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28 Intriguing Quotes about Investing, F-You Money & Staying the Course from Pathfinders
This past October 31st launch of… Pathfinders …has been two years in the making and it is a book I have wanted to bring to you since 2016 after The Simple Path to Wealth was published. Within months of that book’s release I began to receive incredible stories from people all over the world telling… [Continue Reading]
The Book: Pathfinders
The Simple Path to Wealth
Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free life
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41 Intriguing Quotes about Family, Endgame & The Little Girl Who Wouldn’t Listen from Pathfinders
This is the third and final post of “intriguing quotes” since the October 31st launch of… Pathfinders It has been two years in the making and it is a book I have wanted to bring to you since 2016 after The Simple Path to Wealth was published. Within months of that book’s release I began… [Continue Reading]
The Book: Pathfinders
28 Intriguing Quotes about Investing, F-You Money & Staying the Course from Pathfinders
This past October 31st launch of… Pathfinders …has been two years in the making and it is a book I have wanted to bring to you since 2016 after The Simple Path to Wealth was published. Within months of that book’s release I began to receive incredible stories from people all over the world telling… [Continue Reading]
The Book: Pathfinders
24 Intriguing Quotes from Pathfinders
Halloween has been my favorite holiday since I was old enough to trick-or-treat. But none has been as special as this October 31, 2023. This is the Halloween that launched… Pathfinders has been two years in the making and it is a book I have wanted to bring to you since 2016 after The… [Continue Reading]
The Book: PathfindersFeatured Articles

Part XXXVI: Estate Planning 101 — The Simple Path to an Estate Plan
Pull Your Head Out of the Sand By Vicki Cook and Amy Blacklock Before I sat down to write this post, I re-read The Simple Path to Wealth. This quote from JL… “As individuals we only have one obligation to society: To make sure we, and our children, are not a burden to others.” …is… [Continue Reading]
Guest Posts Stock Investing Series
Investing with Vanguard for Europeans: 2020 update
Please Note: If you are outside Europe and the US, please be sure to read thru the comments on the original of this post. They have become a valuable forum for investors from all over the world. Who knew? Certainly not I. This all started when I wrote a series of letters to my daughter… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Part XVII-B: ETF vs. Mutual Fund — What’s the Difference?
While I touched on it in Part XVII, the differences between ETFs and Mutual Funds is a recurring question here. Perhaps I should have covered it better. Let’s do that now. We’ll use VBTLX and its ETF version, BND, as examples since those were my choices in my most recent move. ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) were… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part XXXV: Investing for Seven Generations
As I have mentioned many times, we don’t discuss secret stuff at Chautauqua. There is no “special sauce” revealed for investing or life not available here on the blog or in my book. But we do kick around ideas and I sometimes explore concepts rattling around in my brain with the exceptional attendees Chautauqua always… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks–Part XXXIV: How to unload your unwanted stocks and funds
If you have come here, read thru the Stock Series and decided the simple low-cost approach described makes sense, you are now faced with the problem of how do you get from where you are to where you want to be. That is, what do you do with all the investments you already have? How, exactly, do… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part XXXIII: Optimism
Ya gotta be optimistic if yer gonna be an English Major Several years ago, as an English Major myself and because I can’t draw, I put a description of the cartoon above in my “About” page and in a post or two I can’t remember just now. In it I invited “one of my talented readers”… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part XXXII: Why you should not be in the stock market
A couple of weeks back my pal and fellow Chautauqua speaker Firecracker and I were talking. At one point I was sharing with her an insight I had begun to develop about myself. Namely that I simply must be fundamentally wired differently than most folks. One of the key human characteristics that research has nailed down… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part XXXI: Too hot. Too cold. Not pure enough.
I write this blog for my daughter and, by extension, people like her. People who know getting investing right can make a huge, positive difference in their lives but who don’t want to obsess over it. For them I created the Stock Series and the book, The Simple Path to Wealth. But, since this is… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part XXX: jlcollinsnh vs. Vanguard
It’s not often I get to be the little guy… You don’t have to read very far around here before realizing I am a huge proponent of investing with Vanguard. They are the only investment firm I recommend and, other than our bank account for paying routine bills, all of our investments are with them…. [Continue Reading]
Money Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part XXIX: How to save money for college. Or not.
Ever since I published this post — Why I don’t like Investment Advisors — people have somehow gotten it into their heads that I don’t like investment advisors. Go figure. And ever since he first interviewed me on his podcast, Radical Personal Finance, my financial planner pal Joshua takes me to task for this. He assures me, with great… [Continue Reading]
Education Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part VIII: The 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
So far in the stock series we’ve examined the market and looked at some sample portfolios built from our two key index funds and cash. Those funds are what we call investments. But in our complex world we must next consider where to hold these investments. That is, in which bucket should which investment go?… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part XXVIII: Debt – The Unacceptable Burden
A couple of years after I was out of college, I got my first credit card. They were tougher to come by in those days. Not like now when my unemployed pet poodle has his own line of credit. The first month I racked up about $300 or so. When the bill came, there was… [Continue Reading]
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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has always been a favorite among travelers, and now it offers even more reasons to love it. The big sign-on bonus and recently introduced additional perks have elevated this card’s appeal, making it a must-have for those seeking flexible and valuable travel rewards. With the introduction of Chase Ultimate Rewards®… [Continue Reading]
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Empower If you have come here, read through the Stock Series and decided the simple low-cost approach described makes sense, you are now faced with the problem of how do you get from where you are to where you want to be. That is, what do you do with all the investments you already have?… [Continue Reading]
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Stocks — Part XVII: What if You Can’t Buy VTSAX? Or Even Vanguard?
Today we’ll explore some alternatives In Part VI of this Stock Series, and in other posts on the blog, I recommend two specific mutual funds: VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund) VBTLX (Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund) These are the funds I own myself. In each case they are the “Admiral Shares” version. As such… [Continue Reading]
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Stocks — Part VI: Portfolio Ideas to Build and Keep Your Wealth
Today we’re gonna look at the fun stuff. What, exactly, can we use to build and keep our wealth. I’m going to give you three portfolios each using the tools (funds) we discussed last time. First will be exactly what I tell my 20-year-old to do. She couldn’t care less about investing. With this simple… [Continue Reading]
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