Financial Independence

Flexibility. Being financially independent (FI) – or very close to it – gives you the flexibility to embrace new opportunities, and deal more easily with challenging life situations you may have never even imagined. When I first embarked on the FI journey in 2013, it was all about chasing freedom. Initially, I dreamt of escaping […]

After becoming financially independent a few years ago, I chose to “downshift” from full-time work as a college professor to teach part-time and (mostly) online. I continue to work with students because it’s my passion. But I also plan to maximize my pension by reaching a 30-year service milestone before I retire at 55.  But […]

My 20’s were very different from my business partner, Vicki’s. While she was making smart money moves right out of college, I was juggling responsibilities as a working single mom living paycheck-to-paycheck. Married to my high-school sweetheart, I had my first child at 20. At the time I was the breadwinner in the family. Through […]

It always feels good sharing smart decisions you’ve made. But people won’t trust you if you don’t own up to mistakes too. While I made some great money moves right out of college, there were definitely things I could have done differently in the following decade. Now, I can share the financial lessons I learned […]

I was lucky enough to land the first job I interviewed for after graduating from college. A month after my 22nd birthday, I packed up the apartment I shared with my college roommate and started hunting for an apartment in a new city. While I was excited beyond belief, I’ll admit – I was a […]