Personal Finance Blogs
Featuring the Best Personal Finance Blog Articles
Today's Personal Finance Articles
View articles only on the topic you search below.
Within a day or two of each other earlier this year, I read a blog post by Purple, of A Purple Life, titled “My Life Goal Is Contentment, Not Happiness,” and listened to a podcast interview of Steve-O (of Jackass fame) on comedian and podcaster Neal Brennan’s excellent Blocks podcast. Purple explains in her blog post that she’d recently read Morgan Housel’s book, The Art of Spending, and was intrigued by its analysis of “happiness” […]
Most of us aren’t looking for extravagant wealth. We want sustainable and long-lasting wealth that provides financial security for our families and enough money to fund our desired lifestyle. That kind of wealth is more attainable than most people think. But there are no shortcuts. By consistently following a tried and true strategy over many… The post 7 Smart Money Habits To Build Long-Term Wealth appeared first on Retire Before Dad.
var SmartPodcastPlayer_uid_0da27592 = {“errors”:[],”options”:{“color”:”ffffff”,”download”:”true”,”feed_url”:””,”hashtag”:””,”hover_timestamp”:”true”,”html_assets”:”true”,”marquee”:”auto”,”social”:”true”,”social_twitter”:”true”,”social_facebook”:”true”,”social_gplus”:”false”,”social_linkedin”:”true”,”social_stumble”:”false”,”social_pinterest”:”true”,”social_email”:”false”,”speedcontrol”:”true”,”subscribe_in_stp”:”true”,”subscribe_acast”:””,”subscribe_itunes”:”https://www.sidehustlenation.com/itunes”,”subscribe_buzzsprout”:””,”subscribe_googleplay”:””,”subscribe_googlepodcasts”:”https://www.sidehustlenation.com/googlepodcasts”,”subscribe_iheartradio”:””,”subscribe_playerfm”:””,”subscribe_pocketcasts”:””,”subscribe_soundcloud”:””,”subscribe_spotify”:”https://open.spotify.com/show/6eRgjm2Wo07RSe0UHqb4dL”,”subscribe_spreaker”:””,”subscribe_stitcher”:”https://www.sidehustlenation.com/stitcher”,”subscribe_tunein”:””,”subscribe_overcast”:””,”subscribe_rss”:”https://www.sidehustlenation.com/feed/podcast/”,”permalink”:””,”position”:”bottom”,”show_numbering”:””,”start”:””,”style”:”dark”,”sticky”:”false”,”tweet_text”:””,”twitter_username”:””,”uid”:”0da27592″,”url”:”/pdst.fm/e/s.gum.fm/s-60513550101ec9001e50e5fa/pscrb.fm/rss/p/pdrl.fm/2b1f11/cohst.app/pdcst/7C5L4R/mgln.ai/e/697/″,”view”:”responsive”,”volume”:”true”,”email_portal”:”enable”,”email_outer_button_text”:”Send me more money-making ideas”,”email_button_bg_color”:”#ffffff”,”email_button_text_color”:”#77933c”,”email_ck_html”:””,”email_cta_image_url”:””,”email_cta_text_large”:”Sign up to receive email updates”,”email_cta_text_small”:”Enter your name and email address below and I’ll send you periodic updates about the podcast.”,”email_cta_request_first_name”:”false”,”email_cta_require_first_name”:”false”,”email_cta_request_last_name”:”false”,”email_cta_require_last_name”:”false”,”email_cta_button_text”:”Subscribe”,”email_cta_open”:”manual”,”email_cta_elapsed_seconds”:”60″,”email_cta_remaining_seconds”:”60″,”email_use_spp_cta”:false,”email_ck_form_id”:””,”email_mc_list_id”:””,”email_mc_html”:””,”email_embed_html”:”rn Want the 5 Fastest Ways to Make More Money? Enter your name and email and I’ll send it right over. I’ll also send you my best side hustle tips and weekly-ish newsletter. Opt-out anytime. Submit u200b .formkit-form[data-uid=”9cf88a0118″] *{box-sizing:border-box;}.formkit-form[data-uid=”9cf88a0118″]{-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing:grayscale;}.formkit-form[data-uid=”9cf88a0118″] legend{border:none;font-size:inherit;margin-bottom:10px;padding:0;position:relative;display:table;}.formkit-form[data-uid=”9cf88a0118″] fieldset{border:0;padding:0.01em 0 0 0;margin:0;min-width:0;}.formkit-form[data-uid=”9cf88a0118″] body:not(:-moz-handler-blocked) fieldset{display:table-cell;}.formkit-form[data-uid=”9cf88a0118″] h1,.formkit-form[data-uid=”9cf88a0118″] h2,.formkit-form[data-uid=”9cf88a0118″] […]
Here I am again, in Beaver Creek, CO — the place where, two years ago, I first connected emotionally with the idea of retirement, and where the concepts for my latest book, Living Off Your Acorns, began. In the book, I write about the shifts from Pre-Go to Go-Go, then Slow-Go and No-Go. I’ve already heard from many readers that it has profoundly impacted how they’re thinking about their own retirement journey. It has also […]
Are you a teen or young adult who has just started working? Read on for six things to do before (and after) you get your first paycheck. Before we begin, if you haven’t already, now is a great time to open a checking account. (And just a note that AI was NOT involved in the writing of this post.) Set up direct deposit Calculate your paycheck Get your pay stub Set up buckets for saving […]
Don’t miss an episode of our podcast, Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors. Available on all podcast players. Here’s the latest episode: Reader Doug wrote to me this week: Any thoughts on using one of the ‘Big Three’ as a financial advisor. Fidelity, Schwab and Vanguard have different programs at different price points (shown below). For some background…it’s vital to remember that these companies swim in various lanes at the same time. They are custodians – places where you can open and keep accounts. They are fund managers – organizations that offer ETFs, mutual funds, etc. that you can pay to invest in. They also offer advisory services. These organizations can be great custodians and excellent fund managers, yet have different standards for their advisory services. I’ve got some thoughts for you, Doug. There’s a Spectrum I’m biased here. It’s important I disclose that. Though I’d like to think my bias is “pro-client.” Here are some great questions to help you discern between good, bad, and ugly advisors. And definitions about how fees are charged. I’d also recommend this podcast episode too: The broader point is that: Some advisors provide detailed planning. Others don’t. Some advisors sell commissioned products (insurance, annuities, etc) and others are fee-only. Some advisors charge high fees, others low fees. Some advisors intentionally work with 40, 60, 80 clients. Other advisors work with 200+. All else being equal, you’d probably prefer an advisor who provides detailed planning, is fee-only, spends plenty of time with you, and charges reasonable fees. So – is that what the “Big Three” provide? Service Tiers We should be looking at the “dedicated advisor tier” in the table below. The robo-only and hybrid tiers provide very little human expertise. They are essentially “investing-only” services. That’s fine – if that’s what you want. But if you are looking for true financial planning, we want to look at the “Dedicated Advisor” tier. Fees Vanguard is the clear winner here at 0.30%. Fidelity and Schwab charge fees much closer to what small, independent financial planners charge. Fidelity’s fees start very high. Well above 1.0% on the first $1M in a client’s portfolio. Schwab’s fees are more reasonable. Client Service and Planning Client service and in-depth planning are where the rubber meets the road. I’ve had a ~dozen prospective clients (and a handful of actual clients) talk to me after working with one of these Big Three. I also regularly read online communities – both of individual investors (customers of the Big Three) and of other financial advisors (including many who work for the Big Three). The commentary always sounds the same. Advisors at the Big Three are overworked. They have too many clients to serve each client well.
In our previous post, we gave some insights into our city trip to Berlin. After being home for a few days, having done some laundry and garden work. It was time to hop on a train again and ride to London. We had booked another property through HomeExchange for another 7 days on Guest Points. So today London & Money: a love story! The Trip As mention in the last post, a while back we were discussing summer travel. We asked Miss CF what she wanted, and she noted that she wanted to go to Greece (still no idea why). One restriction, we didn’t want to fly. So we checked ways to travel to Greece for about 3 weeks in summer, using trains & ferries. This turned out to be more complicated than we thought, and we bumped into some issues trying to plan this. So eventually we gave up and asked Miss CF what the backup plan was. She noted city trips to Berlin and London. City trips it was! Planning trips to these two cities is much easier. We first found accommodation via HomeExchange, before we booked our train tickets. After a bit of effort, we managed to secure transport and lodging for both cities. Where we had some train delays to get to Berlin (and on they way back), we arrived on time in London. Also the return trip was very smooth. Just about 6 hours door to door. Not bad. London Impression As we have been to London before, we had a better sense of what we wanted to do and see (compared to Berlin). Obviously, the plan would be heavily influenced by Miss CF. We ended up doing a lot more than we had initially planned. Partially because we were able to combine a few things within a relatively small time frame. Using an unlimited travel plan for public transport really helped with this. Plus studying the underground map extensively also really helped. But boy, you really need a PhD to fully understand this thing! We ended up travelling to, among others and in no particular order, the following: London Eye (not nearly as scary as the Cable Car) London Cable Car (almost wet myself here) Queens House Maritime Museum Tate Modern Observatory at Greenwich Thames boat ride (Greenwich to Battersea Power Station) Battersea Power Station (shopping mall and residential area with fairgrounds) Tower Bridge Abbey Road (and studios) Kensington Gardens Buckingham Palace Guard Change (Boy was that busy!) Canary Wharf Portobello Road (Flea market & more) Piccadilly Circus 221b Baker Street (Something very fake but associated with Sherlock Holmes) London Aquarium Hamleys (Toy Store) Walked by Big Ben, Palace of Westminster, St. Pauls, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Cutty Sark, and loads more Holy cow, did we do a lot… A quick impression: The Money A week in London, all-inclusive, what was the damage? Below a breakdown
An £80 parking fine lands on the doormat. To some people, that’s an inconvenience. To an awful lot of us right now, it’s a full day’s wages, gone. Not because anyone parked dangerously. Not because anyone put a single soul at risk. Just because a foot of the car sat over a dropped kerb, or a parking app timer ran out two minutes early. We’ve just been through this ourselves. A parking ticket for parking […]
Recently, I made a significant change in how I describe myself professionally. For years, I have proudly carried the title Financial Dignity® Coach. It represents the work I’ve done helping people transform financial chaos into clarity, confidence, and peace. I still do that work. I still believe deeply in Financial Dignity®. And yet, I realized something important: The title no longer encompasses all of who I am. In fact, it feels confining. Have you ever experienced that? A role, title, or identity that once felt perfectly aligned suddenly feels too small because you’ve expanded beyond its boundaries. That’s where I find myself. To say that I’m only a Financial Dignity® Coach feels limiting to me. The Merchant Priestess encompasses more of who I am right now, both personally and professionally. So, let’s dive into how the title of Merchant Priestess came to me and what it represents. Origins of the Merchant Priestess I hesitated to include the origin story of how the phrase “Merchant Priestess” came to me, because it’s more than a little weird. It involves an Akashic Records reading and past lives in Egypt. And as you hear that, I suspect you’re having one of two reactions. Either it’s “Oh, hell no!” or “OMG, I love this! Tell me everything!” Honestly, I’m okay with either because your opinion of me is none of my business. I’m done editing myself or toning myself down for the comfort of others. When I traveled to Sedona for a retreat last May, I met a woman named Amanda Romania. Her presence drew me in immediately, and she was wearing a large gold ankh necklace. I’ve been enthralled with ancient Egypt since I was a little kid. I even purchased a copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead at the mall bookstore in junior high. I had zero clue what it said, but I HAD to have it. Back to Amanda… She facilitated a shamanic journey for our Sedona retreat and afterward offered us the opportunity to book an Akashic Records reading with her for a special price, and I said yes. A few weeks after the retreat, I had my reading with Amanda. She revealed what she saw in terms of themes for my life and how they tied into past lives in both Egypt and Europe. “In all of your timelines, you are both merchant and priestess. You are adept at making and managing money, AND you are deeply connected with the divine. You ARE the Merchant Priestess.” I’d never heard those two terms together in that way before. And honestly, I had never used either term to describe myself. So, of course, being the “Word Nerd” that I am, I had to look them up. What Does the Word “Merchant” Mean to Me? The definition of Merchant is quite simple: A person who buys and sells goods or services for profit. Merchant is just another word for businesswoman, entrepreneur, or investor. You might think this is weird, but… I knew
Today, I celebrate my 6-year anniversary of leaving my CEO gig to retire early!!! Another year of early retirement has flown by. I am still shocked that we are at 6 years. My kids can barely even remember me working in an office or running a company. So it’s strange that they won’t even remember that, even though it was such a large part of my world for so long. And yet, I don’t regret ANYTHING. I’ve been able to travel so much more over the past 6 years than I would have if I were working. And more importantly, I’ve been able to focus on my health by working out more and going out on solo hikes at least once a week. Of course it is not all seamless, and I still have plenty of things to keep me busy, investments to maintain, and an affiliate website to run, plus new side projects I’ve taken on….But overall I can’t complain one bit! Is Early Retirement Worth it? Why is this even a question? YES, it is worth it! However, early retirement is NOT without its stressors…life still goes on, parenting is tiring, and even after another year, I am running too many side hustles! So while early retirement has surely been better than working my corporate job, it still has its own issues. Anyways, following the same format of the last two years (Year 1 Review, Year 2 Review, Year 3 Review, Year 4 Review, Year 5 Review), I’ll go in-depth here on the same benchmarks: Happiness Health Wealth Work Fun Goals Early Retirement: Year 6 Review Alright, it’s the end of Year 6. What a number – > let’s dive in! Happiness As you can see, my happiness really shot up as soon as I retired, but then you pretty much settle into early retirement, and things dipped down a bit in Year 2. However, each year since then, I find myself tweaking things and making day-to-day improvements to my overall happiness. Again, this doesn’t mean that I don’t have bad days, because I certainly do, but I have found many ways to reduce the number of bad days while at the same time increasing the number of good days. YET – I don’t really feel any happier than I have ever been. In fact, in many ways, I feel just as burned out sometimes and as tired as before. Life tends to do that to you. I think the key difference in my happiness has been the ability to take even more vacations, be available for fun activities when my kids are home from school, and focus more on the now. I still have stress, mostly self-imposed from trying to run side-hustles or support my family… however, the results are clear: retirement is good for your happiness. Or at least for mine! Health I continue to try to make fitness and health a core priority. No matter what I do in a given day, I try to
One of the most important questions in the Allowance Method is also one of the simplest: Is this a need or a want? It sounds straightforward. But in real life, the line can get blurry. A new pair of shoes might be necessary because your old ones are falling apart, but you might also be choosing a more expensive pair because you really like them. A new phone might be necessary because your old one no longer works, but maybe you also want the newest model. That’s okay. The goal isn’t to find a perfect definition of need and want. The goal is to be honest with yourself. That honesty is what makes the Allowance Method work. Here are a few things that can help. #am-optin-block{ –paper:#F7F2E7; –ink:#2C3B2E; –ink-soft:#4B5A4C; –gold:#C79A45; –gold-soft:#F2E6C9; –clay:#B15E3D; –sage:#8FA382; –sage-soft:#E4EADF; –rule:#D9CFB8; font-family:’Inter’,sans-serif !important; color:var(–ink) !important; max-width:900px; margin:36px auto; box-sizing:border-box; } #am-optin-block *{ box-sizing:border-box; } #am-optin-block ul, #am-optin-block ol{ list-style:none !important; margin:0; padding:0; } #am-optin-block li{ list-style:none !important; } #am-optin-block li::marker{ content:none !important; } #am-optin-block li::before{ content:none !important; } #am-optin-block em, #am-optin-block i{ font-style:italic; } #am-optin-block .am-card{ display:grid; grid-template-columns:0.85fr 1.15fr; background:var(–ink); border-radius:18px; overflow:hidden; box-shadow:0 24px 60px rgba(44,59,46,0.25); } #am-optin-block .am-left{ padding:44px 32px; display:flex; flex-direction:column; align-items:center; justify-content:center; gap:18px; background: radial-gradient(circle at 30% 20%, rgba(199,154,69,.10), transparent 50%), var(–ink); } #am-optin-block .am-eyebrow{ font-family:’IBM Plex Mono’,monospace !important; font-size:11px !important; letter-spacing:.16em !important; text-transform:uppercase !important; color:var(–gold) !important; font-weight:600 !important; text-align:center; } #am-optin-block .am-book-scene{ perspective:1100px; } #am-optin-block .am-book{ width:150px; height:240px; position:relative; transform-style:preserve-3d; transform:rotateY(-28deg) rotateX(3deg); } #am-optin-block .am-book .am-cover-face{ position:absolute; inset:0; backface-visibility:hidden; border-radius:2px 4px 4px 2px; background:var(–paper); box-shadow:0 25px 50px rgba(0,0,0,0.45); display:flex; flex-direction:column; align-items:center; justify-content:space-between; padding:14px 12px; overflow:hidden; } #am-optin-block .am-book .am-cover-face .am-ce{ font-family:’IBM Plex Mono’,monospace !important; font-size:5.5px !important; letter-spacing:.14em !important; text-transform:uppercase !important; color:var(–gold) !important; font-weight:600 !important; } #am-optin-block .am-book .am-cover-face h3{ font-family:’Fraunces’,serif !important; font-weight:600 !important; font-size:14px !important; color:var(–ink) !important; text-align:center; margin:6px 0 0 !important; line-height:1.05 !important; text-transform:none !important; } #am-optin-block .am-book .am-cover-face .am-cs{ font-family:’Fraunces’,serif !important; font-style:italic !important; font-size:6px !important; color:var(–ink-soft) !important; text-align:center; margin-top:4px; } #am-optin-block .am-book .am-cover-face .am-ca{ font-family:’Fraunces’,serif !important; font-style:italic !important; font-size:6px !important; color:var(–ink-soft) !important; } #am-optin-block .am-book .am-cover-face svg{ width:62px; height:66px; } #am-optin-block .am-book .am-side{ position:absolute; width:22px; height:100%; right:-22px; top:0; transform-origin:left; transform:rotateY(90deg); background:linear-gradient(90deg,#d8cba8,#c3b48c); } #am-optin-block .am-book .am-bottom{ position:absolute; width:100%; height:14px; bottom:-14px; left:0; transform-origin:top; transform:rotateX(-90deg); background:#c3b48c; } #am-optin-block .am-shadow-el{ width:150px; height:24px; background:radial-gradient(ellipse, rgba(0,0,0,0.35), transparent 70%); margin:14px auto 0; transform:translateX(18px); } #am-optin-block .am-right{ background:var(–paper); padding:44px 40px; display:flex; flex-direction:column; justify-content:center; } #am-optin-block .am-right h2{ font-family:’Fraunces’,serif !important; font-weight:600 !important; font-size:28px !important; line-height:1.2 !important; color:var(–ink) !important; margin:0 0 16px !important; text-transform:none !important; letter-spacing:normal !important; } #am-optin-block .am-right h2 em, #am-optin-block .am-right h2 i{ font-style:italic !important; color:var(–clay) !important; font-size:28px !important; font-family:’Fraunces’,serif !important; font-weight:600 !important; text-transform:none !important; letter-spacing:normal !important; line-height:1.2 !important; display:inline !important; } #am-optin-block .am-right p{ font-family:’Inter’,sans-serif !important; font-size:15px !important; line-height:1.7 !important; color:var(–ink-soft) !important; margin:0 0 14px !important; } #am-optin-block .am-right p:last-of-type{ margin-bottom:22px !important; } /* ConvertKit form override */ #am-optin-block .am-optform-ck.formkit-form{ background:transparent !important; border:none !important; border-radius:0 !important; max-width:100% !important; width:100% !important; box-shadow:none !important; margin:0 !important; } #am-optin-block .am-ck-inner{ padding:0 !important; } #am-optin-block .am-ck-fields{ margin:0 !important; display:block !important; } #am-optin-block .formkit-field{ margin:0 0 10px 0 !important; min-width:0
Ever since becoming parents, our routine has revolved around being stuck at playgrounds, obsessing over nap times, stopping our kid from eating food off the floor, toilet training, and then coping with all the exhaustion by stuffing our faces with junk food every night. Working out was so low on the priority list it was collecting cobwebs. So, when my friend, Emman, suggested we climb a mountain together, I thought he was nuts. “Um, so […]
“Fries with dinner but no dessert counts as a win.” Who will build the first era-defining consumer AI company? Even the beloved AI tools we already rely on are only one model release away from obsolescence. The lasting advantage will come from products people emotionally trust, build habits around, and fold into their identities. Tomo extends beyond productivity into the higher-order value of wellbeing, and has the founder and product philosophy to define their category, […]