Someone had the balls to ask me this recently... “Do you think you’ll be able to love an adopted kid as much as you would love a biological kid?” And here’s another comment I got a couple weeks ago… “Are you only fostering kids because you’ll get paid to foster?” I was afraid of questions like this. In fact, questions like this are the reason I haven’t shared many
Another do-gooder post about charity and giving
Happy Monday, generous people! It’s my favorite time of year... That time when we all start thinking a little bit less about ourselves, and a little bit more about other people. It’s the giving season! 🤗 Giving means a lot of different things to people. For some it’s about volunteering their time. For others it means random acts of kindness. And for some
Rental Secrets – Getting More Value from Your Housing Dollars
I met a guy recently who introduced himself like this... “Hi, I’m Justin. I teach renters how landlords think so they can get better deals for their housing dollars”. I immediately turned starry eyed 🤩🤩🤩 and was thinking, we NEED this dude on the blog!!! Here’s some Q&A I had with Justin and a little more about how he helps people. Justin also
Would You Cosign a Loan for Your Best Friend So She Can Freeze Her Eggs?
Good mornin’, wealth builders! I have an absolute DOOZY of a topic for discussion today. This is based on a situation someone I know is dealing with currently... Would you cosign a loan for your best friend so she can freeze her eggs? Now before you say “Hell no!” like I yelled immediately when I heard the question, listen to the full story first… OK, here is the
My Parents Retired at 42: What I Learned Growing Up in a FIRE Family 🔥🔥🔥
[Good morning FIRE nerds!!! Got a cool guest post for ya today from Mike who co-hosts the Friends on FIRE podcast. Mike had a unique upbringing as his parents both retired in their early 40s! I think most of us want to achieve FIRE and teach the ways of financial independence to our kids… Well, that’s what happened in Mike’s family, and here’s a chance to hear more from the
Net Worth Report #14 “Valentine’s Day” (Up $36,983) 📈
Good morning, money lovers! Welcome to net worth report #14! Every month, my process is the same... I log into all our investment and bank accounts (both mine and wife’s) and tally up the totals for all the assets we own, as well as credit card balances and any liabilities. The total at the end is our current “net worth” -- It’s one of the most important numbers to track
Angel Investing … Maybe Not the Best Idea
Good morning, guys! Happy Friday!! I have a confession to make. I’ve been a naughty investor. I just entered into a highly speculative, extremely risky, might-never-see-my-money-back-again kind of investment. It was only a modest amount (not gambling the whole farm or anything!), given to a start-up finance company I learned about recently. The reason I’m telling you all
My Cliffs Notes on How to Make, Save and Invest Money
I received a sobering comment the other day… “Joel, thanks for the nice stories and happy emails but please give us some content that’s actually worthwhile in terms of making and saving money.” Ooops … I guess I’ve been a little sidetracked with random stories on the blog. I figured that most regular Budgets readers already know the basic “how to” stuff. But now that I think
All About Wills and Estate Planning in Plain English
Wow -- there were a ton of responses to the recent letter to my wife post about estate planning if I were to suddenly die. I guess I’m not the only one feeling underprepared for that type of situation! Researching this stuff a bit further, I wanted to share with you all what I’ve been learning. At the top of my list has been figuring out some type of formal will(s) for me
Wanna Win $1,000? Apply for the 401k Champion Award!
Attention 401k lovers!!! Want to win 1000 bucks!? It’s time to enter the 3rd annual 401(k) Champion Award competition! Three $1,000 prizes will be awarded to 401(k) participants who complete an application and essay about their 401(k) experiences by Oct 28. Now I know you might be thinking… “I never win anything and my chances are pretty low.”… Well, first of all,
