Blazing a Trail Towards Financial Independence
It’s that time of the year again… My wife and I just wrapped up filing our taxes for the year. Boy, let me tell you that is on the top of my list for fun weekend activities. Oh well, with another winter weather watch squashing other plans, it was as good a time as any to knock it out. As it turns out, we are going to get a refund this year. So what the hell should we do with it?
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.
[Read more…] about Beacons of FIRE: How High Earners Can Help Spread FIRE from the Top Down
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?
[Read more…] about Dropping Our Financial Pants: 2018 Spending
An email circulated through my office the other day. It read: “Christmas Club contributions will be included on the next pay period.” The email then reminded everyone that enrollment into next year’s Christmas Club had just opened up.
It got me to thinking… is the Christmas Club worth it?
[Read more…] about Company Christmas Club: Is It Worth It?
***Extremely Mickey Mouse voice*** – Hi Kids! Today’s Mousekatool is Paid Vacation
I am fresh off of our first full week vacation in 2 years. While we’ve taken a few long weekend trips, we haven’t had a full week off during this time. We took our daughters to Disney World (geez… could you tell?) and we all had a great time and created many memories that won’t soon be forgotten.
My wife and I have already started discussing our next vacation! I think we can all get behind more vacation, right?
Well, the answer is apparently a big fat NO.
As I have been reflecting on the week gone by, I recalled an article I had read that stated that roughly 52% of Americans don’t use their paid vacation.
Let that sink in.
Your boss is willing to pay you money… to not show up for work. And we say, “No Thanks” more than half the time!
[Read more…] about Over 50% of Americans Don’t Use Their Vacation. Don’t be one of them!
Credit cards can be a polarizing topic in the personal finance community. On one end, you have Dave Ramsey and his cash envelope system which abhors the use of credit cards. At the opposite end you have the travel hackers, who churn credit cards for travel rewards. The Heartland on FIRE household has covered the full range of the credit card usage spectrum. In 2017 we essentially did not use our credit cards. However, over the past year, we have become big proponents of credit cards. As such, we have been paying closer attention to our credit score. Let’s explore whether a credit card is right for you, and if so, the importance of a high credit score. Also, I’ve thrown in a quick tip to raise your score.[Read more…] about How to Move Up the Credit Score Leaderboard