The U.S. economy is in a hiring surge, there are more high salary job opportunities out there than ever before, but if you don’t have a strong personal brand or network to vouch for your credibility, you will be playing the game with one arm tied behind your back. Through years of experience, managing teams, […]
STARVE, STACK & LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST
I’m am always taken back when I meet people who make a decent $50,000+ salary and claim it will take them 30 years to pay off their $30,000 student loans. Many of my co-workers live at home but are constantly in debt, financing Coachella tickets a year in advance, purchasing fancy Casper bed mattresses on […]
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE UPDATE: 2017Q1
It’s the end of the first quarter of 2017, so I figured I would write a performance update of my financial goals for 2017. The first part of the year is starting out well with all investment goals meeting or exceeding my plans. Investing: 401(k) I made the decision to max out my pre-tax 401(k) by […]
ANNUITIES: DON’T BELIEVE THE LIES
Last week a family friend asked me to review her grandmother’s annuity contract, because my profession is in the realm of contract negotiations, and I nerd out on reading dense legal documents on the daily. The conversation went something like this, “Hey my mom says my grandma gets these checks every quarter for like $2,000 […]
FIRE STORIES: FAILING YOUR WAY TO EARLY RETIREMENT
Throughout my life I been blessed to meet a multitude of financially independent early retirees far before I had ever hear of the term F.I.R.E. This is the 4th installment of a series I call F.I.R.E. Stories. The below story is about two brothers and two sisters who are married to each other. I have known […]
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE UPDATE: 2017Q1
It’s the end of the first quarter of 2017, so I figured I would write a performance update of my financial goals for 2017. The first part of the year is starting out well with all investment goals meeting or exceeding my plans. Investing: 401(k) I made the decision to max out my pre-tax 401(k) by […]
EXPLOITING MARKETING PROMOS FOR QUALITY FURNITURE
We finally bought new furniture that was long overdue. These were purchases we had been delaying for over a year and a half until they were absolutely necessary. Our couch was made of patent leather and had been deteriorating for about 10 months and our dining room table and chairs were leftovers from my bachelor […]
F.I.R.E. STORIES: THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
During my multi-year stint of wondering the globe after college, I met a plethora of financially independent individuals who learned how to get through life on their own terms and make a prosperous living. This is the third story in the F.I.R.E. story series. Three of my all-time favorite books are The Tao of Pooh […]
F.I.R.E. STORIES: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE CARNIVAL
When I graduated with my bachelor’s degree I thought I was hot shit and anyone who didn’t have a bachelor’s degree was a loser and not going to go far in life. Then I moved out of the United States and was quickly bitch-slapped back to reality that education doesn’t equate to success, high incomes, […]
F.I.R.E STORIES: A MODERN DAY ROBIN HOOD
I weaved an anklet onto my right leg while traveling through India and Nepal back in 2007. This coming June will be 10 years from when I tied this thing on. I have kept this anklet strapped to my leg as a reminder of my ultimate goal, to grow my investments to the point where […]
YES YOU CAN TIME THE MARKET: SECRET TOOLS OF AN ACTIVE DAY TRADER
I was asked today by a friend whether it was a good time to invest or if it would be best to wait for a lower price. I told her “you can’t time the market, just get in when you have the money to invest, set it and forget it” and don’t worry about potential […]
MY CURRENT STOCK PORTFOLIO
After several years of blindly guessing what stocks and mutual funds to invest in, I decided to take control of my portfolio. In 2015 I set out to educate myself on the stock market, I took several day trading classes and even hired a full-time mentor for a year. I now feel more empowered than […]
WHEN DOES A PRIVATE JET MAKE FINANCIAL SENSE?
Private jets are not just for celebrities, CEOs and billionaires with too much money and looking to save time out of their busy schedules. They can also be a great way to save thousands of dollars in the right scenario. Six months ago I almost signed up for a private jet membership between Los Angeles […]
ABANDON THE SHOPPING CART: SAVE THOUSANDS ONLINE
For 2017 I started practicing checkout delay when online shopping as part of my cost cutting initiatives. I later found out marketing companies have a term related to this behavior called shopping cart abandonment which is used by consumer behavior research companies to track lost sales revenue due to customers leaving a website without completing […]
THE SECRET FINANCES OF SURFERS
My sports of choice are surfing, skating and snowboarding. If I had the opportunity to be a professional surfer, getting paid to travel and play in the ocean every day, I would drop everything and switch careers right now. Life is better in boardshorts than a suit and tie, and who doesn’t want to spend […]
MY 4 YEAR ADVENTURE AS A PEER 2 PEER LENDER
In early 2012 the Sharing Economy and crowdsourcing communities were just gaining moment and my job at the time was to hunt down emerging technology trends and identify opportunities utilize the technologies or business models within our space exploration research and development labs where we built unmanned robotic spacecraft. We tested any and every idea […]
THE GREAT FOOD CHALLENGE: UPDATE 2
For 2017 I set a financial goal to cut food expenses by 53% by purchasing more groceries, cooking at home and eating out less often, especially for lunches. By cooking larger quantities of food each night I should have enough leftovers for lunch the next day. At least once a month I will post a list of […]
TWO CENTS GUEST INTERVIEW AT CASH FASTING
Today I was interviewed by Jane for the Two Cents: Q&A section of Cash-Fasting. Below is a short snippet please click over to read the entire interview at cash-fasting.com Welcome back to Two Cents, a Q&A series that reveals how individuals of different ages, cities, and professions feel about their current financial situation. Stuart is the blogger behind […]
TOP 6 ESCAPE PLANS TO PEACE THE F OUT TOMORROW
This week I was able to congratulate two close friends on becoming debt free! This is the most important step towards financial independence. Being debt free opens up a huge world of opportunities to live your life to the fullest and gives you a sense of control over your life. No longer are you an […]
FINANCIAL MAGIC: SAVING MONEY IN YOUR BUDGET
I always enjoy a good magic trick full of illusions meant to deceive our brains and entertain us. As you might have figured out from a few of my posts, I’m like scheming up plans to hiding money from myself through subtle life hacks like tax withholdings, multiple bank accounts, piggy banks, etc. Today, let’s […]
HOW I TOOK BACK CONTROL OF MY RETIREMENT PLAN
Two years ago I became the antagonists of all retirement accounts. I had contributed the standard 8% to my company’s 401(k) plan for the last several years to get the company match, but over time I grew more and more frustrated with the confusing mutual fund options that never really told you what the hell […]
REAL ESTATE CROWDFUNDING MY NEW FAVORITE ASSET CLASS
Investing in residential and commercial real estate can be a great way to grow your portfolio. Apart from the revenue, there are a ridiculous amount of tax benefits available to real estate investors. After reading Garret Sutton’s Loopholes of Real Estate, I became eager to invest in real estate. Commercial and residential real estate investments are […]
FAST TRACK YOURSELF TO A SIX FIGURE SALARY
Not everyone gets to go to an ivy league school and come out of college with a six figure salary. Keeping your head down and working hard will help you advance in your career, but only to a certain degree. If you haven’t made it to a six figure salary by the time you are […]
EMERGENCY FUNDS: WHAT TO PREPARE FOR?
Most people would agree that it is essential to have an emergency fund set aside for unexpected money sucking surprises that pop up from time to time. Findings from Bankrate.com showed that only 37% of Americans are able to cover a $500 to $1000 emergency expense, which is not even that much. There is a […]
WHAT’S BETTER THAN A $20K PAY RAISE?
What do you do when the CEO of your company pulls you aside and says “You’re not getting paid enough, we want to give you a raise, how much do you want?” Holy shit balls! Is this for real? Am I being pranked? This has got to be a trick question, right?
THE GREAT FOOD CHALLENGE: UPDATE 1
For 2017 I set a financial goal to cut food expenses by 53% by purchasing more groceries, cooking at home and eating out less often, especially for lunches. By cooking larger quantities of food each night I should have enough leftovers for lunch the next day. At least once a month I will post a list of […]
MAXIMIZING TRAVEL REWARD MILEAGE POINTS
Over the past decade, my friends and I have been fortunate enough to score a plethora of free international plane tickets through airline rewards programs and credit card points. Each ticket has been worth anywhere from $1,200 to $4,500, and I have benefited from at least one free ticket each year. Free airline tickets and hotel are available […]
THE GREAT FOOD CHALLENGE
When it comes to setting a budget, food expenses are very unique, as the amount we spend to fuel our bodies can vary drastically amongst households depending on the types of food we choose to consume, where we choose to purchase our food from, where we live, and what produce is currently in season in […]
DEAL ALERT: LOS ANGELES TO COPENHAGEN $358
While searching for flights to Seattle using Google Flights, I got off on a tangent and started browsing for plane tickets to European destinations. I ran into this epic deal from Norweigan Air for the month of February! Route: LAX to CPH Cost: $357.80 round-trip in economy Dates: January — February 2017
CHARTING A MAP FOR SUCCESS: 2017 GOALS
December is one of my favorite times of year for personal finances. As a big data analysis nerd, I like to review my spending habits and saving achievements from the past year. I then look for opportunities to refine my budget and seek out bigger investments. If you want to advance in life you need […]
CREDIT SCORES: HOW TO BREAK 800 WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT
It is never too early to begin your financial education and that of your children. By the time I was 26, I had an $80,000 credit limit with an 803 credit score, and I had never made more than $14,000 a year up to that point in time. I am proof that anyone can achieve […]
BULK UP YOUR SAVINGS
I try to utilize as many strategies as possible to hide money from myself and save up large sums for big investment opportunities which will make a significant amount of passive income. As an employee, one tool that has worked wonders for my aggressive savings strategy is the Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate, known as the W-4. […]
THE RICH DON’T PAY AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU
I had a friend in college whose parents rented a luxury two bedroom apartment by the beach for over $4,000 a month, they had pools, movie theaters, weekly whisky and wine tastings, a gym, concierge, etc. However, they only stayed there two to three weeks out of the year as they spent 80% of their […]
TRACK YOUR BUDGETS LIKE A FORTUNE 500 COMPANY
In the manufacturing industry, the finance and project management teams utilize an earned value management methodology to track the workload by individual subcomponents called work breakdown structures (WBS) If you were manufacturing a chair composed of 4 legs, supports, and backing made of wood, and the seat made from metal and upholstery you might break […]
GOOD HABITS START EARLY
My nephew is 18 years old and drives a Mercedes Benz C class. First impressions may lead you to think that he is just another spoiled Southern California kid, but that is far from the truth, he purchased the car himself with money he saved. You’re now wondering how does an average 18-year-old fresh out of […]
