The following articles are provided to assist you on your journey towards becoming unconstrained. All information provided on this website is for general use, and is not specific to your financial situation. Please consult with your CPA and/or attorney to get advice that is specific to your needs. Do not use this information to assist you with any financial purchase or strategic decision without first discussing the information with your CPA or attorney to determine the specific application to your needs.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.