Financial Independence

"In the dark, bewildering, trap-infested jungle of misinformation and opaque riddles that is the world of investment, JL Collins is the fatherly wizard on the side of the path, offering a simple map, warm words of encouragement and the tools to forge your way through with confidence. You'll never find a wiser advisor with a bigger heart." -- Malachi Rempen: Filmmaker, cartoonist, author and self-described ruffian This book grew out of a series of letters to my daughter concerning various things-mostly about money and investing-she was not yet quite ready to hear. Since money is the single most powerful tool we have for navigating this complex world we've created, understanding it is critical. "But Dad," she once said, "I know money is important. I just don't want to spend my life thinking about it." This was eye-opening. I love this stuff. But most people have better things to do with their precious time. Bridges to build, diseases to cure, treaties to negotiate, mountains to climb, technologies to create, children to teach, businesses to run. Unfortunately, benign neglect of things financial leaves you open to the charlatans of the financial world. The people who make investing endlessly complex, because if it can be made complex it becomes more profitable for them, more expensive for us, and we are forced into their waiting arms. Here's an important truth: Complex investments exist only to profit those who create and sell them. Not only are they more costly to the investor, they are less effective. The simple approach I created for her and present now to you, is not only easy to understand and implement, it is more powerful than any other. Together we'll explore: Debt: Why you must avoid it and what to do if you have it. The importance of having F-you Money. How to think about money, and the unique way understanding this is key to building your wealth. Where traditional investing advice goes wrong and what actually works. What the stock market really is and how it really works. Why the stock market always goes up and why most people still lose money investing in it. How to invest in a raging bull, or bear, market. Specific investments to implement these strategies. The Wealth Building and Wealth Preservation phases of your investing life and why they are not always tied to your age. How your asset allocation is tied to those phases and how to choose it. How to simplify the sometimes confusing world of 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA and Roth accounts. TRFs (Target Retirement Funds), HSAs (Health Savings Accounts) and RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions). What investment firm to use and why the one I recommend is so far superior to the competition. Why you should be very cautious when engaging an investment advisor and whether you need to at all. Why and how you can be conned, and how to avoid becoming prey. Why I don't recommend dollar cost averaging. What financial independence looks like and how to have your money support you. What the 4% rule is and how to use it to safely spend your wealth. The truth behind Social Security. A Case Study on how this all can be implemented in real life. Enjoy the read, and the journey!

Discover the ten key issues to achieving your financial goals and how to use them to realize your dream of financial independence From saving to purchase a first car, to putting kids through college to planning for retirement, to preserving your estate for your loved ones, our financial goals change from one stage of life to the next. While those goals and the challenges we face in achieving them may differ, all of them have certain things in common. Saving, budgeting, managing debt, minimizing taxes and living within your means. These are a few of the 10 Key Wealth Management Issues which come into play (to varying degrees) when working toward specific financial goals. But there's one goal for which success relies on all ten keys coming together in perfect harmony: financial independence, also known as "Point X." No matter how you define it—whether it's a retirement income of $25,000 a year, or an estate worth $250 million—your future financial independence requires that you deal effectively with all ten key issues. And now this book shows you how to get it done, along with the guidance of a trusted advisor. Supplies you with a complete roadmap for arriving at "Point X," financial independence with key milestones and important twists and turns clearly defined Identifies the 10 key wealth management issues and offers priceless advice and guidance on negotiating each on your road to financial independence Provides you with both success and failure stories so you can learn from others' real life experiences Provides you with tax planning facts and strategies within the wealth management issues that will show you how to minimize your most significant expense and at the same time maximize your savings on the road to your "Point X"

What if a happier life was only a few simple choices away? A successful entrepreneur living in Southern California, Scott Rieckens had built a “dream life”: a happy marriage, a two-year-old daughter, a membership to a boat club, and a BMW in the driveway. But underneath the surface, Scott was creatively stifled, depressed, and overworked trying to help pay for his family’s beach-town lifestyle. Then one day, Scott listened to a podcast interview that changed everything. Five months later, he had quit his job, convinced his family to leave their home, and cut their expenses in half. Follow Scott and his family as they devote everything to FIRE (financial independence retire early), a subculture obsessed with maximizing wealth and happiness. Filled with inspiring case studies and powerful advice, Playing with FIRE is one family’s journey to acquire the one thing that money can’t buy: a simpler — and happier — life. Based on the documentary

A fully revised edition of one of the most influential books ever written on personal finance with more than a million copies sold “The best book on money. Period.” –Grant Sabatier, founder of “Millennial Money,” on CNBC Make It "This is a wonderful book. It can really change your life." -Oprah For more than twenty-five years, Your Money or Your Life has been considered the go-to book for taking back your life by changing your relationship with money. Hundreds of thousands of people have followed this nine-step program, learning to live more deliberately and meaningfully with Vicki Robin’s guidance. This fully revised and updated edition with a foreword by "the Frugal Guru" (New Yorker) Mr. Money Mustache is the ultimate makeover of this bestselling classic, ensuring that its time-tested wisdom applies to people of all ages and covers modern topics like investing in index funds, managing revenue streams like side hustles and freelancing, tracking your finances online, and having difficult conversations about money. Whether you’re just beginning your financial life or heading towards retirement, this book will show you how to: • Get out of debt and develop savings • Save money through mindfulness and good habits, rather than strict budgeting • Declutter your life and live well for less • Invest your savings and begin creating wealth • Save the planet while saving money • …and so much more! "The seminal guide to the new morality of personal money management." -Los Angeles Times

"How to retire in your 20s and 30s (without winning the lottery). This book provides a robust strategy that makes it possible to stop working for money in less than a decade."--Page 4 of cover.

Financial Autonomy is a fresh, innovative book about money. But unlike most money books, it's not focused on making you the richest person in your street, or worse, the richest person in the cemetery. Instead, the focus of this book is on gaining choice. What can you do on the money side of your life, to provide you with the choice to pursue maximum happiness in all the other aspects of your life.Have you ever listened to a guest on a radio program or a speaker at an event talking about some amazing experience they've had? Perhaps it was traveling through Tibet in a beaten-up Land Rover, sailing around the world, jumping out of planes in a wing suit, or starting a business or charity of their own, driven by a magnitude 10 passion to make an impact.And when listening to these inspiring stories, have you ever wondered how they managed to organise their life so that it was possible? Do you wish you could organise your life to do what's important to you?Financial Autonomy is a book about money but it's equally about gaining choice. If you get the money side of your life right, you will have the choice to pursue maximum happiness in all the other aspects of your life. Personal finance expert Paul Benson believes there are three vehicles to create enough wealth to have the choices you desire are: (1) Investing in shares; (2) Investing in property; and (3) Working for yourself (starting a side hustle or small business). He explores these in detail, as well budgeting and saving - and as you'd expect, he gives readers a choice of strategies they can adopt to succeed in these areas.

"As I watched this video, I can't help but marvel at the awesomeness of the universe and God Almighty in how He connects the dots. A young Russian girl in deep rural Siberia fell in love with a tiny Island across the globe that she had never been to. She engulfed herself in its culture and music. A poor ambitious young man journeyed from Jamaica to Russia seeking a better life through afforded opportunities that didn't materialize and ended up in Vietnam instead. On a bored and lonely day, he saw the picture of a Russian girl on the net celebrating her birthday and casually said "Happy Birthday." Fast forward 6 years later and, as we say, the rest is history --- second book is needed." ~ M. Symister (YouTube Channel Subscriber). Our union has given birth to an international movement now known as "Life With The Stevens." With the launch of this Book Series, we are celebrating six years of marital bliss, two lovely boys and financial independence before the age of thirty-five. We want to start this series by sharing our financial journey and how we became financially independent. We hope to help other individuals all over the world by showing how we did it on the small island of Jamaica. We own multiple properties and have been able to take care of our family from our investments in real estate and the stock market. Errol has taken a sabbatical from playing professional football going on two years now. Ekaterina is a full-time mom and wife. They both started the YouTube channel "Life with the Stevens," which have grown exponentially, and their content have helped patrons to find the same success they have experienced. They also seek to document their journey in books, and this is the first in the series.

Get rich slowly! Financial independence is a marathon, not a sprint. The financial crisis revealed the hazards of financial illiteracy. Governments desperately want citizens to become financially independent so theyll be less of a burden on them. Findependence Day presents personal finance in a cant put down story format easily digested by young adults entering the work force and the world of money. Because money problems often cause marital breakups, it focuses on the financial journey of a young couple who experience the usual ups and downs of job loss, buying homes, raising children, investing and pensions, starting businesses, coping with stock market volatility and more. The secrets of financial independence are critical wherever you are in the financial life cycle: Newlyweds embarking on family formation will discover the importance of financial planning. Debt-plagued graduates will be motivated to embrace guerrilla frugality. Home-owners will learn the foundation of financial independence is a paid-for home. Those in their first jobs will embrace employer 401(k) plans, traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. New parents will discover the need for life insurance and saving for childrens education. Mid-life investors will learn how to cut costs in their portfolios while benefiting from the expertise of financial planners. Those near retirement will learn about advanced concepts like annuities and Asset Dedication. Jonathan Chevreau is the editor of MoneySense magazine, former personal finance columnist for the Financial Post and author of nine financial books, including The Wealthy Boomer: Life After Mutual Funds. Hes active in social media and blogs at www.findependenceday.com. Once in a blue moon, a financial book is written that should be required reading for all. Such is the case with Findependence Day. -- Peter Grandich, The Grandich Letter A tour de force: a personal-finance book that is hard to put down. Larry MacDonald, CanadianBusiness.com Having some fun while learning what's good for you is a double win -- particularly learning what we all need to know to live happier lives." Charles Ellis, author of Winning the Losers Game This revised all-American edition features end-of-chapter summaries of financial concepts learned, a glossary and bibliography of books that will boost your financial literacy or that of your kids.