Guess who just scored a set of FREE flights for next year’s vacation? That’s right – me! And I’m very excited about it. This year, after spending almost $2,000 on just the flights alone for our annual family vacation, I became extremely determined to find a way to do better when we book our trip to Orlando next year. And I wanted to do this without sacrificing the quality of our travels. You know … do more with less! Just like we did already this year with our mortgage refinance, Sprint cell phone bill, and even our property taxes. That’s when I found a pretty incredible resource: A free ecourse and website that is all about “travel hacking” - different strategies you can use to get some deeply discounted or even free … [Read more...] about How I Got Free Flights and a Great Travel Hacking Resource
Personal Finance
How Soon Can I Refinance My Home Mortgage? I Just Did Within the First Year!
It’s something every new home owner thinks about the minute they sign on the dotted line… If mortgage rates go down, how long do I have to wait to take advantage of that opportunity? How soon can I refinance my home and lower my monthly payment? When you’re a frugal son-of-a-gun like me who’s heading towards financial freedom like a locomotive that’s full steam ahead, the answer is: As soon as it makes financial sense to do so! More specifically: Right away! Yes, that’s right. After having moved less than a year ago, we’ve already successfully completed a refinance of our home mortgage. This is a move that will save us almost $70 per month! But the more appealing aspect: It cost us literally nothing out of pocket, and … [Read more...] about How Soon Can I Refinance My Home Mortgage? I Just Did Within the First Year!
Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver on Retirement Plans – Hilarious!
It's not very often that I find shows on TV that appeal to my financial nerdiness; let alone comedies. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Retirement Plans special. This one HITS THE JACKPOT! It's absolutely hilarious! I've never heard anyone talk about retirement plans quite like this before. It's everything the personal finance community blogs about, but a whole lot funnier! Don't worry if you don't have HBO. You can watch the entire thing on YouTube below. In case you've never heard of it, Last Week Tonight is kind of like the Daily Show on Comedy Central where they take real topics and then blast them. But because its on HBO, they can say (i.e. swear) and do a whole lot … [Read more...] about Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver on Retirement Plans – Hilarious!
Is a Safe Withdrawal Rate of 7.0 Percent Acceptable? The Trinity Study Thought So!
Do you think a safe withdrawal rate of 7.0 percent is reasonable for retirement planning? Unanimously, I can already hear the entire personal finance community scream “NO! Absolutely not!” But what’s interesting is that three of the most-often quoted people in retirement planning seemed to think so: Cooley, Hubbard, and Walz. Just in case you’re not familiar with the names of those personal finance rock stars, they are the three authors who penned the historically important, ultra-popular “Trinity Study”. Yes, the same Trinity Study that validated Bill Bengen’s 4 percent rule and made it one of the most wildly popular tools in retirement planning to date! So then, if the authors validated the 4 percent rule, what is this … [Read more...] about Is a Safe Withdrawal Rate of 7.0 Percent Acceptable? The Trinity Study Thought So!
Do Buy and Sell Signals for Stocks Really Exist? The 10% Experiment
Ever since reading “The 3 Percent Signal” by Jason Kelley (and unfortunately de-bunking its claims in my post here), I’ve been very curious about whether or not buy and sell signals for stocks really exist or not. For anyone who doesn’t remember, the 3 Percent Signal was an interesting concept where you effectively buy or sell shares of an ETF to effectively lock yourself into a 3% gain per quarter. I, unfortunately, somewhat fount this strategy to be a bust when I tried to validate it by reproducing the results. At its basic level, I do believe there is some merit to a “buying or selling stocks when the price is low or high enough” theory. After all, isn't it all just math; small gains here and there that add up over … [Read more...] about Do Buy and Sell Signals for Stocks Really Exist? The 10% Experiment
Is Sprint Total Equipment Protection Worth the Cost? The Numbers May Surprise You!
When it comes to your cell phone, do you have some type of insurance or equipment protection plan? If you do, you’re definitely not alone! With as much as phones get dropped, wet, cracked, sat on, or just plain lost, you almost can’t afford NOT to have some type of coverage. There’s nothing more annoying than having a phone that’s not working 100%. And with as much as they’re charging currently for an iPhone, at first glance, it seems almost crazy not to have some sort of protection for your device. The first time we got my wife her iPhone, we added a coverage plan to her account, and I believe at the time it was only an extra $7 per month. With a deal like that, how could you pass it up? Lately, however, things are different; a … [Read more...] about Is Sprint Total Equipment Protection Worth the Cost? The Numbers May Surprise You!
How the Roth IRA Early Withdrawal Rules Can Help You Retire Early
If you’re an early retirement seeker like me, then here's some good news: The Roth IRA early withdrawal rules make it really easy to get your money out before age 59-1/2 without penalty! Yes, classically a Roth IRA is supposed to be used to provide savers with the opportunity to enjoy tax-free retirement income later on in life. Who doesn’t want to NOT have to pay taxes during retirement? But if you understand the in's and out's of the rules, they can also be used to provide retirement income in thus difficult years between an early retirement and age 59-1/2. It’s a very simple and easy-to-execute strategy. But you still have to be careful! There are some important rules to keep in mind. Otherwise, you might still get … [Read more...] about How the Roth IRA Early Withdrawal Rules Can Help You Retire Early
Does the 3% Signal Investment Strategy Really Work?
Recently I just finished the book “The 3% Signal” by Jason Kelly. As you can read in my book review here, the premise of The 3% Signal is to offer the common man a “simple” strategy for investing that (in theory) has the potential to beat traditional index fund investing! I’ll admit it – this book was scratching me right where I itch! I’m a huge sucker for mathematical-based approaches to investing and optimizing your personal finances. (When I say that, someone like Michael Kitces or Wade Pfau comes to mind.) If you’ve got the right numbers and figures to provide as evidence for your strategy, then I’ll have no trouble giving your research an honest, worth-while listen. More so, even though I recognize and believe in the power of … [Read more...] about Does the 3% Signal Investment Strategy Really Work?
