How I Accidentally Became a Real Estate Investor: Lessons Learned from My Journey
Introduction What began as a graduation gift turned into an unexpected journey into real estate investing. In 2005, armed with $10,000 from my grandparents, I took a leap of faith and purchased a condo. Little did I know, this decision would lead me through the chaos of the Great Financial Crisis and teach me invaluable […]
Save Like a Pessimist, Invest Like an Optimist
Save Like a Pessimist, Invest Like an Optimist The phrase “Save like a pessimist, invest like an optimist” captures a crucial philosophy for personal finance success. I first heard this from Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money, and it profoundly resonates with me. This framework has become central to how I manage my […]
Learning Options (August 2024)
As a way to make additional cashflow on my long-term stock holdings, I’ve been testing trading options. Specifically, I’ve been selling covered calls and buying puts (that I have the cash reserves to purchase) on stocks that I know and like. While my learning is still very new and my results are not material to […]
Income Fund Update, August 2024
As I step into my 40s, income generation has been a growing priority in my investment accounts. As such, I’ve started to build an income focused portfolio with the goal of growing to $1M invested @ a 5% dividend yield. The goal is to build another income stream that can protect me both when markets […]
Become (Financially) Unbreakable
Become (Financially) Unbreakable There is a lot of shitty advice out there. I expect it on social media, but I’m starting to see more shitty advice in traditional media channels which makes me think we are not too far from a recession. Ignoring the 2-month recession during COVID, the last real recession was the Great […]
Why I love HSAs
A Health Savings Account, commonly referred to by the acronym “HSA”, was created to incentivize employees to incentivize people to take some responsibility of their medical expenses. It operates like a normal savings or investment account in which your employer will fund and you can use that money only to pay qualified medical expenses. It’s […]
How I stay focused on the long-term
My competitive advantage is that I am playing the long game with my investment portfolio and not concerned about my annual returns. That alone sets me apart from many professional money managers who think they need to beat the market every year. That long-term mindset allows me to play a different game and structure my portfolio […]
The 10% Rule
The 10% Rule One of the most controversial topics in personal finance is the role of cash and how much of your investment portfolio to keep in cash. Some people refer to cash as trash while others prefer the risk adversity of cash. I’ve read and debated both sides, but ultimately the strategy that […]
The Three Things I’m Doing with my Portfolio Now that Asset Prices are Hitting All Time Highs
“Be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.” Warren Buffet Asset prices are hitting all time highs which is driving excitement across social media and the virtual water cooler. While I continue to live and breath dollar cost averaging, now is a great time to review your personal finances […]
Why do we feel so poor and what should we do about it?
Why do we feel so poor and what should we do about it? We are making more money and have more saved for retirement, but why do we feel so poor? My suggestion is that perspective is our culprit. Perspective influenced by social media and inflation are making us poor even when facts and data […]