I’ve been overzealous in my desire to save and invest more this year! My plan was to max out my both my 401k and my Roth IRA, but with a twist.  The idea was to use my employer’s ESPP to save for my Roth IRA (and this has been successfully done), but also to take […] The post Last Quarter Cash Flow Changes

As some of our long time readers may know, my parents are semi-retired in Chiang Mai, Thailand. They are here for an extended visit so I thought I’d take this opportunity to pick their brains on how much it costs to live there. I’m very curious to find out too, because we are planning to live in Chiang Mai for a few years after Mrs. RB40 retires. A li
[…] Read more:  How much it costs to retire comfortably in Thailand

I must have been one of the last bloggers who have been holding out on getting a smart phone. I’m a cheap guy at heart and I would hate to pay $60+/month for the privilege of checking emails on the go. Well, it’s over now.  I chucked my dumb phone and joined the smart phone revolution.  Now that I’ve had a taste of a smart phone, I don’t
[…] Read more:  Cheap Unlimited Smart Phone Plan = $19/month at Republic Wireless

When I started my personal finance blog in 2008 I had over $16,000 worth of credit card debt.  It took about a year or so but I paid that all off, and The Wife and I were one of those people with literally zero credit card debt that carried over month to month.   This The post Back to Zero With Credit Card Debt

Hi. Thanks for coming to my personal finance blog. Unfortunately you probably shouldn’t be reading what I have to say. You see, I recently posted about how I’m spending $20,000 on my wedding and apparently if you waste $20,000 then you are no longer eligible to have a personal finance blog. It’s all there in […]
[…] Read more:  Stop Reading All Personal Finance Blogs Now!

For the second time this year, and only a handful of times since I started tracking my net worth…my net worth is down.  But it is different than times in the past, because for some reason I am not bothered at all.  While I am not disillusioned to believe I am doing all I can The post September 2013 Net Worth Update

August Highlights and Lowlights Summer is almost over. No new clothing challenge – Oh no! I purchased a new pair of sneakers from the Adidas employee store. It’s for next year after my current pair wears out though so I don’t feel too bad about it. Online Income – We had a great month in August. I will break down the online income in our monthl
[…] Read more:  August 2013 Goals and Financial Update

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times“, the quote from the book: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens best described my cash flow activity pattern for this year, so far. Let me explain… “Best of Time” Financial Perspective First, I now consider myself at the threshold of barely […] The post Both Best and Worst Personal Financial Times This Year So Far

These days, nearly everything is automated. A rent check goes out monthly from our bank account, our student loans are auto-debited (and we get a discount for that!) and at the end of the month, our credit cards pay themselves by connecting to our checking accounts and withdrawing money. However, there are a few times […] When You Should Pay Bills Manually