Ideas on Personal Finance
In a digital age filled with fleeting moments and constant distractions, Tim Urban’s article Your Life in Weeks offers a thought-provoking perspective on the passage of time and the finite nature of life. Through a simple yet profound visualization – a grid of boxes representing each week of a person’s life – the author lays … Read more
Twitter is a big waste of time, but occasionally you find something interesting. I recently saw a tweet with a chart from Our World In Data. It shows who people spend their time with as they age. As you can imagine, who we spend time with changes a lot throughout our lives. The chart below … Read more
A friend recently told me about her college professor, an ex-marine. The #1 thing he wanted students to take away from his course was to have a ‘Go To Hell’ fund. But what exactly is a Go To Hell fund? It means having enough money saved that if you do not like your work situation, … Read more
In a world that glorifies busyness and celebrates productivity, I recently embarked on a daring adventure – I did absolutely nothing for a week! As a consultant, I was always focused on productivity and getting things done. So ‘doing nothing’ was particularly hard. But the holidays offered a great time and excuse to try something … Read more
Hard work vs. Overwork A management consultant might seem an unlikely candidate to address the issue of overwork, considering that, in my past, I routinely logged 80-90 hour workweeks. However, I have witnessed first-hand the harm overworking can cause. Don’t get me wrong – hard work is a good thing. But when it transforms into … Read more
If you are happy, Financial Independence (FI) will make you happier. Pursue happiness before pursuing FI. Financial Independence and Happiness One of my big revelations after reaching Financial Independence (FI) was that it did not change my level of happiness. During my FI journey, I had imagined that everything would get better once I hit … Read more
Although I am a big FIRE fan, there are certain instances when Financial Independence (FI) may not be the right thing to do. Background on the List There is nothing that works for everyone, no matter how good it is. The same is true for Financial Independence (FI). Although I am happy to have been … Read more
A quote that captures the essence of Financial Independence (FI). It basically frames financial freedom, not as something that can be used to run away from work, but as something that allows you to choose the work you want to do. Some people (like the Finer household) keep working even after reaching FI. But the … Read more
This quote flips the traditional retirement question (At what age should I retire?) on its head. Instead of that, we should ask, ‘At what income can I retire?’. If someone has a frugal lifestyle, then it means their expenses are less. The smaller their expenses, the less money they will need to retire. Hence they … Read more
People typically retire and stop working. However, the advantage of Financial Independence (FI) is that you can retire from a traditional job and still work. The best part is that the work you do will be the work you want to do (and not the work you have to do). Some people choose early retirement … Read more