If there's one thing that's the forgotten step-child in personal finance, it's the emergency fund. Those just starting out on their financial journey hate it because it's a killjoy -- something they have to save for that has zero perceived value (at least in many people's minds). Those of us further down the road don't really think much of it as it's simply "there" -- … [Read more...]

Many people assume I was able to accumulate a large net worth simply because I made a lot of money coupled with a natural tendency to be frugal. No. That's not how it happened. First of all, I didn't make a lot from the get-go. Like most millionaires, I had to work long and hard, delivering lots of value to my employers until my salary steadily grew. Second, I was … [Read more...]

On my first blog I posted money saving tips frequently. That was back in my wealth-building days when I was trying to reach financial independence and saving was a big part of our plans. Naturally I wrote about it since that's what we were focused on. I covered almost everything possible when it came to saving money, but one topic that I loved to rail on back then was the … [Read more...]

I've been considering the topic of spending lately. But not in the usual "you're spending too much" line of thinking I've written about for so many years in posts like It’s the Spending, Stupid. These days I'm actually pondering how I can spend MORE money. Yep, you read that correctly. I'm considering spending more, which falls within the spirit of my post titled If … [Read more...]