FI Progress

Give Your Kids’ Finances an Unbeatable Head Start

March 14, 2019 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

I write a lot about how my wife and I are furiously saving for retirement. But, as my wife kindly reminded me, “what about the kids?! “

The pursuit of Financial Independence (FI) focuses on living below your means and reaping the rewards of compounding gains. If it is possible for someone who only started saving in their 30s to reach FI by then, can you imagine what is possible when their savings snowball starts rolling when they are born? So, let’s dive into the numbers and strategies and see what is possible.

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Net Worth Update 15: Lying Groundhog Edition

March 7, 2019 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

Just like that, February is done and gone. Contrary to what Puxitawny Phil said, this winter ain’t going nowhah! That varmint is a lying sack of fur! Despite this seemingly unending winter, we have continued to strive for our financial independence. So how did we do?

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Beacons of FIRE: How High Earners Can Help Spread FIRE from the Top Down

February 14, 2019 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

The Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement is geared towards anyone, no matter where they fall along the income spectrum. The tips, tricks and hacks central to the movement can have remarkable impacts for six figure bread winners and minimum wage earners alike.

However, high earners who demonstrate FIRE principles can have wide-spread influence. It’s important for these individuals to be shining examples… to be Beacons of the FIRE movement.

So let’s explore the potential impacts that can be made by high earners seeking FIRE.

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Net Worth Update 14: Polar Vortex Edition

February 7, 2019 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

January was a month of lows… like REALLY low. Windchills of negative 20 to 30 degrees below zero canceled classes and work for many around these parts. So, with temperatures colder than Arendelle taking hold, did the arctic air freeze our net worth?

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Dropping Our Financial Pants: 2018 Spending

January 17, 2019 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

With another year in the books, it’s good to look back and see where all the money went. This is my second year of tracking spending by detailed categories and my second year of posting our spending online. You can check out our 2017 Spending here.

I got to say, that putting all this information out there feels a bit like standing in front of a group of people in my underwear. I feel a bit exposed!

So without further ado… how did we, ehhh, do?

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Our 2018 Scorecard and 2019 Personal Finance Goals

January 10, 2019 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

It’s a new year and that means new resolutions, right? Last January I set some personal finance goals for our household. I wanted to take a moment and look back at the past year. Did we meet our goals for the year? Did we bomb in epic fashion? My grading system is simple PASS or FAIL. Read on for the results! [Read more…]