JLCollinsnh

The Simple Path to Wealth

  • Stock Series
  • Homeownership
  • Case Studies
  • Stuff I recommend
  • Books
  • Interviews
  • About
You are here: Home / business / How to give when you have a business

How to give when you have a business

by jlcollinsnh 67 Comments

Ella Yazzie and her new wood stove

A few years back, three very different things happened and, to the best of my recollection they didn’t happen all that close together. 

First, in 2012, I wrote the post How to Give Like a Billionaire. In it I described how to use Donor Advised Funds (DAF) to maximize your tax deduction for your charitable contributions. In short, the idea was that by making a large donation into your DAF and then distributing the money over the following years, more of it would be deductible.

For example, let’s say you plan to give away $10,000 a year for the next five years. Back in those days, the standard deduction was $5950 for singles and $11,900 for those married and filing jointly. While the standard deduction is a wonderful thing, this also meant a large portion, maybe almost all, of your contribution wouldn’t go to reducing your tax bill. With a DAF, on the other hand, you could contribute and deduct the full $50,000 in the first year and then distribute it in your planned $10,000 chunks over the next five years.

Second, around that time, I was also looking for a new charity to support. Specifically, I wanted one that provided services to Native Americans. I don’t recall how, but the one I found was Adopt-a-Native-Elder (ANE) run by Linda Myers out of Utah. She and her team serve Elders ranging in age from 75 to over 100, mostly on the Navajo Reservation. Native Americans in general are the single most disadvantaged group in our country and none more so than the elderly. Many live in very remote areas on the Res and often without electricity or running water.

Linda Myers

In short, this was exactly what I was looking for. Except for one thing. They were not listed on Charity Navigator (CN), my go-to for vetting charities. Ordinarily that would have been the end of it. There are simply too many scams out there and too many fine organizations not to go with one whose integrity can be confirmed.  And, in fact, I did walk away. 

But I kept checking back and the more I learned, the more I liked what I saw. Finally, I convinced myself to take a chance on them figuring they were just too small to have the time and resources to go through the Charity Navigator vetting process. Still it made me nervous and every time I had the occasion to go on the CN website, I looked to see if they were listed. Then, after a year or two, there they were and with absolutely first rate scores. 

Third, probably around 2015 we were spending a month or so at Shamba, my in-laws’ beach house on Lake Michigan. We had invited Carl (Mr. 1500 Days) and his family to join us for a few days. Carl, being Carl, brought along his pals Keith (The Wealthy Accountant) and Leif (Physician on FIRE). By the end of the weekend, I had two new friends and one cool new idea.

The cool idea came from Keith and it was this: If you have a business, rather than making a charitable donation and listing it on your Schedule A, buy a sponsorship with that charity and deduct it as a business expense. That way you get to deduct the full amount from dollar #1 without your standard deduction pulling away some of the tax savings.

Coincidentally, and very usefully, just this month Keith wrote a post describing this approach in detail so I don’t have to: Charitable giving for businesses

While at the time this was very interesting and I did indeed have a small business – this blog – the revenue was so low it didn’t even cover my expenses. The last thing I needed was a new, even if deductible, expense.

So this all got tucked away into my memory banks and had been rattling around there for the last few years, until a couple of months back. Then, three more things occurred to me:

  1. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 dramatically raised the standard deduction. It is now $12,400 for singles and $24,800 for those married and filing jointly. To be clear, this is great for us taxpayers. But it does reduce the potential tax savings of your charitable contributions, and that makes the sponsorship idea all the more attractive.
  2. With the growth of my blog and my efforts to monetize it, along with the royalties from The Simple Path to Wealth, my little business is now solidly profitable and in the position to help me give away even more money than before.
  3. My respect and enthusiasm for the work Linda and her team do at Adopt-a-Native-Elder has only grown through the years and I wanted to expand my support.

Marie Nez and her new wood stove

With that in mind, in April I sent Linda the following email:

Hi Linda…

Hope this finds you in great health and spirits.
 
For the last few years, we have been donors to Adopt a Native Elder through our donor advised fund with Vanguard: 

The XX XXXXXXX Charitable Fund

You, in turn, always send us a lovely note of thanks. The most recent being Dec 20, 2019.
 
In addition to these contributions, I would like to buy a sponsorship through my company. While I might have missed it, I don’t see sponsorship opportunities on your website. If they are there, you can stop reading and just point me to them.
 
If not, perhaps we can create something simple. The goal is to get this money into your hands in the most tax-advantaged way for me.
 
For this to work, my company has to receive something of value for the sponsorship dollars. Typically it is something like advertising/promotion.
 
But you and I get to decide what that is, and other than satisfying the IRS, I don’t much care. We’d both want it to be something that is as little bother for you as possible. The goal is not to benefit my company. With that in mind, I am open to your suggestions.
 
Please let me know if you are interested and if so how you would like to move forward. Please also feel free to call and we can kick some ideas around.
 
If you want to know more about me and my business, and you should, the link below my name will take you to my blog. I certainly vetted you before donating. 🙂
 
Thanks for your consideration and for the great work you and your team do.
 
Be assured that even if you prefer not to pursue this idea, we will continue to support Adopt a Native Elder as before.
 
Warm Regards,
 
My goal was to get this money into their hands as seamlessly as possible for them. I had no real expectation of any benefit to me, other than the enhanced tax deduction. After all, Native Elders living in remote corners of the Navajo Reservation are not likely readers of my blog or book. But I lacked imagination.
 

Boxes of food ready to be delivered

Linda and her team came back with the suggestion that my contribution go to funding their newsletter sent out to their donors and supporters. The amount needed for 2020 was a bit over what I had in mind and, while they didn’t ask, I rounded it up to cover it fully and sent out the check. Job done:
 
Money in the hands of ANE and put to good use…
As a sponsorship satisfying to the IRS…
And with my logo on the newsletter going out to their donors and supporters who might indeed turn out to have an interest in my work.
 
In short, the process was smooth and simple, due in no small part to the efficiency of Linda and her team. My intention is make this an annual thing with ANE and to explore this idea with other charities we support. If it works with those this well, our giving might well transition entirely into this sponsorship model.
 

Jennie Todacheenie and her newly delivered firewood

More on Adopt-a-Native-Elder

Ordinarily, I don’t like to talk about the specifics of my charitable giving and never have before.* While the religion didn’t stick, some of the teachings from my Catholic upbringing did. Like this one:

Matthew 6:3 (King James Version): “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.”

As phrases.org.uk explains:

That meaning alluded to the wisdom of not giving oneself credit for providing charity to others – just give and forget about it. That view was reiterated by Henry Thoreau in his Walden; or life in the woods, 1854:

“If you should ever be betrayed into any of these philanthropies, do not let your left hand know what your right hand does, for it is not worth knowing.”

While that always made sense to me, in this post I have crossed the line in the interest of explaining this sponsorship/giving/tax technique. Since I have, I may as well take it a step further.

Not only is Adopt-a-Native-Elder incredibly responsible and effective in using the money folks like us contribute, the need is great. Especially in this time of Covid-19.

In one of our conversations, Linda shared with me that the Navajo Reservation is the single most hard hit population in our country with this virus. Seems when the economy shut down, many young Navajos working off the Res were among the first to be laid off. Before the risk was fully understood, they returned to their families many of whom live in multi-generational households. The virus, of course, loved this.

Sure enough, shortly after Linda gave me an insiders look, this tragedy showed up in the news:

“TUESDAY, June 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. center hardest hit by COVID-19 isn’t headline-grabbing New York City; it’s the Navajo Nation in the American southwest…”

If you are looking for a new charity to support, this is a great one. Mostly they focus on delivering food, wood stoves, firewood and helping the Elders sell their hand woven blankets and other goods.

Volunteers who make it happen

Tell Linda I sent you!

**************************************************************

*This should in no way be taken as a criticism of those who do talk about their charitable activities. There are many benefits to sharing those, not the least of which is lighting the way for me to share this story with you.

**************************************************************
 
Stock move update
 
Back in March I shared with you a move I made to eliminate a future capital gains tax in the post Taking Advantage of Mr. Bear. In it I described selling VTSAX in our taxable account, taking advantage of the fact the market had dropped and it could be sold without incurring a capital gain. At the same time, I bought the same amount of VTSAX in our IRAs. Also at the same time, we bought the same amount of VBTLX (bonds) in the taxable account and sold (to buy VTSAX) in the IRAs. Net result: Exactly the same stock/bond allocation, with the capital gain wiped out.
 
This week, with stocks recovered in price, I did the same in reverse. Once again our allocation is the same, but the bonds are back in the IRAs where they are best held. VTSAX is back in the taxable account, but now at a higher cost basis.
 
Job done!
 
***************************************************************
 
Here are some books I am currently reading and enjoying:
 


*****************************************************************

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

« Investing with Vanguard for Europeans: 2020 update
Season’s Greetings!! »

Comments

  1. Chad says

    June 12, 2020 at 9:51 pm

    I have wondered for a while now, and also brought it up to a few financial independence groups the idea of paying it forward.

    I love the idea of charitable giving, but I was also considering teaching.

    With basic things no longer taught in school anymore, I was considering attempting to see if there where groups who went to and mentored/taught the basics such as Debt avoidance, long term savings, investing and so on.

    The best way to lift people up is to “teach them to fish” to borrow from an old book I once read. I have a buddy in the Apache Nation and had also looked at some of the guys I worked with who live in or near the inner city, both of which could improve from independence investing can give you.

    Always love Reading your posts, giving me some motivation to get off my backside and reach out to them again.

    Thank you Sir,
    Chad

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 15, 2020 at 6:57 pm

      Cool idea, Chad…

      …let me know how it goes!

      Reply
    • Genuine Peach says

      July 23, 2020 at 3:04 am

      Definitely agree with this! I remember one business teacher from high school who went outside of the curriculum to teach us budgeting, stock investing, interest calculations, website building, and other useful skills.

      The most fulfilling thing you can do is help lift others. You can also teach on a small scale in your day to day life, especially by example. I plan on teaching in my field of work as well as on the topic of financial independence.

      Reply
    • Bree says

      November 30, 2020 at 11:46 pm

      Chad,
      You might want to consider volunteering with Junior Achievement. It’s a nonprofit that offers a variety of programs in schools K-12 focused on principles of entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Not sure what volunteering opportunities exist in these Covid times, but it might interest you.

      Reply
  2. Finally says

    June 12, 2020 at 10:14 pm

    Have waited awhile for a post and glad you at least included stock update. So much advertisement for one charity. Could have just talked about charitable giving and mentioned it once or twice or 3 times but wow you did quite a lot. But hey it is your blog so do what you want.

    Reply
    • Alan says

      August 26, 2020 at 7:17 pm

      To Finally – Hopefully by reinforcing the message you have taken a look at the charity.
      No doubt like most readers you have gained great value from reading this blog. Surely taking a moment to read the post and learn was worth the seconds of inconvenience.
      I don’t usually post, but this one gave me an unwelcome pang.
      Be kind.

      Reply
  3. D says

    June 12, 2020 at 10:51 pm

    Your VTSAX move incurs the wash rule. You just lost all the tax benefit.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 12, 2020 at 10:55 pm

      Nope.

      Reply
      • D says

        June 12, 2020 at 11:27 pm

        If you sell a stock from one account and immediately buy the same stock in another account, this incurs the wash rule. You will experience legal issues if you don’t handle accordingly.

        Reply
        • jlcollinsnh says

          June 13, 2020 at 12:19 am

          Nope.

          Reply
          • Sheila says

            September 19, 2020 at 8:30 pm

            Hi Mr Collins,

            Thank you for sharing specifics of your charitable giving. One of my objectives this year is to give more, so this month when I found your post I made a donation to ANE. I wanted to let you know that your post inspired me, and likely others, to give.

            Kind regards,
            Sheila

      • D says

        June 12, 2020 at 11:28 pm

        The IRS Wash Sale Rule (IRC Section 1091)

        IRS Publication 550, page 59 states:

        Wash Sales

        You cannot deduct losses from sales or trades of stock or securities in a wash sale unless the loss was incurred in the ordinary course of your business as a dealer in stock or securities. A wash sale occurs when you sell or trade stock or securities at a loss and within 30 days before or after the sale you:

        Buy substantially identical stock or securities,
        Acquire substantially identical stock or securities in a fully taxable trade,
        Acquire a contract or option to buy substantially identical stock or securities, or
        Acquire substantially identical stock for your individual retirement account (IRA) or Roth IRA.

        Reply
        • jlcollinsnh says

          June 13, 2020 at 12:20 am

          Yep.

          Reply
        • Ryan says

          June 13, 2020 at 12:00 pm

          I would interpret one word replies as I was lacking information. A good place to start would be the original post he alluded to. https://jlcollinsnh.com/2020/03/09/taking-advantage-of-mr-bear/

          Reply
          • jlcollinsnh says

            June 15, 2020 at 6:57 pm

            Yep.

  4. HK Goh says

    June 12, 2020 at 11:07 pm

    Well done sir. I am hoping to do the same in Malaysia. Started to identify a few charity organisations and hope to contribute more soon.

    Reply
  5. HK Goh says

    June 12, 2020 at 11:12 pm

    Dear Sir,
    I am thinking of giving away your books to my blog readers since I love your book so much. If I meet you next year, I hope that you can help me to autograph the books so that I can give them away in 2021.
    See you sir!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 15, 2020 at 6:58 pm

      I would be honored 🙂

      Reply
      • HK Goh says

        June 18, 2020 at 9:19 am

        I would be happy to meet in 2021!

        Reply
  6. George Choy says

    June 12, 2020 at 11:42 pm

    Thanks for the suggestion on using sponsorships to support charities – that’s a great idea.

    Reply
  7. Zachary Kirk Holz says

    June 13, 2020 at 12:29 am

    Love it! Practical, philanthropic, eloquent.

    Reply
  8. vorlic says

    June 13, 2020 at 5:28 am

    “To give and not to count the cost.”

    I trust you did very good research here.

    But my right hand would worry that the labour of the returning, healthy Indians will now be worth a lot less and their sense of worthlessness may well be increased. What do Linda and her team do to counteract this possible effect?

    I remember the African seamstresses and dressmakers who were bankrupted when Oxfam flooded their country with second-hand clothes; many turned to prostitution.

    When I consider helping someone, I must be able to answer yes to three questions:

    1. Have they asked for help?
    2. Do I believe they need that help?
    3. Am I able to help?

    There are some obvious exceptions; someone knocked over by a vehicle is quite probably not going to asking calmly for my help, if at all!

    So my left hand says, this person needs help, so I help.

    Thank you for explaining a way of making sure more value gets to the people you’ve decided to help – that is, when the day is done, the Point, and I thank you for it. I plan and work for a time when your precise advice on this matter will be relevant to me and my family.

    Ah, what a conundrum life really is…

    All the best!

    Reply
  9. Angela says

    June 13, 2020 at 11:34 am

    Big elephant in the room: Blacks are quite disadvantaged (as a group) and also disproportionately more effected by COVID-19. Even just the slightest nod to the obvious would have been appreciated here, or even an extra step to list some vetted anti-racist charities. This is the bare minimum you can do to push our society forward and begin to dismantle a racist system that you (and me, as a white person) benefit from. But of course we should be doing MORE than the bare minimum.

    Leif, who you mention above, does this quite well on his blog, with his voice.

    Reply
    • MoneyMonkey says

      June 15, 2020 at 3:12 pm

      Awesome article JL!

      Some of the most fulfilling times in my life were when I was helping someone out of kindness. Getting to a place where I can focus on helping others really motivates me to reach my FI number. Giving is quite possibly the most underrated perk of achieving FIRE.

      Thanks for all you do!

      Reply
      • jlcollinsnh says

        June 15, 2020 at 7:05 pm

        Thanks for the kind words, MM…

        …much appreciated.

        Not sure it is underrated, but it’s definitely a wonderful perk 😉

        Reply
    • Rob says

      June 18, 2020 at 11:42 pm

      Hi Angela,

      Thank you for posting your thoughts, and I feel compelled to simply acknowledge what you wrote. It seems to me that the FIRE community, in general, doesn’t quite know how to address the systemic problems existing in our country. Sure, FIRE is a beautiful thing to strive for as a white person, but it’s not an even playing field if you’re anything but.

      JL, I appreciate all the work you do and I’m grateful to have come across your ideas. It may be too much to ask for, but since you’re truly a gifted writer and a thoughtful person, I think many of us look to you to address “the elephant in the room.”

      With much respect,
      Rob

      Reply
      • T Howard says

        June 21, 2020 at 9:14 am

        Angela and Rob,

        Help me understand why you both are looking to JL and waiting for him to address “the elephant in the room”? How about you think for yourselves and do the research yourself to find and support whatever charities you believe best reflect your priorities?

        As it stands, it appears as though you’re trying to hijack a post about using your wealth to do good for others — in this case, assisting Native Americans elders — to demand JL highlight and support your particular cause. Instead of complaining, why not in your comments make recommendations on charities you personally support that address your issues?

        While I believe the US government has plundered black wealth through slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow, black codes, redlining, the destruction of black wall street, and more, JL’s book can be read and applied by people of any ethnicity. And, if you read FIRE books like Quit Like A Millionaire by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung, you’ll see that FIRE is achievable by more than just white people.

        So, how do we address the systemic problems existing in our country? There are many paths we can take here, but I’d suggest it starts by loving my neighbor as myself. I see JL loving his neighbor by providing his neighbor (of any ethnicity) with education, encouragement, and opportunities to build generational wealth. I see JL loving his neighbor by giving back to causes important to him in a mutually beneficial way.

        Reply
        • Rob says

          June 22, 2020 at 10:40 am

          T Howard,

          The “elephant in the room” is not even acknowledging the uprisings taking place throughout the country in response to the years of systemic racism. To at least pay some respect to the inequities that have existed and promote further awareness of equity work still needed to be done seems to me the minimal thing to do.

          Maybe this is the wrong place to vent about it, but the FIRE community, in general, seems to be very self-congratulatory and not much willing to take on the more “uncomfortable” aspects of our societal responsibilities. Then again, I really wonder if this comes down to politics – yet, another area FIRE doesn’t want to touch.

          Reply
          • T Howard says

            June 22, 2020 at 11:47 am

            Rob,

            Thanks for your response. As I’ve read various FIRE advocates, FIRE principles are rather agnostic. In other words, the principles behind FIRE work for anyone regardless of ethnicity, socio-economic status, religion, education, gender, or political party. Therefore, FIRE appeals to a broad group of people.

            When I listen to African-American leaders who are trying to improve their communities, one of the primary ways they are doing that is through financial education. They are pushing their community to save and invest, create generational wealth, start black-owned businesses, and give back to their own community. In fact, I recently heard one leader who said the best way to defeat systemic racism is for African Americans to build their own FU money through investing in the stock market. In other words, much of what they are saying goes right along with the FIRE principles that JL and others have been teaching and advocating for years.

            Therefore, what JL and other FIRE leaders are advocating does help fulfill their societal responsibilities. They are giving you and others the keys to financial success and independence.

            BTW, the fact that JL is supporting Native American elders tells me he does care about the inequalities and systemic issues in our society. Read your history books about how our government treated and still treats Native Americans.

      • jlcollinsnh says

        June 21, 2020 at 4:18 pm

        If you are not finding African Americans striving for FI and their strong voices in this space, you are not looking very hard for them. There are several of which I am aware and undoubtedly many more of which I am not.

        To get you started, here are two podcasts I’ve been a guest on in the last couple of months:

        https://www.journeytolaunch.com/episode141/

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZtrO3oMOIQ&feature=youtu.be

        To be clear, I didn’t agree to be on these podcasts because they are hosted by African Americans. I agreed because they are impressive voices in the FI world, I wanted to hang out with them and, not least, they were kind enough to invite me. 😉

        That is how I choose all the interview invitations I accept, long with supporting smaller podcasts doing good work and trying to get traction.

        Reply
  10. Chris@TTL says

    June 15, 2020 at 1:18 pm

    Oh! Thanks for the reminder about Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). I also operate a few businesses and into early retirement have thought about how best to leverage their assets and earnings potential to give back/donate.

    I appreciate the point of view from a business and additional direction.

    And that was a pretty solid way to increase your cost basis between taxable accounts/IRA during the COVID-related move up and down!

    Cheers!

    Reply
  11. Josh Dye says

    June 15, 2020 at 10:30 pm

    Hi JL,

    I reached out to you on Twitter about doing a speaking engagement. You asked me to contact you here.

    I know you are burned out on them now. Fortunately, I’m looking at next year in 2021. Plenty of time to rest and recuperate. 🙂

    Let me know how you’d like me to send over the details. Thanks!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 16, 2020 at 8:49 am

      Thanks Josh…

      …I’ll send you a PM.

      Reply
  12. Gus says

    June 17, 2020 at 10:03 pm

    Love your book i’m giving it to my 18yo son to read it !!!

    Reply
  13. Isaac says

    June 18, 2020 at 9:03 am

    Well, it took a pandemic, but I finally sold some VTSAX (at what I thought was a pretty high point) in my 401k for some VBTLX, to have a somewhat less risky/more comfortable for me 80/20 split. I am in my 30s, hope to finish school soon and pay off those student loans and some credit card debt, so am not putting anything in 401k beyond what my employer offers, but I feel I am at least prepared for the next drop! Now I am only waiting for a small PDF update on your book (as I may have heard or read somehwere that you have no plans to publish another book) it has been 4 years you know 😉 all the best!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 18, 2020 at 9:13 am

      In fact, today is the book’s fourth birthday. 🙂

      What in it would you like to see updated?

      Reply
      • Isaac says

        June 18, 2020 at 2:44 pm

        Your book is the first financial book I ever finished, but I do wish there was a chapter dedicated to “what happens if everyone buys index funds” for the average Joe (which I am of course)  who does not understand how if 10 people invest 100$ in a company (which hypothetically is part of the index) only worth 100$, how index funds are not a bubble. This topic has been discussed by others, and you mentioned it I think in one of your interviews… Still a difficult concept to understand. It’s one of those things where even though I know I am investing the right way, I can’t fully explain it to someone else! Although I do like the Bogelism which is something to the effect “Why look for the needle if you buy the haystack?” Also little updates such as new tax laws, benefits, costs, minimum investment needed. The blog is unique in that I think it supplements the book, but it is, as you mention a little disorganised 😉 Not meant in any way as a criticism! Congrats on your books (or as I tell friends, the bible)  4th birthday!

        Reply
        • jlcollinsnh says

          June 18, 2020 at 3:01 pm

          Thanks Isaac…

          Even if I updated it there probably wouldn’t be a chapter on “what happens if everyone buys index funds” as I don’t see that as a ‘real” issue. If you plug that phrase in to the Search box you can find posts and/or comments where I disuss it.

          There are a couple of recent posts in the Stock Series that might become chapters and “Also little updates such as new tax laws, benefits, costs, minimum investment needed” But those are mostly to illustrate the concepts and keeping them updated would be never ending. Not sure I want to go there. 🙂

          Thanks for your kind words and thoughts!

          Reply
      • Dusty says

        November 24, 2020 at 1:59 am

        Mr. Collins,
        Great book by the way.
        What i would like to see addressed in the book is any strategies for lowering tax consequences with regards to minimum distributions in retirement from IRAs and 401Ks?
        Also, i you might discuss a number of pundits have predicted the collapse of Index funds. (Michael Burry is one)

        Sincerely.

        Reply
  14. Inspire To FIRE says

    July 4, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    Thank you for sharing the Charity Navigator site! It looks like a great resource to know that donations are going to reputable organizations that will use it effectively.

    Reply
  15. Germaine says

    July 6, 2020 at 4:11 am

    Hi Mr Collins,

    Do you have a press email address or rep to reach out to for interview requests?

    Would like to invite you to do an online interview 🙂

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      July 6, 2020 at 10:17 am

      Thanks for your interest, Germaine…

      …I’ll send you a PM.

      Reply
      • Germaine says

        July 13, 2020 at 2:27 am

        Hi Mr Collins,

        Please pardon me, but i think the mail didn’t come in, do you mind resending it?

        Thank you very much!

        Reply
  16. Mario Lattuga says

    July 8, 2020 at 4:42 pm

    Hi Mr. Collins,

    I founded the company, Investor Recourse, that was inspired by my years as a securities arbitration attorney representing aggrieved investors who were wronged by their advisors and stockbrokers. Your book is fantastic. In fact, I sent it to more than one relative. Truly a must-read.

    I would love to chat with you about what we’re building; we think you’ll really love it. To that end, could you please contact me at the email address provided? It seems there’s no direct way to get in touch with you. Looking forward to speaking!

    Thanks so much,

    Mario

    Reply
  17. Mo says

    July 16, 2020 at 9:34 pm

    Hi Jim,
    I need your advice, I’m a teacher near my retiement and I have a lot of anxiety getting back to class this fall. My wife and I both have asthma and other health issues. I’m scared to bring this new virus home to my wife and kids. I have listened to your advice and we have saved up F U money to last us for another five years of expenses. If I quit now I will not will be able to retire on time and it might take me a few years to find another job. I had read that you had stopped working for a few year swhen you saved up for your F U money .I’m thinking of doing the same thing.We both have worked hard as teachers to save this money but I feel like we don’t have any other option at this time. Do you think this is a rational thing to do ? Is this the best time to use F U Money?
    Thank you so much for your help and advice.
    Mo

    Reply
  18. Chaim says

    July 28, 2020 at 9:27 am

    JL!!

    I’m at page 177 in your book and I am blown away! So many lessons my Jewish father taught me as a little boy have slipped my mind and I’m grateful to have you as a reminder of those lessons.

    I am 27 and I recently put money into a Roth ira with Betterment and after reading your book I realize that this may have been a mistake. I am in the 22% tax bracket and can be using the tax benefit of a traditional ira to re-invest in a taxable account. On page 150, you advise to “fund a Roth only if you are paying little or no income tax and once your income tax rate rises, fully fund a traditional IRA rather than the Roth”.

    My question is: what do you consider little tax? Is 22% little? (I’m assuming it is not, but want to confirm with you, as the book does not give an example.) I’m forever grateful for Your book!

    Sincerely,
    Chaim

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      August 14, 2020 at 12:16 pm

      https://jlcollinsnh.com/2014/08/25/stocks-part-xxvi-pulling-the-4/#comment-4224849

      Reply
  19. Carolyne says

    August 25, 2020 at 10:25 am

    I need help Jim. How to overcome my fear of investing.
    I’m so afraid of loosing my VERY hard earned money that I find BND too risky and I keep 90% in SHV instead.
    How do I overcome my fear of losing money? and I read your book and all about how bad inflation is and bonds loose value etc..but still, I can’t overcome that fear ! Help !

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      August 25, 2020 at 11:01 am

      If you are that fearful, Carolyne…

      …you should not invest. You will surely panic and sell when the market drops: https://jlcollinsnh.com/2018/03/16/stocks-part-xxxii-why-you-should-not-be-in-the-stock-market/

      You might consider this approach instead: https://jlcollinsnh.com/2017/09/09/sleeping-soundly-thru-a-market-crash-the-wasting-asset-retirement-model/

      Reply
  20. Glen says

    September 22, 2020 at 3:24 pm

    JL,
    This comment is not relevant to this article – just did not know how else to get a hold of you. I wanted to express my thanks and gratitude for your help and advice both on this site and as a guest on many podcasts. I just retired at the young age of 63.5 and your wisdom helped me to retain my resolution through the recent ups and downs of the market (like you I have seen many more examples of this) as I got ready to retire. I have spent the last 3.5 years focusing on this last stage of investing and expense reduction, preparing for this day. I mentioned you specifically on my latest blog post: https://tiedyeseniorfi.com/2020/09/17/gone-fishing-er-retiring/.

    Many thanks -Glen, AKA TDSF, AKA TieDyeSeniorFI

    Reply
  21. Financialslot says

    October 6, 2020 at 11:57 am

    Great job of inspiring people to give back and also teaching how best to do it. Imagine a world when there was no philanthropy. This is my first time on your blog and I am impressed. Please don’t stop, keep the good work on.

    Reply
    • Financialslot says

      December 1, 2020 at 11:54 pm

      Good evening Mr Collins, im a regular reader of your blog and some few months ago commented on your site with a backlink to my site financialslot.

      I am seriously having a Spam problem on my site and trying to do some clean up. On that note i will kindly request you to help me remove the url to my site in the comment above or delete the comment altogether.

      Thanks in anticipation.

      regards,

      Emmanuel

      Reply
  22. Tax Guy says

    October 21, 2020 at 9:52 pm

    Treating charitable contributions as deductible business expenses can be a powerful tool in the right circumstances, but it’s a more narrow set of circumstances than suggested in the post. In order for a payment to charity to be deductible as a business expense, the payment must be made with a reasonable expectation of a financial return commensurate with the amount of the payment. Treasury Regulations Sec. 1.162-15(a)(1). https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/26/1.162-15

    If you pay $1,000 to charity and expect to generate enough additional margin to at least cover the cost, then the entire $1,000 appears to be deductible as a business expense. You said, “I had no real expectation of any benefit to me, other than the enhanced tax deduction.” If you don’t expect to generate enough additional revenue to justify the payment, the payment is not a business expense (and is instead a charitable contribution), regardless of the fact that it is labeled as “advertising.”

    TOMS donates a pair of shoes for every pair they sell. TOMS can presumably deduct the value of the shoes they donate as a business expense because the donation program is part of its branding and the company presumably expects that the donations will increase their sales by enough to justify the program. If you advertised that you were going to donate x% of book sales through a certain date to charity and reasonably expected that the promotion would increase your sales by enough to justify the donation, then you’d have a good argument to deduct the donation of the percentage of sales to charity. In your case it sounds like it might be easier to show a business case for donating a percentage of sales than to show a business case for the donation to charity because the value of the advertising provided by the charity is questionable.

    This is just a general discussion and is not intended, and should not be construed, as advice. You should consult your tax professional before taking any action.

    Reply
  23. Uyen Nguyen aka Win Win says

    November 16, 2020 at 12:49 am

    Hello JL,

    I love your work and got so much value in just this one blog post. You are really helping people in generously sharing your very specialized knowledge. Very rare do I see people truly care in this field and I genuinely appreciate your contribution to this space.

    I’m reaching out because we have an online conference for family finances to empower families with real education around money and finance. I’d love to have you on. Do you have any interest in me highlighting you?

    Nice to be connected,
    Uyen Nguyen AKA Win Win

    PS I recently started a blog with zero experience… Guess we have to start somewhere don’t we? =D

    Reply
  24. Gary Miller says

    November 18, 2020 at 10:38 am

    Hello,
    What an amazing book! I listened to it again today for the 5th time. I get something more out of it every-time I listen to it.
    Question: As I am Canadian so 🇨🇦 I can’t buy VTSAX 😥. Instead, I’ve been investing in …..
    VUN.TO = 30%
    VCN.TO = 40%
    VAB.TO = 20%
    XEC.TO = 4%
    XEF. TO = 6%
    Is there any advantage or disadvantage to just buying VGRO.TO? I’m 48 with a pension coming at 55, my wife and I now own our home and she plans to work until I retire at age 55 then we might just work part time on our terms and live off my pension of $4k per month.
    Thank you in advance.

    Reply
  25. Irina says

    November 22, 2020 at 11:45 pm

    Mr Collins are you doing allright? No word from you here on the blog since August. Are you doing this social distancing thing with internet as well? Getting me worried. 👀

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      November 23, 2020 at 10:36 am

      Doing fine, Irina. Thanks for asking.

      Just taking a break.

      But I have been on a lot of podcasts and you can find me on FB & T.

      Take care!

      Reply
      • Irina says

        December 1, 2020 at 10:53 pm

        Great to hear! Breaks can be wonderful! Will look for podcasts/FBT.
        Holiday Cheers.

        Reply
  26. Jimmy says

    November 26, 2020 at 10:22 am

    I gotta be honest…this blog is one of the very few that still cares about the FIRE movement….
    It makes me really sick to see all these FIREs on the internet bragging about how great their lives are….
    GCC just wrote about a fancy and exclusive club he got in…1500days about how nice his Tesla is.
    Most FIRE guys lost the essence of the movement. It’s a shame, a real shame!!!

    Reply
    • carl says

      November 26, 2020 at 12:25 pm

      Hmm, I don’t have a Tesla. “Jimmy” or whatever name you’re going by today, would you like to buy me one?

      Reply
      • Cassedy says

        November 27, 2020 at 11:33 am

        I think he meant your 1k shares of Tesla which is worth about 8 to 10 model X

        Reply
        • carl says

          November 27, 2020 at 9:33 pm

          Hmmm, I do talk about Tesla often, but as in all things financial, I don’t think I brag. Is merely presenting the facts gloating?

          I think of my blog as a bit of an open journal. I’m not shy about writing about the bad parts either like my September performance where I was down $140,000.

          Reply
      • Jeremy says

        December 1, 2020 at 12:19 am

        I’ll buy you a Tesla, Carl
        https://www.amazon.com/MiniToy-Model-Alloy-Vehicles-Toddlers/dp/B08H1MNXNV/

        Reply
    • Jeremy says

      December 1, 2020 at 12:16 am

      I became aware of this comment when it was shared with me via email.

      Respectfully, a part of why you feel sick is you’ve adopted a philosophy and value system that is incompatible with well-being.

      The idea that there is one right way to live, and all other ways are inferior/improper/wrong is a common trait of extremist religious groups (ISIS), radical political systems (fascism), and cults. It’s why you misconstrue things as bragging and believe that spending more is bad irrespective of why. It’s also why the choices of somebody you don’t know and will never meet aren’t just a passing curiosity.

      Money is a tool. I use it to do things I like, such as not work, travel, and get access to a swimming pool where I don’t need to share lanes.

      We practiced frugality in order to build our retirement fund. Now that it is big enough, we practice abundance.

      Best of luck to you

      Reply
      • Cassedy says

        December 19, 2020 at 5:53 pm

        I just hope nothing like 1929 happens to you and make you regret these decisions. I’ve also noticed that you hired a nanny and the club he mentioned. All good with me but I understand why it feels wrong and it goes against what the FIRE philosophy is about. Best of luck

        Reply
        • Jeremy says

          December 19, 2020 at 9:02 pm

          Again, respectfully, this is dumb.

          Reply
          • Gary Miller says

            December 21, 2020 at 10:45 am

            lol very respectful lol
            You just lost another fan here Jeremy

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Simple Path to Wealth Book by JL Collins

Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker or My Review
  • Recommended Credit Cards
  • Personal Capital or My Review
  • Betterment or My Review
  • NewRetirement
  • Tuft & Needle or My Review
  • Vanguard.com

More Helpful Links

  • My Manifesto
  • Financial Calculators
  • Ask Jlcollinsnh

Subscribe to New Posts

Follow JLCollinsNH on TwitterJLCollinsNH On Twitter

  • Latest
  • Popular
  • Comments
  • When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast
  • Staying the Course in War-Time Staying the Course in War-Time
  • Pathfinders update from Hh Pathfinders update from Hh
  • A New Chapter for Chautauqua A New Chapter for Chautauqua
  • Season’s Greetings!! Season’s Greetings!!
  • Fun with numbers: Historic Stock Market Returns Fun with numbers: Historic Stock Market Returns
  • Let’s talk about what’s up with Bonds, and what ever else you’d like to ask me Let’s talk about what’s up with Bonds, and what ever else you’d like to ask me
  • Today Week Month All
  • Stocks — Part 1:  There’s a major market crash coming!!!!  and Dr. Lo can’t save you. Stocks -- Part 1: There's a major market crash coming!!!! and Dr. Lo can't save you.
  • Why your house is a terrible investment Why your house is a terrible investment
  • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
  • Stocks — Part VI:  Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth Stocks -- Part VI: Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth
  • Stocks — Part II:  The Market Always Goes Up Stocks -- Part II: The Market Always Goes Up
  • Why you need F-you money Why you need F-you money
  • Stocks — Part V:    Keeping it simple, considerations and tools Stocks -- Part V: Keeping it simple, considerations and tools
  • Today Week Month All
  • When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast
  • Staying the Course in War-Time Staying the Course in War-Time
Ajax spinner
Categories
  • Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest
  • Business
  • The Book: The Simple Path To Wealth
  • Cars and Motorcycles
  • Case Studies
  • Chautauqua
  • Education
  • Guest Posts
  • Homeownership
  • How I Lost Money in Real Estate before it was Fashionable
  • Life
  • Money
  • Q/A Posts
  • Random cool things that catch my eye
  • Stock Investing Series
  • Stuff I Recommend
  • Travels

Archives

  • ► 2023 (3)
    • ► January (3)
      • When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast
      • Staying the Course in War-Time
      • Pathfinders update from Hh
  • ► 2022 (12)
    • ► December (3)
      • A New Chapter for Chautauqua
      • Season's Greetings!!
      • Fun with numbers: Historic Stock Market Returns
    • ► October (1)
      • Let’s talk about what’s up with Bonds, and what ever else you’d like to ask me
    • ► August (1)
      • The Price of Security
    • ► July (1)
      • Case Study #17: Buying into the market right before a Bear
    • ► June (1)
      • Case Study #16: Helping dad with an inheritance
    • ► May (1)
      • Just inked a contract for my next book, and I want you to be a part of it!
    • ► April (1)
      • The Dinky Diner
    • ► March (1)
      • Chautauqua: A terrible business model
    • ► February (2)
      • Chautauqua is back for 2022!
      • JLCollinsnh.com Enters New Era
  • ► 2021 (14)
    • ► December (1)
      • Season's Greetings!!
    • ► November (2)
      • The new book is out!
      • Are bonds done?
    • ► October (1)
      • Guess what I just finally read for the first time...
    • ► September (1)
      • The negligence that led me to DIY investing
    • ► August (3)
      • Chainsaws and Credit Cards
      • Part XXXVI: Estate Planning 101 -- The Simple Path to an Estate Plan
      • The Simple Path to a Lucrative Career
    • ► July (1)
      • Help Wanted: a new book
    • ► June (1)
      • The Top 9 (Bad) Arguments Against Bitcoin
    • ► May (2)
      • Collins on Crypto
      • The Alfred Hitchcock Path to FI
    • ► April (1)
      • Time to sell?
    • ► February (1)
      • Mariah International: All that glitters…
  • ► 2020 (11)
    • ► December (1)
      • Season's Greetings!!
    • ► June (1)
      • How to give when you have a business
    • ► April (4)
      • Investing with Vanguard for Europeans: 2020 update
      • Part XVII-B: ETF vs. Mutual Fund -- What's the difference?
      • Reviewing the comments on my post of April 1st
      • Why I will no longer be writing this blog
    • ► March (4)
      • My move from VMMXX to VBTLX
      • COVID-19: The unvarnished truth from Doc G.
      • Chautauqua sits out 2020
      • Taking advantage of Mr. Bear
    • ► February (1)
      • Mr. Bear, Podcasts, a good book and why I should be in 100% stocks
  • ► 2019 (11)
    • ► November (4)
      • How we bought our new car
      • The House Hacking Strategy
      • What does buying a new car really cost over the years?
      • Why we bought a brand new car
    • ► August (1)
      • A Guided Meditation for When the Stock Market Is Dropping
    • ► June (2)
      • 7 Days in Heaven: or Why Slowing Down Will Get You There Sooner
      • Quit Like a Millionaire
    • ► March (1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXXV: Investing for Seven Generations
    • ► February (1)
      • Chautauqua 2019 - UK & Portugal - Tickets Now Available
    • ► January (2)
      • Mr. Bogle passes
      • "I wanted the unreasonable"
  • ► 2018 (16)
    • ► December (1)
      • Happy Holidays! and a bit on Mr. Market
    • ► November (3)
      • Truly Passive Real Estate Investing
      • Car Talk: An update on Steve and looking at Leafs
      • Chautauqua 2018 Greece: A week for the gods!
    • ► October (1)
      • On Twitter, gone for Chautauqua and dark on comments till November
    • ► September (2)
      • What we own and why we own it: 2018
      • Tuft & Needle: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress
    • ► August (1)
      • Kibanda Part 5: Pretty, and pretty much done
    • ► June (3)
      • Stocks--Part XXXIV: How to unload your unwanted stocks and funds
      • Tracking your holdings
      • Stocks -- Part XXXIII: Optimism
    • ► May (2)
      • Kibanda Part 4: Quicksand!
      • My Talk at Google, Playing with FIRE and other Chautauqua connections
    • ► March (1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXXII: Why you should not be in the stock market
    • ► February (1)
      • Chautauqua 2018: Mt. Olympus, Greece
    • ► January (1)
      • An International Portfolio from The Escape Artist
  • ► 2017 (15)
    • ► December (2)
      • The Bond Experiment: Return to VBTLX
      • How to Invest in Bitcoin like Benjamin Graham
    • ► October (1)
      • Kibanda Part 3: Running the numbers
    • ► September (1)
      • Sleeping soundly thru a market crash: The Wasting Asset Retirement Model
    • ► August (2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXXI: Too hot. Too cold. Not pure enough.
      • Kibanda, Part 2: Negotiating the deal
    • ► July (2)
      • Time Machine and the future returns for stocks
      • Kibanda: Mr. Anti-house buys his dream house
    • ► June (2)
      • Is there an interior designer in the house?
      • The Simple Path to Wealth goes Audio!
    • ► May (1)
      • Life on the Beach
    • ► April (1)
      • Sell! Sell!! Sell!!! Sell?
    • ► March (1)
      • Vicki comes to Chautauqua: United Kingdom
    • ► 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

© Copyright 2022 jlcollinsnh.com Privacy Policy Disclaimers