Blazing a Trail Towards Financial Independence
Just like that July is out the window and August has rolled in. Our oldest is headed to school next week and I could have sworn she just got out of school. Time truly flies. While the month was sprinting on by, how did our finances fare?
[Read more…] about Net Worth Update 20: Duck on a Pond Edition
With summer at its peak, Mrs. Heartland on FIRE and I are stepping out for a few days for a little travel. In the meantime, the folks over at Club Thrifty offered to help with a post while we are out and about.
Don’t know much about Club Thrifty? Swing by their site and see for yourself, but in their own words: Stop spending. Start living. ClubThrifty.com helps you afford travel through sound money management, lifestyle hacks, and credit card rewards. Design the life of your dreams, travel without guilt, and have cash to spare.
Sounds good to me. Anyways, without further adieu, take it away Kate!
For kids, dropping coins into a piggy bank is a good way to start saving money. As adults, however, we need to find places where we can keep a serious stash of cash!
Sure, investing in a company retirement plan or your Roth IRA is an important piece of your financial puzzle. But maybe you’ve already maxed those out and it’s time to explore other options.
Unfortunately, stowing your money under a mattress until you’re old and gray isn’t the answer. It won’t grow, which – because of inflation – means you’re actually losing money by keeping it “safe”.
If you’re looking for a short-term investment, however, the stock market may not be your best choice, either. Because stocks are susceptible to wild short-term swings, they are usually a better long-term play.
So, what’s the happy medium between those extremes? Whether you need quick and easy access to your money or you plan to leave it invested for the long haul, here are some great stock market alternatives to consider.
[Read more…] about 4 Places to Stash Your Cash That Aren’t Stocks
Happy Fourth of July!
June just wrapped up, and with it goes a very expensive month for us. It seemed like everywhere we turned some expense would pop up. Well, as the saying goes: “Them’s the breaks”.
With the onslaught of expenses, how did our finances fare?
[Read more…] about Net Worth Update 19: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Expenses
A few months back I negotiated to work from home on Mondays. Now that I’ve gotten some days under my belt I wanted to report back on how the experience has been, any pitfalls, and of course the glorious benefits.
[Read more…] about Why You Need to Work from Home
Fresh off our beach vacation, I am back at it and wanted to provide an update on our finances. Over the past several weeks, heavy rains have conspired to produce near historic river flooding on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers near us. (Even though the river is only a few blocks away we are, thankfully, high and dry). In fact it’s pouring rain as I type this. Yikes!
It seems like every other year we have been dealing with near record floods. I know flooding levels are statistically based, but it’s incredible that we’ve had multiple “once in a lifetime” events in only a few years. Anyways, back on topic… did our net worth rise as much as the river in May?
[Read more…] about Net Worth Update 18: Rising River Edition
As I left you last month we were pondering whether our youngest broke her foot while I was typing Update 16. After an urgent care visit, I can thankfully report that she only sprained her foot, and after a few days of hobbling around she’s good as new. Wheew! So besides luckily dodging health issues, were there any financial bumps in the road in April? Keep reading to find out.
[Read more…] about Net Worth Update 17: Oops, we did it again.