRE for Entrepreneurs, Estate Planning: FIRE, kids and inheritances; FIRE & Couples: getting your partner on board and Life after FIRE) 15:00 – 15:30: Coffee Break 15:30 – 16:00: Breakout sessions Part Two (5 sessions to chose from including: FIRE for beginners, FIRE for Entrepreneurs, Estate Planning: FIRE, kids and inheritances; FIRE & Couples: getting your partner on board and Life after FIRE) 16:00 – 16:30: Coffee Break 16:30 – 17:30: Taxes – current & future state of Box 2 & 3 17:30 – 17:45: Closure of the day 17:45 – 19:00: Drinks 19:00 – 20:00: Optional Pizza’s (we will have to order for those that are staying – costs not included in admission!) 20:00 – 21:00: Clean-up venue and close out. Couple of notes As noted in the previous post, we were looking for volunteers to help us make this day another success. You guys responded in great numbers and we should be good for now. Thank you all for the enthusiasm! In case there are changes, we will let you know! We tried to improve the ticketing system and restitution process. When we reach maximum sales, a waiting list will be generated. Restitution of your ticket is possible until 14 days before the event. Restitution costs for Eventbrite are yours

Hey everyone, welcome to another monthly dividend income update. Since creating this blog, I have posted these monthly dividend income updates to chronicle our journey toward financial independence through dividend investing. If you look at … Read more

🎙️ Episode #488 – Listen to 60 years of real estate wisdom distilled into one conversation. Here’s what actually works if you want long-term wealth… The post 60 Years of Real Estate Investing Wisdom in 62 Minutes appeared first on Coach Carson.

Generating $5,000 a month from your portfolio sounds like a goal reserved for retirees with seven-figure accounts. But with the right combination of income ETFs – particularly the new generation of options-based funds – you can build a portfolio that produces serious monthly cash flow on a surprisingly manageable investment base. In this article, I’m … Read more