While it’s true that 2020 was a dumpster-fire year, it also taught me a lot about where my money is best invested for happiness and fulfillment. As I’ve said before, it’s great to spend lavishly on the things/places/experiences that bring you the most joy, but it’s hard to do that skillfully until you know what…
2020 needs no introduction. It was the year of the burning dumpster fire that scorched all four corners of the earth. It was nuts. But amidst the craziness, there were so many little blessings. Rather than focusing on the pain this year caused from a global health crisis to civil unrest and a bizarre…
It’s been a while since I updated ya’ll on our move from California to Austin. It’s hard to believe we’ve been here for a year already! Today I’m going to cover some common questions I get from readers. Hopefully it will help make your decision a little easier. Living in Austin – One Year Later…
Lately I’ve been thinking about the FIRE movement and it’s attitudes toward home ownership. Ask any FIRE-driven millennial and they’ll probably tell you that homeownership is not a fast-track to FIRE, but I disagree. Homeownership has Accelerated my Path to FIRE In fact, I’ve owned 5 homes (2 in Canada, 3 in the US) and…
I recently picked up the book Quit Like a Millionaire, and next to Glennon Doyle’s Untamed, this is by far the best book I’ve read this year. While I don’t agree with all of it, it certainly taught me new some new life-changing money strategies (that I’ve already started using). I was schooled in tax…
My head is exploding as I read about yet another young fire blogger hitting her FI number enabling her to retire at 30. I’m virtually fist-pumping her while also wincing at the same time. Why Anyone Who is ABLE to Retire at 30 is a Badass Assuming you built your wealth yourself, if you can…
This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. If you earn a six figure salary, is it worth your time to live and die by a line-item budget? Why bother if you make enough that you don’t really need to “save up” for typical things? To be clear, by typical things, I’m not talking…
Amidst the COVID-scented dumpster fire that this year has been so far, there have been a few nuggets of gold – like having the opportunity to practice FIRE (that’s financial independence retire early – not pyromania) and learning some important lessons. Dabbling in FIRE Now, to be clear, I’m technically not retired, although I could…
Are you thinking of moving from the Bay Area to Austin? In my last post, I talked about the pros and cons of moving from California to Texas. In this post, I want to drill down a little further and share some of the realities of living in Austin that I wish I had…
I picked up the audiobook Love Your Life, Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze because the title intrigued me. I love money books that go beyond the numerics of financial success and talk about the mindset and juicy psychological piece. I fundamentally disagree with many of her points, but here’s where we see eye-to-eye I love…
Last year, we made the move from California to Texas for reasons I’ll explain in this blog post. Overall it’s been a smart move financially, however I’ve also had moments of regret, mostly because moving can be socially isolating. Then the world changed in early 2020 and I’m 4000% convinced this was the right…
I first learned of minimalism through the minimalists. At first, I thought it sounded boring and unappealing, but the more I listened with cautious skepticism, the more sense it made to me. I’ve been on this journey for a year now, and while I wouldn’t call myself a hardcore minimalist by any stretch, I have changed…
If blogging as a full-time career has ever crossed your mind, then read on. It took me over 10 years to get to that goal, and had I invested in these resources sooner, I would have reached my goal in half the time. Thinking of blogging as a full-time career? You’re in the right…
Hey guys! Today I want to share the takeaway that has caused a major shift for me this year. I have to admit, it was learned the very long and hard way. Ready? Apparently, you have to love and radically approve of yourself and the work you do in this world before success will ever…
If you’re planning to retire early, be sure you’re not overlooking the value of self-awareness and life experience when making life-long commitments. #FIRE #retireearly #personalfinance
I just took Gretchen Rubin’s 4 Tendencies test. To my surprise, it turns out I’m an Obliger. I thought I’d be a Rebel because while I’m great at making elaborate to-do lists, I absolutely suck at following them. But I shouldn’t be surprised. Obligers are good at being accountable to other people because they’re…
Have you ever heard of Simon Sinek? He wrote that book about knowing your “why”. Honestly, it never really resonated with me when I read as an entrepreneur, but when I think about it in the context of Funding Happy, it makes total sense. All the things I teach – from saving money to…
It’s labor day weekend as I write this. I’m sitting here on the couch (still in my jammies) poking around the American Eagle website. They have a holiday sale and I’m of course going to take advantage of it, not because I need new clothes (I don’t) but because it’s a sale, so I want…
You might think that people earning six figure salaries ($100K or more) would have all kinds of savings. Right? Wrong. Lifestyle creep is real my friends. In fact, it has a name (Parkinson’s Law). Read on to learn how you can turn your six figure salary into 7 figure savings (over time). Whether you’re earning…
The term “intentional living” is fuzzy. What does it actually mean to live with intention? I look at it as a process of conscious decision-making that ties life decisions (big and small) to personal values. The more we can point ourselves toward our own “North Star” (a.k.a. life direction) or something we deem as…
*** It’s a beautiful summer morning and I’m sitting here basking in the quietness of my living room, hearing only the sounds of my little pug snoring away on my lap. It’s a precious moment that’s hampered by one thing – Facebook. Facebook is now the place where good times go to die. If Facebook…
I know that investing in your 401K or RRSP doesn’t sound exciting or even remotely interesting. If you hate your work, the last thing you want to focus on is your retirement funding, especially if you have a long work life ahead of you and it feels like a total slog already. I was there,…
I’m obsessed with day planners, but I don’t kid myself that more organization will lead to better time management and increased peace of mind. More often than not, that’s a life problem, not an organizational one, but I still think they’re pretty cool. Every time I go to Target or HomeGoods, I always gravitate toward…
Here’s the thing about Retirement – it has a stigma attached to it. It conjures up images of an attractive older couple on a beach wearing rolled up khakis and fisherman sweaters looking all happy and old. That’s so not what I’m talking about because first off, I’d never wear khakis. Actually, to me, retirement…
