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You are here: Home / business / Mr. Money Mustache

Mr. Money Mustache

by jlcollinsnh 35 Comments

A few weeks ago I received a private email from Mr. Money Mustache.  He runs one of my very favorite blogs.  Indeed, I have often thought that if I had had access to such wisdom at the start of my financial journey I’d have gotten far further far faster.

But, alas, when I started the internet was yet to be and computers filled buildings that took up entire city blocks. ILLIAC was one of the first and while at the University of Illinois I took a course that allowed access to it.  After watching it being programmed with laboriously prepared punch cards to perform simple calculations I remember walking out thinking:  “Clearly this is a technology without a future.”

One of the many reasons I’m not Bill Gates.

ILLIAC

Anyway, in his email Mr. MM said several very kind things.  Of them all,

“skilled with swear words”

brought the biggest smile to my face.

After the butter, he proposed that I write a guest post and he gave me some guidelines.  Basically, he was looking for a geezer perspective. Since I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he does over there I agreed.

Oh, and access to his huge audience played a role.

The post is titled:

It has Never Been About Retirement

I hope you’ll check it out.  While you’re there, take some time to poke around MMM.  Great stuff, well worth reading.

I do.

Related

Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker is a resource that I learned about through my work with Jonathan and Brad at ChooseFI, and first heard about Salesforce as a career option in an episode where we featured Bradley Rice on the Podcast. In that episode, Bradley shared how he reached FI quickly thanks to his huge paychecks and discipline in keeping his expenses low. Jonathan teamed up with Bradley to build Talent Stacker, and they have helped more than 1,000 students from all walks of life complete the program and land jobs like clockwork, earning double or even triple their old salaries using a Salesforce certification to break into a no-code tech career.
  • Credit Cards are like chain saws. Incredibly useful. Incredibly dangerous. Resolve to pay in full each month and never carry a balance. Do that and they can be great tools. Here are some of the very best for travel hacking, cash back and small business rewards.
  • Personal Capital is a free tool to manage and evaluate your investments. With great visuals you can track your net worth, asset allocation, and portfolio performance, including costs. At a glance you'll see what's working and what you might want to change. Here's my full review.
  • Betterment is my recommendation for hands-off investors who prefer a DIFM (Do It For Me) approach. It is also a great tool for reaching short-term savings goals. Here is my Betterment Review
  • NewRetirement offers cool tools to help guide you in answering the question: Do I have enough money to retire? And getting started is free. Sign up and you will be offered two paths into their retirement planner. I was also on their podcast and you can check that out here:Video version, Podcast version.
  • Tuft & Needle (T&N) helps me sleep at night. They are a very cool company with a great product. Here’s my review of what we are currently sleeping on: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress.
  • Vanguard.com

Filed Under: business, Life, Money Tagged With: financial journey, mr money, technology

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Comments

  1. Kenneth says

    May 26, 2012 at 5:43 pm

    Dear Mr. Collins,
    I greatly enjoyed your guest post on Mr. Money Mustache, whose blog I have been following for 3-4 months now. I am 62 years old, and not quite in as good a shape as I should be, financially speaking. But, I’m trying, am saving 60 percent of my income now, and my home will be paid off at the end of this year, and that’s it for debt for me.
    I am in as good a shape as I should be physically, working out 6 days a week, 45-60 minutes a day, and having lost 70 pounds in the past 3 years (oh the years of being a frustrated office worker..). I recently completed reading a book titled Younger Next Year, and they recommend 45 minutes a day of vigorous exercise, 6 days a week. I’m here to tell you that it works Anyhow I’ve read 5 or 6 of your posts, and agree with your overall philosophy but feel I still have a great deal to learn from you, so I’ve bookmarked your blog and will work my way through it. You might pick up more than a few of my fellow Mustachian readers!
    Regards,
    Kenneth

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 26, 2012 at 6:05 pm

      Welcome Kenneth….

      Great to see you here and I’m delighted you are finding value. Congratulations on getting the home almost paid off and a 60% savings rate is very impressive. hat’s off to you!

      But what really impresses me is the 70lb weight loss. Outstanding!! Are you where you want to be?

      This is what I need to do, but it ain’t easy. as you must know.

      Cheers!

      Jim

      Reply
      • Kenneth says

        May 26, 2012 at 7:24 pm

        Well in one way I could be considered at goal. I was at 270 pounds, dropped to 200 within 8 months of my diet and exercise start date, and have held within 5 pounds of this for over 2 additional years. DW and I play a lot of golf, and we walk now, where we used to ride before. This is real wealth in life, to feel good, be fit and happy. Unfortunately because I am behind the curve on finances, I am looking at another 3-4 years of office work. I probably have another 15 pounds to go and I plan to lose it after I retire, by taking up a side hobby or two, say biking and hiking.

        Reply
        • Kenneth says

          May 26, 2012 at 7:31 pm

          P.S. I have read now pretty much everything under your “Recent Posts” bullets on the left. Great stuff, and a great public service, thank you so much.

          I too have suffered from over investor itis over the years, and am convinced you are on the right track with your index fund approach. I hate bonds and would never touch them now because someday rates will explode to the upside (remember 5 percent savings accounts?) and bond funds will be decimated. Real estate still has at least a couple of years of fun times declining some more in the future. I think the best best for now is 75 pct index fund, 25 pct cash. In January of each year, I plan to take my 4 pct withdrawal, and add it to my cash stash, unless the market is down YOY, in which case I’ll defer the withdrawal and check the situation again the next January. If the next January is up 0-7 percent, I would draw 4 percent, if 8+ I would draw 8 percent (to make up for the lost year). Etc.

          Reply
          • jlcollinsnh says

            May 26, 2012 at 10:19 pm

            Wow Kenneth….

            I’m impressed and flattered.

            did you check out http:

            //jlcollinsnh.com/2012/05/12/stocks-part-vi-portfolio-ideas-to-build-and-keep-your-wealth/

            your 75% stock/25% cash allocation is very similar to the last portfolio I described there and have been thinking about. Have you actually implemented this yourself yet?

            Maybe you could reply and review your idea in the comments on that post. It would add to the discussion.

            thanks!

        • jlcollinsnh says

          May 26, 2012 at 10:21 pm

          big time major league kudos!

          major change to your diet as well or all exercise?

          Reply
          • Kenneth says

            May 26, 2012 at 10:26 pm

            I’m about 80 percent fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and brown rice. 20 percent other typical american diet stuff, except I avoid red meat and prefer fish and chicken where possible. but i had a burger just yesterday after golf. no one is perfect.

            p.s. if dementia or alzheimers runs in the family, you need to start taking some coconut oil mixed in with your rice, oatmeal and popcorn. see dr. mary newport astounding documentation of her husband’s severe alzheimer’s case, right here: http://www.coconutketones.com/whatifcure.pdf

  2. femmefrugality says

    May 26, 2012 at 6:35 pm

    Definitely will check it out! Can’t believe you got to see the internet in its infancy! Bad call, obviously, but I probably would have made the same one.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 26, 2012 at 6:44 pm

      Actually I didn’t pay any attention at all to the internet until it grew to be a teenager and slapped me upside the head.

      yep. that and the phone and the TV.

      Radio was a big hit when It first came around, along with the phonograph.

      Oh, and electrically was cool and them newfangled horseless carriages. sure wish I’d unloaded that buggy-whip stock….

      But the wheel. Now that was something!!

      by cracky. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Sue says

    May 26, 2012 at 7:07 pm

    Hi Jim! Glad to see you featured over at MMM. I followed you over here from the comments section there some time ago. I’ve set up my investments based on lots of ideas from your posts and the bogleheads wiki. Many thanks for all your writing!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 26, 2012 at 10:12 pm

      Hi Sue….

      Glad to have you as a reader and very pleased you’ve decided to add a comment.

      I very much appreciate the support!

      Reply
  4. The Keichi One says

    May 26, 2012 at 9:07 pm

    Hi Jim,

    I also just caught your post over at MMM and thought it would be easier to catch your attention over here. 😉 What a great blog you have here and an inspiration to those of us looking to follow the same path. I always love finding a new story and philosophy to immerse myself in. Just when I’ve think I’ve found all there is on the internet a stumble across a new blog. Thanks so much for writing! Please don’t stop.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 26, 2012 at 10:10 pm

      Hi Keichi One…

      Glad you came over here to visit.

      Frequently writing this blog has felt a bit like talking to myself. Comments like your keep me inspired and on task.

      Thanks!!

      Reply
  5. Financial Noob says

    May 27, 2012 at 1:55 am

    Great post over on MMM, Jim. As a young ‘un, I love being able to read about your experiences. I always look forward to your next post. Keep up the great work!

    Reply
  6. Financial Noob says

    May 27, 2012 at 1:58 am

    I loved the post on MMM, Jim. As a young ‘un, it’s been wonderful to read through some of your experiences and life lessons. It’s thanks to people like you, MMM, and a few others out there that I’ll be taking control of my life and making it what I want at an early age. Even at 26 years old I keep thinking, “Why couldn’t I have discovered this sort of thing earlier?? Like in high school!”. But I feel very lucky to be gaining your wisdom when I am.

    Keep up the great work! I always look forward to the next post.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 27, 2012 at 4:18 pm

      Hey, Thanks FN!

      Wow, to an old grey beard like me 26 sounds wonderfully young to be beginning your FI journey. That, along with avoiding the sinkholes I managed to drop into along the way, will see you go further than I could have dreamed.

      hope you keep commenting around here and share your progress.

      Reply
  7. Shilpan says

    May 27, 2012 at 11:12 am

    I thought I knew you Jim. And, after reading your post at MMM, I was right my friend. You are an amazing soul. Your daughter ought to be proud of her father. You understand that money is just a means to do whatever your heart wants. I feel that there is a place between two streams of thoughts — one preached by Dave Ramsey to save and live way below your means, and another by Tim Ferris of 4 hour work week who thinks that spending money on a glass of red wine now is far more important than having a million dollars in 40 years. You have the answer.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 27, 2012 at 4:28 pm

      Ha!

      last evening I was telling my wife about you. Your daughters, your hotels, your work and your blog. I was struck with how much I actually knew about you. How you think, your ambitions, your history, your values. all from your blog and your comments here.

      I was telling her how much I admire and respect you, how much you’ve taught me thru your writings and how I’ve come to consider you a friend and consular.

      I think my daughter is proud of me. I certainly am of her. As I’m sure you and yours are of each other.

      But she’d also say I drift into lecture mode with her a bit too often and, confound it, she’s right.

      Reply
      • investlike1percent says

        May 27, 2012 at 8:24 pm

        to shilpan and jim,

        my daughter is 3. i only hope i can come close to raising her as you two have your children. amazed at how different life perspectives change once kids enter the equation. number 2 is on its way.

        Reply
      • Shilpan says

        May 28, 2012 at 2:09 pm

        That’s an honor for me Jim. I am humble to be in this great nation with great friends like yourself. There is not much money to be made from blogging, but there isn’t any other medium of communication either offering a new promise to make great friends like yourself, and to enrich my knowledge horizon.

        Reply
  8. investlike1percent says

    May 27, 2012 at 1:47 pm

    Thank you both!!!. I found MMM through Jim’s site and have been reading both blogs for a few weeks now. You both have inspired me to start up a blog. Luckily, I am 36 and FI. Unluckily, I am not unshackled from work as I feel I have so much more to do. Looking forward to coming out of Lurking status and getting to know you guys and everyone else as we all help each other conquer our demons whatever they may be.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 27, 2012 at 4:35 pm

      Wait. this is a first. most people are finding me thru MMM.

      You found MMM thru jlcollinsnh???

      Ha! Take that, Mr. MM!!

      Congrats on hitting FI, InvestLike, and at 36. Cool beans.

      and congrats on the new blog. you’ve now, like Mr. MM and me figured out how to do lots of work for little (Mr. MM) or no (me) money at all. 😉

      Reply
      • investlike1percent says

        May 27, 2012 at 4:39 pm

        yup, found MMM through you!!!! read all your posts and will thank you for consistently making me contemplate and reflect. so much more to learn from you.

        Reply
        • jlcollinsnh says

          May 27, 2012 at 4:56 pm

          having just gotten back from your new blog, I think you might have that backwards. 🙂

          looking forward to reading more of your story.

          Reply
  9. pachipres says

    May 27, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    Hi Jim,
    I too read your article at MMM. I was thrilled to see your article there because I have consistently lurking on your own blog site now. Is there anyway I could email you privately about a financial decision my dh and I are trying to make. Thanks.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 27, 2012 at 5:03 pm

      Hey, Pachipres….

      glad to have you commenting.

      typically I prefer to answer questions here so others might benefit from the discussion, but I gather this must be more personal. I’ll shoot you an email.

      Reply
  10. yourlifeforless says

    May 29, 2012 at 12:35 pm

    Awesome, awesome story. Thanks for sharing your insights to those of us just starting out on our journey. I’d never heard of F-You money before, but maybe that’s a better aim for our savings than “retirement.”

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 29, 2012 at 1:56 pm

      My pleasure and, yeah, I agree….

      ….it’s never been about retirement for me, just having leverage and options. F-You Money says that best, I think.

      Reply
  11. Jodie says

    May 30, 2012 at 4:42 am

    Hi, I was hoping you could help me out? I have so many questions but my first ones relate to the Vanguard fund – I am in Australia and I’ve found it hard to 1. translate the funds you and Mr Money Mustache talk about in the US system to the ones available on the Australian site (I’m assuming that I can’t invest in the US ones?) and would appreciate some assistance if you have the time to look? If you have the time, see http://www.vanguard.com.au/; 2. whether you would recommend the funds or ETF (not even sure what ETFs are); 3. if you know the difference between management costs (as on the Australian site) and average expense ratio (as on the US site and discussed my MMM); and 4. if you’re ever concerned about having your money all with one company?

    Many thanks – appreciate the service of your blog and help if you have the time,
    Jodie

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 30, 2012 at 7:57 pm

      Hi Jodie….

      …and welcome. Great questions. Let’s take a look.

      1. I’m not sure if Vanguard Funds offered in the USA are available to people in other parts of the world. It likely varies country to country. If Vanguard has a presence in your country a quick call to them should provide an answer. If not, an international call or email to the USA location should work.

      2. ETF = Exchange Traded Funds. These are basically mutual funds that trade like stocks. They are relatively new and have become wildly popular amongst traders. But that’s the “foam” we discussed in Part III and so not of interest for our simple approach. However, as we’ll see, sometimes they are the only option and they do just fine then.

      3. Thanks for providing the link to http://www.vanguard.com.au Very interesting to poke around there and here are a few things I notice:

      –it is very Australia (AU) centric. No surprise. As you know my recommendations have been very USA centric but the US is the dominate world economy and it’s companies are largely international in scope. I am unfamiliar with the health and size of the AU economy but my guess is you’ll want a broader scope.

      — The funds have generally higher costs than those here in the USA, although still low by comparison to other companies.

      — The ETFs have lower costs than the funds, the same as in the USA. So, in this case, I’d focus there. Specifically you might want to look at these:

      VTX (US Total Market Shares) This is an exact replica of VTSAX (stocks) and even the .06 expense ratio is the same.

      Unfortunately, there is not a direct match for the Bonds and REITs. They do offer these two, both of which are AU centric:

      VGB (Vanguard Australian Government Bond Index)
      VAP (Vanguard Australian Property Securities Index) REIT

      4. No concern as long as it is the right type company. A mutual fund company, like Vanguard, doesn’t actually have our money in hand. It is invested in the specific funds. If the company goes down the company money disappears and the company investors get hurt, but the funds and the money in them are still there.

      This is distinctly different from hedge funds, private equity funds, private investment pools and the like. Anytime you turn your actual $$$ over to an advisor or advisory company you are basically saying “Here. Invest this for me and let me know how it turns out.” There is no separation between your money and the company’s. That was the Bernie Madoff situation for example.

      Hope this helps!

      Reply
      • Petey says

        August 16, 2013 at 1:04 pm

        Hi again Jim,

        New comment to an old post here, but your feedback re: Australia has been very interesting.

        On the topic of ETFs, does it matter who the broker is? Say if the broker goes under, I still have my shares, correct?

        Reply
        • jlcollinsnh says

          August 16, 2013 at 5:13 pm

          Hey petey…

          Other than cost where you buy etfs should not matter

          Reply
  12. Woodreaux says

    December 23, 2013 at 9:50 pm

    I’ve been reading thru MMM’s blog from the first post and I’ve noticed your comments there and stared reading your blog from the beginning as well.
    I truly enjoy your writing and wisdom.
    I would love to get your opinion on my position as we are going to one income soon due to another addition in the household. We are expecting a third child and my wife will be staying home with the kiddos.
    I am reading thru you Stock Series now and am looking forward to opening my Vanguard account soon.
    I will post my questions in later posts so I can get as many eyes on it as possible as I would enjoy many of your readers opinions as well.
    Great job again and enjoy your Holidays.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      January 3, 2014 at 9:04 am

      Hi Woodreaux…

      Thanks! I especially appreciate the comment on my writing. I put a lot of effort into it and it is nice to see it get noticed.

      I also appreciate your willingness to read thru the blog before posting your questions. I realize that’s not easy, but most answers are likely already there.

      Congrats on #3 and your wife’s ablitiy to be a stay-at-home mom. We did that when our daughter was young and, in my opinion, it was worth far more than anything we might hove bought with the extra income.

      Have a wonderful 2014 and I’ll look forward to more of your comments!

      Reply

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    • ► January (2)
      • Chautauqua - Ecuador 2017 open for reservations
      • Chautauqua - United Kingdom: August 2017
  • ► 2016 (22)
    • ► December (3)
      • Season's Greetings and other cool stuff
      • Angel Investing, or Angel Philanthropy?
      • Mr. Bogle and me
    • ► November (1)
      • Where did you learn about money?
    • ► October (2)
      • Buy Your Freedom; Rent the Rest
      • So, what do you drive?
    • ► September (2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXX: jlcollinsnh vs. Vanguard
      • A visit to the Frugalwoods
    • ► August (1)
      • What the naysayers are missing
    • ► July (1)
      • Reviews of The Simple Path to Wealth; gone for summer
    • ► June (2)
      • The Simple Path to Wealth is now Published!
      • A peek into The Simple Path to Wealth
    • ► May (1)
      • It's better in the wind. Still.
    • ► April (3)
      • Cool things to check out while I'm gone
      • Stocks — Part XXIX: How to save money for college. Or not.
      • Help Wanted: The Book
    • ► March (1)
      • F-You Money: John Goodman v. jlcollinsnh
    • ► February (2)
      • Q&A - V: The Women of Amphissa
      • jlcollinsnh gets a new suit
    • ► January (3)
      • Chautauqua 2015 Reviews, 2016 registration open
      • Case Study #15: The Scavenger Life -- Freedom first, then Financial Independence
      • 3rd Annual (2015) Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest results, and my forecast for 2016
  • ► 2015 (18)
    • ► December (2)
      • Q&A - IV: Strawberry Patch
      • Seasons Greetings! and other cool stuff
    • ► October (2)
      • Personal Capital; and how to unload your unwanted stocks and funds
      • Stockchoker: A look back at what your investment might have been
    • ► September (2)
      • Case Study #14: To Dream the Impossible Dream (and then realize it)
      • Hotel Living
    • ► August (1)
      • Mr. Market's Wild Ride
    • ► June (4)
      • Gone for Summer, an important note on comments and random cool stuff that caught my eye
      • Around the world with an Aussie Biker
      • Case Study #13: The Power of Flexibility
      • Stocks — Part VIII: The 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
    • ► March (2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXVIII: Debt - The Unacceptable Burden
      • Chautauqua October 2015: Times Two!
    • ► February (2)
      • YNAB: Best Place to Work Ever?
      • Case Study #12: Escaping a soul-crushing job before you're 70
    • ► January (3)
      • Case Study #11: John, a small business owner in transition
      • Trish and Stan take an Intrepid Sailing Voyage
      • 2014 Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest results, and my forecast for 2015
  • ► 2014 (29)
    • ► December (2)
      • Diamonds and Happy Holidays!
      • Micro-Lending with Kiva
    • ► November (3)
      • Chautauqua February 7-14, 2015: Escape from Winter
      • Stocks -- Part XXVII: Why I Don’t Like Dollar Cost Averaging
      • Jack Bogle and the Presidential Medal of Freedom
    • ► October (3)
      • Tuft & Needle: A better path to sleep
      • Nightmare on Wall Street: Will the Blood Bath Continue?
      • Help Wanted
    • ► September (1)
      • Chautauqua 2014: Lightning strikes again!
    • ► August (2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXVI: Pulling the 4%
      • Stocks -- Part XXV: HSAs, more than just a way to pay your medical bills.
    • ► July (3)
      • Stocks -- Part XXIV: RMDs, the ugly surprise at the end of the tax-deferred rainbow
      • Summer travels, writing, reading and other amusements
      • Moto X, my new Republic Wireless Phone
    • ► June (1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXIII: Selecting your asset allocation
    • ► May (1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXII: Stepping away from REITs
    • ► April (3)
      • Q&A III: Vamos
      • Q&A II: Salamat
      • Q&A I: Gaijin Shogun
    • ► March (2)
      • Top 10 posts
      • Cafe No Se
    • ► February (4)
      • Chautauqua 2014 preview, closing up for travel and other random cool things that caught my eye of late.
      • Case Study #10: Should Josiah buy his parents a house?
      • Case Study #9: Lars -- maximizing some good fortune and considering "dollar cost averaging"
      • Case Study #8: Ron's mother - she's doin' all right!
    • ► January (4)
      • roundup: Some random cool things
      • Stocks — Part XXI: Investing with Vanguard for Europeans
      • Case Study #7: What it looks like when everything financial goes wrong
      • 1st Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest 2013 results, and my forecast for 2014
  • ► 2013 (41)
    • ► December (4)
      • Closing up for the Holidays, see you in 2014
      • Betterment: a simpler path to wealth
      • Case Study 6: Helping an ill and elderly parent
      • Stocks -- Part XX: Early Retirement Withdrawal Strategies and Roth Conversion Ladders from a Mad Fientist
    • ► November (3)
      • Death, Taxes, Estate Plans, Probate and Prob8
      • Case Study #5: Zero to 2.6 million in 25 years
      • Case Study #4: Using the 4% rule and asset allocations.
    • ► October (3)
      • Republic Wireless and my $19 per month phone plan
      • Case Study #3: Let's get Tom to Latin America!
      • The Stock Series gets its own page
    • ► September (2)
      • Case Study #2: Joe -- off to a fast start!
      • Chautauqua 2013: A Week of Dreams
    • ► August (1)
      • Closing up shop plus an opening at Chautauqua, my new podcast, phone, book and other random cool stuff
    • ► July (1)
      • They Will Kill You For Your Shoes!
    • ► June (4)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII-b: Should you avoid your company's 401k?
      • Shilpan's Seven Habits to Live More with Less
      • Stocks -- Part XIX: How to think about money
      • My path for my kid -- the first 10 years
    • ► May (5)
      • Why your house is a terrible investment
      • Stocks — Part XVIII: Investing in a raging bull
      • Dining with the Ghosts of Sarah Bernhardt and Alfons Mucha
      • How we finally got the house sold
      • Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can't buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard?
    • ► April (4)
      • Greetings from Prague & a computer question
      • Swimming with Tigers, a 2nd chance on the Chautauqua, a financial article gets it wrong and I'm off to Prague
      • Storage, Moving and Movers
      • Homeless, and a bit on the strategy of dollar cost averaging
    • ► March (4)
      • Wild Turkeys, Motorcycles, Dining Room Sets & Greed
      • Roots v. Wings: considering home ownership
      • How about that stock market?!
      • The Blog has New Clothes
    • ► February (5)
      • Meet Mr. Money Mustache, JD Roth, Cheryl Reed & me for a Chautauqua in Ecuador
      • High School Poetry, Carnival, cool ads and random pictures that caught my eye
      • Consignment Shops: Best business model ever?
      • Cafes
      • Stocks -- Part XVI: Index Funds are really just for lazy people, right?
    • ► January (5)
      • Social Security: How secure and when to take it
      • Fighting giraffes, surreal landscapes, dancing with unicorns and restoring a Vanagon
      • My plan for 2013
      • VITA, income taxes and the IRS
      • How to be a stock market guru and get on MSNBC
  • ► 2012 (53)
    • ► December (6)
      • See you next year....until then: The Origin of Life, Life on Other Worlds, Mechanical Graveyards, Great Art, Alternative Lifestyles and Finding Freedom
      • Stocks -- Part XV: Target Retirement Funds, the simplest path to wealth of all
      • Stocks -- Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks -- Part XIII: The 4% rule, withdrawal rates and how much can I spend anyway?
      • How I learned to stop worrying about the Fiscal Cliff and you can too.
    • ► November (2)
      • Rent v. owning: A couple of case studies in Ecuador
      • So, what does a month in Ecuador cost anyway?
    • ► October (4)
      • See you in December....
      • Meet me in Ecuador?
      • The Podcast: You can hear me now.
      • Stocks -- Part XII: Bonds
    • ► September (6)
      • Stocks -- Part XI: International Funds
      • The Smoother Path to Wealth
      • Case Study #I: Putting the Simple Path to Wealth into Action
      • Tales of Bolivia: Calle de las Brujas
      • Stocks -- Part X: What if Vanguard gets Nuked?
      • Travels in South America: It was the best of times....
    • ► August (1)
      • Home again
    • ► June (4)
      • Yellow Fever, closing up shop for the summer and heading to Peru y Bolivia
      • I could not have said it better myself...
      • Stocks -- Part IX: Why I don't like investment advisors
      • Happy Birthday, jlcollinsnh; and thanks for the gift Mr. MM!
    • ► May (6)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII: The 401K, 403b, TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
      • Mr. Money Mustache
      • The College Conundrum
      • Stocks -- Part VII: Can everyone really retire a millionaire?
      • Stocks -- Part VI: Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth
      • Stocks -- Part V: Keeping it simple, considerations and tools
    • ► April (6)
      • Stocks -- Part IV: The Big Ugly Event, Deflation and a bit on Inflation
      • Stocks -- Part III: Most people lose money in the market.
      • Stocks -- Part II: The Market Always Goes Up
      • Stocks -- Part 1: There's a major market crash coming!!!! and Dr. Lo can't save you.
      • You can eat my Vindaloo, mega lottery, Blondie, Noa, Israel Kamakawiwo 'Ole, art, film and a ride on the Space Shuttle
      • Where in the world are you?
    • ► March (7)
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part V: Sold! and the taxman cometh.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part IV: I become a Landlord.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part III: The Battle is Joined.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part II: The Limits of the Law.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part I: Impossibly Naive.
      • You, too, can be conned
      • Armageddon and the value of practical skills
    • ► February (6)
      • Rent v. Owning Your Home, opportunity cost and running some numbers
      • The Casanova Kid, a Shit Knife, a Good Book, Having No Regrets, Dark Matter and a bit of Magic
      • What Poker, Basketball and Mike Whitaker taught me about Luck
      • How to Give like a Billionaire
      • Go ahead, make my day
      • Muk Finds Success in Tahiti
    • ► January (5)
      • Travels with "Esperando un Camino"
      • Beanie Babies, Naked Barbie, American Pickers and Old Coots
      • Selling the House and Adventures in Staging
      • The bashing of Index Funds, Jack Bogle and a Jedi dog trick
      • Magic Beans
  • ► 2011 (22)
    • ► December (1)
      • Dividend Growth Investing
    • ► November (2)
      • The Mummy's head, Particle Physics and "Knocking on Heaven's Door"
      • "It's Better in the Wind" or why I ride a motorcycle
    • ► October (1)
      • Lazy Days and School Days
    • ► July (2)
      • The road to Zanzibar sometimes goes thru Ecuador...
      • Johnny wins the lotto and heads to Paris
    • ► June (16)
      • Chainsaws, Elm Trees and paying for College
      • Stuff I’ve failed at: the early years
      • Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat
      • The. Worst. Used. Car. Ever.
      • Top Ten reasons your future is so bright it hurts my eyes to look at it
      • The Most Dangerous Words Your Customer Can Say
      • How not to drown in The Sea of Assholes
      • What we own and why we own it
      • The Ten Sales Commandments
      • My ever so formal and oh so dry CV
      • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
      • The Myth of Motivation
      • Why you need F-you money
      • My short attention span
      • Why I can’t pick winning stocks, and you can’t either
      • The Monk and the Minister

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