Become a Patron! Last month I got to spend some time with a relation who recently left a high-powered tech job, and who asked for some advice about financing a more or less indefinite period of unemployment. I am strongly opposed to mixing money and family, but I eventually relented and offered some ideas in general terms about how I would advise someone who came to me in … [Read more...] about Strategies to pay for an early retirement
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Let’s all go to the movies
When Ronald Reagan needed to explain to the American people the outlandish claims of his voodoo economists, he would often reach back into his remaining intact memories of his first career, as a Hollywood star. Who could forget such iconic roles as "The Gipper," "The Gipper: Tokyo Drift," and of course "2 Gipper 2 Furious?" Reagan patiently explained to his lead-damaged … [Read more...] about Let’s all go to the movies
Everyone should have access to the federal Thrift Savings Plan, but not for you reason you think
Shortly before his humiliation and expulsion from public life, Florida Senator Marco Rubio resurrected the idea of allowing some non-government employees to invest in the Thrift Savings Plan, which is the federal equivalent of private-sector 401(k) and non-profit 403(b) plans. The proposal got some sympathetic attention from lazy personal finance journalists, and some critical … [Read more...] about Everyone should have access to the federal Thrift Savings Plan, but not for you reason you think
What should you do if your Vanguard 403(b) account is getting access to Admiral shares?
Workplace 403(b) retirement plans are, very roughly speaking, the non-profit and public sector's answer to the 401(k) retirement plans offered by private companies. If your workplace 403(b) account is administered by Vanguard, you probably recently received a letter explaining some changes to your account. The most important changes are: a change in fee structure from a … [Read more...] about What should you do if your Vanguard 403(b) account is getting access to Admiral shares?
How much is your obsession with tax efficiency costing you?
Something that I find separates me from the classical financial independence/early retirement community is the particular obsession of that community with achieving financial independence in order to retire early from work. In the framing I see regularly repeated, you're supposed to study for the most lucrative degree possible, then get the most lucrative job available, then … [Read more...] about How much is your obsession with tax efficiency costing you?