Ideas on Personal Finance
Many people are talented at managing money and are trying to hit the traditional target of earning money and retiring in their 60s. There is nothing wrong with that. But people on the FI journey are aiming for a target that others do not see. The FI people look at retirement differently – not something … Read more
It is important to start somewhere. I started my Financial Independence (FI) journey a good ten years after starting my professional life. I wish I had started saving and investing properly right when I started my first job. I would have reached FI a lot sooner that way! But, I am happy I at least … Read more
Compounding worked wonders for my Financial Independence (FI) journey. However, the key attribute to make compounding work is patience. And in this world of instant gratification, it is difficult to have patience. When I started my FI journey, the initial investments were relatively small. Watching them grow was like watching paint dry. At that time, … Read more
We make hundreds of choices every day, from small choices like what to eat for breakfast to big ones like where to invest our money. Easy choices are fun. Like spending money shopping. Or buying the latest gadget. Hard choices are not fun. Like saving money. Or eating healthy food. Or going to the gym. … Read more
I used this quote a lot on my FI journey. At the start of my FI journey, I tried everything under the sun to make sure I got to FI sooner. I pulled all the levers I could find to reduce spending and improve investment returns. And I spend a lot of time trying to … Read more
This is a line from the Avengers movie. Although this is a finance blog, it is important to remember that money is not an end in itself. Money is very powerful, no doubt. But we should make money just for the sake of making money. Money should be used to enable our life. We only … Read more
This article is part of the My FI Journey series – click here to access the full journey. Looking for Answers to the Big Two Two issues haunt me from the lost decade of my professional life: Busy Becomes Normal and No Financial Plan. To become less busy, I focus on becoming more efficient at work. I become obsessed with … Read more
Over the years, I have been pleasantly surprised at the benefits of Financial Independence / Early Retirement (FIRE). I have also been amazed at how hard it is to convince my friends and relatives to try FIRE (much less adopt it)! FIRE Reactions from Friends and Relatives Financial Independence (FI) has worked wonders for me. … Read more
The Best of Times… My professional life starts when I complete my MBA and join a management consulting firm. Life is great – I am working with marquee companies on their strategic projects. On the personal front, I marry the wonderful MrsFiner. We both love to travel, and consulting is an excellent career if you … Read more
Below is a highlight of my FI journey. It took a lot of time and had its own twists and turns. But, I am happy to have been on this journey, and now after reaching FI – I am looking forward to the road ahead… Chapter 1: A Lost Decade? Life before I started on … Read more