Oh wow, 2013 is pretty much over. Do you remember your 2013 New Year’s resolutions? If you don’t, I recommend starting a blog and make those goals public. It’s a great way to keep accountable to yourself and your readers. 2013 went quite well, but I had way too many goals this year. Next year I’ll concentrate on just a few big goals. Having too many goals
[…] Read more:  2013 New Year’s Resolution – Wrap Up

November Highlights and Lowlights The holiday season is here. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I didn’t even spend any money at all on Black Friday weekend. I just had a relaxing weekend at home and enjoyed family time. Mrs. RB40 on the other hand braved Black Friday to get a few small gifts for her coworkers. Christmas is coming up soon and I hope eve
[…] Read more:  November 2013 Goals and Financial Update

Wow, time really flies when you have a kid. RB40 Jr. is almost 3 years old now and he is growing so much every day. Long time readers will remember when he was just a 6 lb 4 oz ass kicking machine. Now he is running around and getting into all kinds of trouble. He is getting more independent and it’s easier now to take care of him. At this age, a couple of mont
[…] Read more:  We Can Travel Again!

On Monday, I asked – Are you getting richer every year? We had 339 votes so far and an overwhelming 96% believe they are doing better every year. This poll is a bit biased toward younger folks. As long as you are working and in good health, chances are you will be able to accumulate more wealth every year. Getting wealthier is much more difficult once you retir
[…] Read more:  How Much Money Do You Need To Feel Wealthy?

Whoa, retailers are going all out this year for the Black Friday shopping season. Many stores are opening earlier on Thanksgiving and it’s easy to get caught up in the advertising frenzy. 2013 is even more urgent than usual because we have a shorter shopping season. Thanksgiving isn’t until the last week in November this year and 6 less shopping days unti
[…] Read more:  Avoid the Black Friday Frenzy

Last week, I chatted with Andrew, a long time reader, about his early retirement plan. He is planning to retire at 51 and has only a few years left to go. His expense is very low at about $12,000 per year and he probably can retire right now if he wants to. He mentioned that he plans to roll over his 401k into his Roth IRA and put a large percentage into a REIT.
[…] Read more:  Don’t put all your eggs in one basket when you’re near retirement

It has been over a year now that I left my corporate job and became a stay at home dad/blogger. I LOVE being self employed part time. If I knew what a great fit it was, I would have tried to get here much sooner. Every day is like Christmas combined with Thanksgiving! For this article, I’m scratching my head trying to come up with a list of entertaining reasons
[…] Read more:  5 Unusual Reasons Why I LOVE Self Employment

Here is a scary statistic – The class of 2013 graduated with an average of $35,200 in college related debt. OK, that’s a bit better than I thought. I have heard even worse stories of kids who owe much more than that and are unemployed. My brother owed over $100,000 when he graduated and it’s hard to get going when you start out in a hole. (He’s a doct
[…] Read more:  Why use the 529 plans to save for college

Earlier this week, a stressed out reader asked if using IRS rule 72(t) to access his retirement fund is a good idea.  I knew you can use this rule to take distribution from your retirement accounts and avoid the IRS early withdrawal penalty, but I didn’t know all the details so I had to do some research. Usually, you will have to pay a 10% penalty if you w
[…] Read more:  Should you use IRS rule 72(t) to access your retirement fund?

What the heck is a digital nomad? Do you need a yak and a yurt? Well, actually the term is much more prevalent these days and I’m sure most of you know it already. A digital nomad is someone who uses technology to work from anywhere in the world. I guess if you strictly go by that definition, I already am a digital nomad. I’m self employed online and I wo
[…] Read more:  5 reasons why I can’t be a Digital Nomad