Writer. Creator. Mentor. Speaker. Today I want to introduce you to my new friend, Jillian. While I’ve only gotten to know her over these past few months, already I can’t recall exactly how she came to my notice. I had heard of her some time ago, but really didn’t pay too much attention. Then, suddenly,… [Continue Reading]
Truly Passive Real Estate Investing
The house pictured above is in Montgomery, Alabama. I have never seen this house in real life. I have never been to Montgomery, although I am sure it is lovely. The odds are good that you, too, have never been to Montgomery and have also never seen this house. Even if you have been to… [Continue Reading]
An International Portfolio from The Escape Artist
The Escape Artist Regular readers know the story. This blog launched in 2011 at the suggestion of a business colleague of mine. I had shared with him letters and notes I had been writing to my daughter, mostly about money and investing. One of my core beliefs is that, in this complex world we have… [Continue Reading]
How to Invest in Bitcoin like Benjamin Graham
“On October 26, 2012 I bought 100 Bitcoins for $1017 USD. As of November 28th, 2017, they are worth almost exactly $1,000,000 USD.” Of late, I have been getting an increasing number of folks asking for my opinion on cryptocurrencies. The above line (cribbed and slightly modified from Lucas’ opening below) would be the ideal… [Continue Reading]
Sleeping soundly thru a market crash: The Wasting Asset Retirement Model
Back in July I found myself up in the far north of Maine looking out at the Atlantic Ocean. I was a guest of one A. Noonan Moose. Mr. Moose owns the beach house with this lovely view where we were guests and it is a far more impressive place than my little shack. The… [Continue Reading]
Angel Investing, or Angel Philanthropy?
If you are reading this blog there is a very good chance you are rich. Or well on your way to becoming rich. Or you may be closer to your starting point and being rich still seems a distant, maybe even improbable, destination. Or you may only stop here briefly before moving on never to… [Continue Reading]
Buy Your Freedom; Rent the Rest
Stan: How did you get JL Collins to post on your blog, like did you relentless email him or something? FIRECracker: Nope, he contacted us and told us he liked our blog. You can imagine our surprise. It was a little bit like Michael Jordan coming over and saying “Hey, you’re pretty good!” jlcollinsnh:… [Continue Reading]
Case Study #15: The Scavenger Life — Freedom first, then Financial Independence
“I can’t believe that I got a college education just so I could end up selling old shoes on the internet.” Over the past five years of writing this blog – thru the comments, reader meet-ups and the Chautauquas – I’ve had the opportunity to get to know jlcollinsnh readers pretty well. While not universal,… [Continue Reading]
Around the world with an Aussie Biker
The motorbike I found parked in my Guatemalan hotel lobby; here in the Moroccan desert In March 2014 I was spending the month in Antigua, Guatemala, where they will kill you for your shoes. Or maybe not. One day I returned to my hotel to find a motorcycle parked in the lobby sporting an Australian… [Continue Reading]
Trish and Stan take an Intrepid Sailing Voyage
January 10, 2015 Trish’s Caribbean Report Part I: This is island life. I’m sitting under a couple of coconut palms, in a rattan chair, a view of the ocean in the distance. There are black and yellow butterflies on the red hibiscus flowers, and a lizard is watching me. In the tree beyond the terrace,… [Continue Reading]