Articles by Myles Wakeham

We are a community of contrarians that embrace the art of "Financial Sustainability". FS is an alternative to Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) and focuses on a whole life approach to becoming and maintaining your financial and personal independence in a debt enslaved western world. If you are sick of always working, never getting ahead and knowing that there has to be a better way for you and your family, this is where you will get the answers and motiviation to change it all. Read our Philosophy and our Articles to get started.

What the capital gains tax hike means to you

The announcement came on ‘Earth day’ in April, that the Biden administration will make good on their campaign promise of increasing taxes on rich people. I’ve done complete podcast episodes on his proposed fiscal policy when President Biden was running for office, and it is bittersweet that I write this article within 1 week of releasing a podcast episode entitled ‘Don’t be rich’. Well it seems that the day has come and soon we will know the full details of the capital gains tax hike. Let’s talk about what this means for the unconstrained and those seeking financial sustainability.

23 Apr Read More

Myles is an in-studio guest on Lynette Zang’s Coffee with Lynette show on YouTube

Myles sits down in studio with the famous Lynette Zang, Chief Market Analyst at ITM Trading, to talk about being a contrarian, why doing the opposite of everyone else gives the best results, gold, bitcoin, etc.

27 Mar Read More

Myles Wakeham interviewed on the New Town, Big Dreams podcast

Myles is interviewed on Luke Menkes' "New Town, Big Dreams" podcast in Canada this week. You can hear/download the interview here. This 1 hour interview covered topics unexpected, COVID, Myles' journey, the lessons learned and the fails along the way. Enjoy!

07 Mar Read More

This 30 minute interview will explain it all

If you are looking for a quick overview to beUnconstrained and why we do what we do, this is a great one. This interview was done on February 16th 2021, with Myles Wakeham on the Work-Life YouTube channel and is a must see. Myles questions why people work in the first place, how most of society is following a path that will end badly and what you can do about it.

18 Feb Read More

We are constrained to live in the US medical “Nanny State”

While politicians have had a field day talking up a good game on the campaign trail, now that things should be back to business again, how about we start to empower people to take control of their bodies and their health again? In this article I deep dive why the elephant in the room of high medical costs in the USA isn’t healthy for anyone.

09 Nov Read More

Financially Rich vs. Financially Sustainable - What’s right for you?

I wanted to single out two schools of thought when it comes to money. Those that pursue being rich, and those that pursue being financially sustainable. Both share the same goal of being financially free, but often the road to get there is very different. In this article I want to discuss these two strategies, and let you decide what path is best for you.

29 Oct Read More

Finding stable opportunities in a world of chaos

I’m sure, by now, you are over 2020. Between COVID, Climate Change and now the weirdest presidential election I’ve ever seen in my live, I think most of us just want to brush aside 2020 and move on to better days. We cry out for stability and that we can start to see things clearly, but so many obstacles stand in our way. In this article I’m going to give you some basic ideas on how to find stability for your investments in this highly chaotic world we find ourselves in, so that you can see things a bit clearer than everyone else.

05 Oct Read More

How COVID19 exposed the weakness in our personal finance strategies

I recently responded to a posting that someone made who had an unexpected work related injury, found themselves without work and relying on workers compensation insurance payments to survive. I realized that this unexpected disruption to income is not dissimilar to those who have lost income or a job due to COVID19. I want to do a quick debrief with you in this article, and look for what we did right and what we could all do better in case of an adverse event.

18 Sep Read More

Global outsourcing is the death of your high paying US salary in 2020

The Internet giveth and the Internet taketh away. If you have been enjoying big salaries at your middle class or tech job, might be time to consider cashing in your chips. The remote worker revolution might not be your friend after all. Consider this a warning.

06 Sep Read More

Yes, you should be worried about civil unrest in the USA

The growing levels of riots, looting, violence on the streets, etc. have never been more intense today than at any time over the past 30 years that I’ve lived in the USA. My first experiences of it started in about 1992 during the Los Angeles Riots in which an onlooker video taped the beating of Rodney King, causing the city to turn to violence. But that was nothing compared to the constant barrage of violence since then all over the USA. I want to talk about what I think is really driving this, and why this isn’t going to stop any time soon.

29 Aug Read More

The real answer to why you are not getting the results you want

To quote a prominent psychologist, Dr. Bruce Lipton: "Yes, we’ve been programmed. The vast majority of programs are negative and dis-empowering. So yes, the vast majority of people on this planet are having that negative experience as well. So the next most important thing now is to recognize, “Well, if I’m not getting what I want is because the universe is not giving it to me?” and the answer is almost inevitably “No”, it’s because of your own program that’s invisible, operating 95% of the day, is keeping it away from you!"

22 Aug Read More

A place for us - somewhere, a place for us

Yes, it’s a blatant quote of Barbara Streisand, but the reality is that in a world where the rich get richer, the big get bigger and the small are trampled, how does someone who is trying to just get by, not create any ripples and be financially sustainable survive?

10 Aug Read More

What happens to real estate when interest rates go to 0%?

I wanted to float an idea for open discussion. When the central bankers drop interest rates, it spurs housing acquisition. Lower interest tends to feed the housing market. But what happens when you drop the interest rate to 0%? It can’t go any lower, so does this signal the end of a bull run on real estate?

01 Aug Read More

The rise & rise of Bitcoin

There are two types of people who try to make money - investors & speculators. Investors are looking at fundamentals, long term positioning, etc. Speculators are looking to make quick bucks on fast trading. How does Bitcoin fit into this?

29 Jul Read More

Welcome to ‘The Jetsons’ economy

Looking at the equity markets, it seems that we have reached the new age of the Nasdaq dominating the markets. Whereas regular, traditional stocks are seeing a decline in value as they are reacting more normally to the recessionary economy, the tech stocks are offsetting that with stellar earnings. What will the markets look like in 5 years time?

21 Jul Read More

FIRE principles don’t work in 2020 - Let’s change them to what does

There are a bunch of reasons why FIRE isn’t going to work in 2020, whether you are looking to start the journey, or if you are on or through it. This article gives you the details of why it won't work, and what you can do to pivot and make regaining control of your future something that is within your grasp today.

12 Jul Read More

Why you are broke (and what you can do to fix it)

If you are one of the 78% of people living pay check to pay check, you’ve been lied to. By your parents, your government, your friends, your teachers and your banks. I’m going to give you some tough love and some hope if you want to change things, because it CAN be changed.

06 Jul Read More

I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.

Governments are, by their nature, dysfunctional. They suffer the same challenges any large organization has, except they don’t have any profit motivation to have workers go the extra mile to get things done. Case in point - the recent SBA EIDL Loans offered to US small businesses. Spoiler Alert - It’s a trap.

19 Jun Read More

The fear of breaking free of employment

The guy trying to swindle you on the side of the road in Las Vegas with his ball & cup trick is your government. While they are trying to tell you that up is down, right is left, etc. you should realize that the statistics that we have been hypnotized to focus on - particularly employment numbers, are relevant only to a bygone age and do nothing to help you live a rich & meaningful life today. This is the time you should break free of employment and become unconstrained.

13 Jun Read More

Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?

I’m not above admitting I was wrong. If I had put money in the stock market when it was at 18,000 on the DJIA, I would be a richer man as I watch it go to 27,000 now. And that was within about 3 months. Not a bad ROI there at all. Kudos to anyone that did that. But it just feels wrong. To quote the wisdom of one Johnny Rotten of the band The Sex Pistols, “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?"

05 Jun Read More

The Bleeding Obvious and why you are not allowing yourself to be rich

I was watching TV this morning and on Bloomberg they were showing the price of a barrel of Brent Oil at $32. About 3 months prior I had a chat with a friend of mine when oil was basically $10 a barrel, saying that this can’t last and the world has to keep the lights on, so oil will go back up. We tripled our money on the bleeding obvious. But why is it that others didn’t see this, yet lost their jobs, lost money in the stock market, etc?

25 May Read More

Why the US Government Stimulus checks are the most stupid idea ever

I just received the $1,200 stimulus check from the US government. This is the most stupid pandering effort I’ve ever seen. But guess what... That check paid for exactly what my monthly health insurance premium was, so basically... poof! It’s gone. Meanwhile most of the western world offer health care for free, so how is this actually helping?

15 May Read More

Escaping the banking cartel - An interview with Andreas M. Antonopoulos

In this video interview, Myles Wakeham sits down with the legendary Andreas M. Antonopoulos, the guy who literally wrote the book on Bitcoin, to talk about how the banksters have taken our freedom from us an what we can all do about it.

09 May Read More

Why I hate the stock market

I get a lot of flack for not showing undying love for the US stock market. The truth is that I see it more of a casino than a true market. In this article I’m going break down my reasons for my disdain at equities and why they don’t represent at all the health of the economy.

01 May Read More

The economy after COVID19

All this shall pass. Eventually this virus will become either part of our subconcious lives or a cure or vaccine will be unleashed onto the world. The 12 months or so of time will pass quickly before we are out of the woods, but what will day to day life really look like in Q3,Q4 of 2020 and beyond?

23 Apr Read More

Myles is a guest on Rethinking the Dollar

Myles is a guest on today's Q&A show of "Rethinking the Dollar" and covers how to survive and thrive in the current and coming depression by using financial sustainability & SMART Income.

15 Apr Read More

US Small businesses false sense of security

The economic and COVID19 pandemic that has hit the USA has affected small businesses greater than most, as they have fewer means to combat shutdowns. Layoffs and furloughs have turned over 16 million to unemployment. Meanwhile the SMB owners thought they were going to get some govt assistance. Think again.

15 Apr Read More

My 2020 US Presidential prediction

While the news media only seems to want to cover COVID19, let’s have a nice distraction from the doom & gloom and talk about the 2020 Presidential Race to the White House. Yeh, I know - that’s boring too. But this time I’ll go out on a limb and tell you who is going to win it ahead of time.

02 Apr Read More

Those with the most to lose

Business as we know it is disrupted, but not in a good way. The human natural need for socialization is being threatened as we are told to shelter in place, and the biggest immediate impact is our ability to transact. Electronic forms of transactions are strong and remain, but human to human interaction is minimized. Who is most at risk here, and how do you reduce the risk factor?

25 Mar Read More

The positive side of bushfires (and other calamities)

When things look pretty bad, everything is burning up around you and you are looking at the smoldering ashes of something that once was valued and pristine, chin up. It isn’t that bad. And maybe it is needed - in a good way...

16 Mar Read More

Re-focus on sustainability

The last few weeks have been living hell if you are vested in the DJIA. For those of us who chose to distance ourselves from stocks & counter party risk, we’re doing fine. But those that didn’t, came face to face with the fact that on a planet with finite resources, betting on infinite growth doesn’t end well.

12 Mar Read More

All things that go up….

No one likes bad news. No one likes negative stories, particularly when they don’t serve their own personal story or narrative. This is the case in politics, in social communication and in the financial independence blogging space. But sometimes you gotta put on your big boy pants and face up that all things that go up, must also come down at some point. And if you really have a strategy that works, it has to work in BOTH the bull & bear markets.

06 Mar Read More

Living in the shadow of COVID-19

There are times to worry about money. There are times to worry about survival. This time the focus needs to be on the latter. Let's talk realistically about COVID-19 and how you should address this challenge.

28 Feb Read More

The real cost of your wage-slave lifestyle

If you are awake for 16 hours a day, and at least 8 of those hours, 5 days a week, are devoted to serving your boss, then you have given up a minimum of 35% of your life to your employer. More than likely it is closer to 50%. How can you look yourself in the mirror with pride doing that? Or be present for your kids or your spouse? Who's really more important here?

19 Feb Read More

Measuring your progress towards being unconstrained

Becoming unconstrained takes time. It is important that you have some way to measure how are you going along the journey. Here’s a few tips and tricks you can use and how to know when its right to quit your job and be free

14 Feb Read More

A contrarian reaction to the 2020 State of the Union speech

I’m not a Republican or a Democrat, but I can smell a scam a mile away. I did, however, watch the entirety of the State of the Union speech by President Trump and here’s my reaction.

05 Feb Read More

Our globally connected supply chain of deadly diseases

It is all in the news - The Coronavirus. But I’ve seen this all before. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be concerned, but I think the impact of it on economics could be far more of an emergency and it shines a light on just how badly prepared we are in terms of dealing with any adverse event economically.

31 Jan Read More

Population matters

After witnessing first hand the impact that over population can have on my home country of Australia, and the parallels that over population of humans on planet earth link directly to climate events, pollution, etc., it is clear that outside of money and government restrictions, resource sharing is the next biggest factor to constrain us.

23 Jan Read More

Would you like to consult one on one with Myles for free?

I’m looking for a few good people/families out there that would be interested in a FREE consulting session on their finances to be broadcast on the Unconstrained Podcast. We'll keep your privacy guarded but if you have been following our teachings and want some one on one advice on implementing them, this is your opportunity.

12 Jan Read More

The Iran War - History repeats, and investors win

It wasn’t that long ago, in 2003, when the US invaded Iraq. Oil prices skyrocketed. I remember filling up at the pump in California on a road trip back then, where few gas stations were less than $5 a gallon for regular gas. Well it seems history may repeat. The US is at the precipice of war with Iran, and the threat of rising oil prices could be a huge win for those ready for this.

05 Jan Read More

Do you have your “Bug Out” strategy ready?

Are you ready for the rise of China and the decline of the US empire? We are only a matter of a few years away from the US losing the #1 economic powerhouse position in the world, and that could signal either a long economic stagnation or a fast economic collapse. Are you prepared and do you have a bug out strategy ready to keep your treasure safe?

21 Dec Read More

Retirement = Death

According to a 2016 study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College on the Mortality Effects of Retirement, it is clear that “There may be an increase in mortality risks when people stop work.” This mirrors my own experience with Retirement and underscores the importance of removing the word Retirement from our vocabulary.

14 Dec Read More

A contrarian’s guide to investing in the 2020 decade

We are ending another decade in human history. Normally there is a positive push into each new decade that comes with invention, creativity, etc. and yet for this new decade there are world meta issues at play that will change how the world will look over the next 10 years. I give you what I see as opportunities that I may be participating in for the next ten years in this article.

05 Dec Read More

The charade of current economic theory

I had the opportunity to watch a YouTube video put together by the billionaire investor, Ray Dalio, and I was disappointed by it. He correctly states the current economic thinking in regards to wealth, but neglects to consider anything to do with the unconstrained. My review is here in this article.

29 Nov Read More

The sadness of hypnotized hope

We just returned from a family weekend to Las Vegas and although the shows are incredible and we all enjoyed them, walking down the Strip and being shunted in and out of casinos forces you to see the dichotomy that is Las Vegas and the life of the constrained.

19 Nov Read More

What this contrarian investor is buying in Q3 2019

I don’t give personal financial advice. But what I will do is to open the kimono, so to speak, and tell you what I’m doing. Maybe history will prove me to be foolish or wrong, or some super genius or something, but I have no crystal ball. What I do have, however, is a sensitivity and observation of what is going on in the world and I use that directly to influence my own decision making process. I'll tell you what I'm doing here.

09 Nov Read More

Celebrate being a control freak

I’m not a fan of the Tim Ferris book, “The 4 Hour Work Week”. It is a flawed method for achieving what people aspire to - a life of abundance with little effort. It celebrates the concept of little work and big rewards, and is no magic formula for life. The fact is the more you give up and outsource the more constrained you are. Let’s discuss.

05 Nov Read More

My own personal disaster with retirement

When I was 32, I retired. It didn’t end well. This is my retirement story. Take from it what you can. Life isn't experienced in some cubicle somewhere, but the majority of people I talk to who are embracing FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) don't really understand what life looks like on the other side of the retirement line and why they might want to rethink their goals.

19 Oct Read More

Interesting observations of a returning traveler

When you travel and return home, there is a clarity that comes with that. If only for a short period of time, you see things for what they are. I'm going to share my clarity from about 5 months of travel, with periodic returns back to the USA, before those memories are obliterated by day to day events.

05 Oct Read More

Mexico Medical Tourism - The raw truth of having major surgery in Guadalajara (Part 2 of 2)

I have had my surgery in Mexico. For anyone that wants an honest accounting of the process and costs, I have laid it all out in detail here. I cover the emotional doubts, fear of surgery in a foreign land, financial truth and the outcome. You be the judge of whether this is right for you. For me, it was. Spoiler Alert: It cost me less than 1/10th of the US Price.

14 Sep Read More

Mexico Medical Tourism - Putting yourself first for a change (Part 1 of 2)

It can be a frightening thing - choosing to go to a foreign country to get major surgery. The vast majority of us find that a bridge too far to cross. I took the leap of faith, and I have begun the journey. This article (and hopefully the one that will follow it after my surgery is completed) will give a totally fact based account of the experience so you can see if something like this makes sense for you.

31 Aug Read More

Where did my city go?

I am returning from a 3 week trip to my home in Australia. I was born there, spent the first 25 years of my life there, then the next 30 years in USA. Each year I go back to South Australia to see family. As much as I love my home city of Adelaide, I’m saddened by what I see going on there and the liquidation of so much of the culture by selling it out to the highest bidder. This is the story of how a city can go from utopia to constrained in a relatively short time frame.

23 Aug Read More

I LOVE RECESSIONS!

It is Q3 2019 as I write this, and all I am seeing on the news media is the word “Recession” thrown around in abandon on all the financial news channels. This is the new “clickbait” to try and scare people into watching their shows. But here’s a completely contrarian view of the topic that might give you a positive view and why I LOVE recessions

15 Aug Read More

How to save up to 30% or more on Amazon purchases

First, I’m not a fan of buying anything you don’t need. I’m also not a fan of supporting Big Tech and their ambitions to take over the world. There are, however, some battles we can’t win, so why not find a way to live with this dystopia, but financially benefit? Well here is one way you can do that.

13 Aug Read More

Mastering the challenge of retirement

There are many theoretical approaches to retirement funding. If you ask a 50-60 year old their strategy, you will get a very different answer than to ask a 30 year old FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) person about their strategy. Much has to do with willingness to take on risk. I investigate these different approaches and why both are fundamentally flawed and present a simple answer that I have used successfully.

16 Jul Read More

On the outside, looking in - a week with expats in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

I have just returned from 3 weeks in Mexico, and spent a week in the town of San Miguel de Allende, meeting with expats who have chosen a life outside of the USA & Canada. When you see your daily life from the outside, looking in, you get a perspective that is quite frightening. Let’s talk about the expat phenomenon and what drives someone to leave the country of their birth, in search of greener pastures.

12 Jul Read More

How Mexico’s history could be the USA future

History has a nasty habit of repeating itself. And the current red flags in the USA have an eerie similarity to the build up to revolution in Mexico of the pre-1910 era. If you knew next week’s lottery numbers, you could be an instant multi-millionaire, so let’s use that trick to try and speculate on how things might go, and how you could play this to your advantage.

24 Jun Read More

Hypnosis in the western world

According to Nielsen ratings in 2017, the average American family spent 7 hours and 50 minutes per day watching TV. And what did that average American family get for selling nearly 8 hours a day of their time to the square screen? A mass state of hypnosis that has carved out social norms that are far from normal, far from healthy, far from financially beneficial and far from unconstrained.

10 Jun Read More

Forget education - LEARN TO SURF!

Given the choice of going to school or surfing, if you live near the ocean it is a pretty easy one to make. But has anyone ever told you that surfing is really the best education you can have?

03 Jun Read More

Living on one dollar a day

There is a growing movement towards financial independence and a minimalist approach to life. Although I applaud anyone who takes responsibility over their expenses, how quickly we forget that in western economics access to capital is the reason we are not third world country. This is so well demonstrated in the documentary “One Dollar A Day” and the pain & suffering that a lack of available capital can bring to a society. It teaches us a lesson about good vs. bad debt.

27 May Read More

Medical tourism in Mexico | How to save up to 75% on your dental costs

We should all take the best care of our teeth. But in the USA, costs are outrageous. Insurance doesn't cover most dental procedures and patients are often presented with $10K+ bills for basic dental work. If they realized there was a better option right on their doorstep, this could all be avoided. Welcome to medical tourism, and the border town of Los Algodones, Mexico.

24 May Read More

Bear market FIRE strategies - Can you handle the truth?

The bull market we’ve had will be ending soon. This is just natural. Markets go up and markets go down. The bull market has been active since about 2010, fueled by low interest rate money but with the natural market cycle spurred on by the China Trade Wars, it won’t last much longer. What should those pursuing FI or FIRE do to adjust? Do they have what it takes to handle this?

18 May Read More

Bitcoin and Ethereum in 2019

The markets are on the move again. Bitcoin & Ethereum are seeing substantial price increases as they re-emerge as an attractive alternative asset class yet again. Here’s my take on it, since I was an early Bitcoin advocate back in 2011, and I’ve done pretty damn well out of them to date. You might be curious as to where I am at with this, so read on.

15 May Read More

The art of decentralized economics for the unconstrained

What we are doing in the United States and the western world is not working. The average person is living from pay check to pay check, is carrying too much debt load, has barriers to wealth, is brainwashed and is losing their individual freedoms. This article suggests a peaceful way to break that model that you can adopt today and be free of the restrictions of the economic systems that we are expected to live in.

06 May Read More

Why having a job & career may be the worst financial mistake of your life

It is time to get real. You've been told to pay attention in school, get a degree. Then get a good corporate job so you can enter the middle class. Well I'm here to tell you that it often doesn't work, and what you need to do to rethink that approach in the 21st century.

30 Apr Read More

When the outlook is grey, look for greener pastures

The surveillance state. Like the tale of the frog in a pot of boiling water, we have been exposed to a gradual increase of this as a blatant misuse of technology. There is a role for safety & security, but when it gets out of control, it is time to rethink where you live. If you feel the upcoming election cycle will drive your stress level up and your sanity challenged, this article might help you get some awareness of what is going on and your options.

26 Apr Read More

You are 50 yrs old and nothing saved for retirement. Don’t worry - I’ve got an idea…

First, don't panic. Don't get depressed and don't think all is lost. It isn't. We will break down the fallacy of retirement and turn some lemons into lemonade. There are ways to sustain yourself financially and it doesn't require millions of dollars in an index fund.

24 Apr Read More

Financial safety - it’s a jungle out there

Maybe it is a generational thing, but the current FIRE entrants didn't seem to get the memo on financial safety, trust and just how dangerous it is out there. I guess until you have been a target of theft, you don't really feel the issue. We talk openly about safety & trust in this article.

22 Apr Read More

Risks, rewards & bankruptcies

Wealth is rarely generated without someone taking some form of risk. It might be the purchase of real estate, a business venture, etc. If you have a positive result from this, you could become wealthy. If you fail, you could become bankrupt. Let's talk about the balance of life risks and risk mitigation.

20 Apr Read More

Financial faucets and you

Those following financial sustainability know about faucets. We all have experienced the “drip-drip-drip” of a leaky faucet. It’s not only annoying, but if left unattended, it could add up to thousands of gallons of wasted water and a very large water bill. Losing money through not being mindful of small leaks is bad. Additionally faucets are a great way to collect money, and with enough of them you can be 100% financially sustainable.

14 Apr Read More

Corporate layoffs are coming and why this is a good thing

Our world is changing. Robotics, AI and automation will do more to increase layoffs of workers than anything we have seen in the past 30 years. Think you have a safe job? Think again. You don't. The corporate mindset wants to destroy your job, but if you are on the path towards financial sustainability, this shouldn't be a big deal.

12 Apr Read More

What Americans probably don’t understand about Julian Assange

Today I watched the UK police forcibly extract Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy after he held out there for 7 years. Seeing a man screaming to resist seemed ironic since he predicted this very series of events would occur 7 years prior, as he feared US extradition. But what few US residents understand is what it was like growing up in the 1980s in Australia, where I and Assange are from. And the distrust of the US around the world.

12 Apr Read More

Emergency Savings Funds and passive income

I absolutely believe that the first thing anyone should have as part of their financial strategy is liquid cash available for times of emergency. This has become more popular due to the Dave Ramsey preaching of the value of an emergency savings fund. But just how much is right, and what factors may influence the amount you need to have? We discuss this in light of a passive income strategy in this article.

10 Apr Read More

Are Americans rich?

A recent podcast discussion that I was a co-host on came up, in which the host asked the question, "Are Americans Rich?". The context was to do with whether we all shouldered the burden of charitable giving to other nations and whether that is something that should be done by the individual. The discussion brings up some very interesting dynamics, which I will attempt to give my opinion on in this article.

08 Apr Read More

Wanna live longer? Try this methdology

Statistics don't lie. We are living longer, but just not as long as you would expect. The US Male average life expectancy climbed from 74 years in 1980 to 76.1 years in 2018. Pretty pathetic considering over that time period we spent 10x as much on healthcare. Clearly relying on your doctor and the medical system isn't enough to increase longevity. Here's a methodology that you might be interested to know...

06 Apr Read More

The path to a 100% financially sustainable life

In previous articles, I have stated that the concept of FI (Financial Independence) is flawed. Although the pursuit of it is admirable, the fact is that few FI followers have been able to do this through bear markets. Consequently putting yourself on that path has some dangers. I prefer to concept of "financial sustainability" and this article gives you tangible steps to take to achieve that.

02 Apr Read More

The modern day Marco Polo

If you paid attention in History class, you probably remember the story of Marco Polo, the Venetian who traveled east in search of trade and opened up the Silk Road, often at grave peril to his own well being. Well today there are Marco Polo's everywhere, and I wanted to highlight a couple in Mexico doing that (and so much more).

31 Mar Read More

Why economics matter

The real state of affairs for the USA is dire. The TV news or your politicians won't tell you that, because it is business & political suicide. But the real economic data matters for your daily life and it is the reason you are and will continue to be constrained.

28 Mar Read More

The elephant in the operating theater

US Medical costs are out of control. But rather than dealing with that, voters will be faced with political policy decisions based on whether the govt should pay for it.

14 Mar Read More

Can FI followers survive a bear market?

There is a lot of interest in the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement, but I am skeptical of whether those that achieve FI during a bull market have what it takes to make it through a bear market...

08 Mar Read More

The debate over passive vs active income

Although many would attest to a debate over active vs passive income, we believe there is no debate - Passive always wins. Let's explain why.

06 Mar Read More

Training your contrarian brain for success

Rich and successful people typically do the opposite of the herd. It is a choice. It comes with fear, doubt and uncertainty. Training your mindset to embrace these things is the key element of how you will get extraordinary results from an ordinary world.

05 Mar Read More

The truth in numbers

The numbers don't lie. They tell a tale of a society living well beyond its means. This is why 80% of Americans are broke and living pay check to pay check.

04 Mar Read More

Travel Rewards - A free ticket or a deal with the devil?

US banks have been offering incentives to get you to sign up for credit cards for years. The incentives are really valuable if you know how to play the game, but could they be a deal with the devil if you don't?

02 Mar Read More

The uphill battle to stop throwing good things away

About 2 weeks ago, my daughter called me from Tucson, Arizona. She is a senior at the University of Arizona there. She had been stopped at the traffic lights in her car, when another car rear ended her. It wasn't a big accident. Thankfully no one was hurt, and there actually was little visible damage to the back of her car.

28 Feb Read More

The US media is frying your brain

Today it all came to a head for me when I saw this... I think we have officially become a failed state. And I blame the hypnosis of the US Media for much of it.

27 Feb Read More

Cord cutting success and digital sustainability

In July 2018, 32% of cable TV subscribers in the USA had cut the cord and left cable. This was due to the excessive pricing model and the free market's supply & demand model by opening up options to Internet subscribers.

10 Dec Read More

Are you awake to see opportunities?

Why is it that some people have the knack to see an opportunity and seize it, and others just watch them pass by?

04 Nov Read More

Detaching from the Matrix…Small steps to big rewards

We are in a mess. We got this way because people forgot that the power brokers of the world treat life like a chess game, and we think of life like a daily or hourly experience.

27 Oct Read More

Walls. What are they good for?

Anything that impedes the free trade between neighbors is a bad thing for both parties. Even the open demonstration of a lack of trust with a neighbor breeds an often inhospitable relationship and let's face it... You can't just move a country because you have an issue with a neighbor.

26 Oct Read More

What will bring on the next imminet US economic collapse?

Remember 2008? Banksters created an illusion that housing prices could keep going up and up because they artificially fueled demand by creating a new customer base of people who got mortgages that previously would never have qualified.

30 Sep Read More