the money tools you need to be set free
Now that I’ve quit my job, stopped paying rent, and jetted off to Southeast Asia, I realized I need to sit down and figure out exactly how much it costs to travel the world. As my investments get to work, I get to relax. Well, as long as I don’t go on a spending spree. […]
Since I started this blog, I picked a high (for me) FIRE number. The goal was $1.2M by the age of 32.
Instead, I’m retiring 3 years earlier with half my original net worth goal.
“We would like to offer you the job.” Oh what sweet, sweet words to hear. Every so often, I like to send out my resume to test the job market in my area. The unfortunate truth is that to see a significant raise in salary, the best thing to do for your career is to job hop.
In this reader case study, a woman wonders if she’s saved enough to exit the rat race.
In 2021 I moved from Santa Barbara to Amsterdam and made it my goal to spend more. This report will go into detail about every dollar I spent in 2021.
We were walking down the path by the river to go meet our friends. As it was the last day before our cross-country move and we still hadn’t finished packing or cleaning, this was a bit of an interesting choice. I didn’t think it was a good idea to pause our cleaning frenzy to go […]
Yes, we are moving cross-country during a global pandemic. It turns out that hospitals are considered “essential,” in times like these, so Mr. Mechanic’s residency will start in Santa Barbara on July 1st as originally scheduled. Last year we packed the car to the brim with our favorite things and drove it from Portland, OR […]
Black Lives Matter I’m a couple of days late on this post because frankly there have been more pressing concerns in the world right now. Cities all over the country are rising up, a century of fury whipped up and foaming into the streets. It was a long time coming. We live in a country […]
I counted the bills as the man loaded my bike into his car. “Twenty…eighty…one-twenty, one-forty…” I made it to $350 and nodded, mentally saying goodbye to my metal steed. In two months we will be moving across the country. When we moved here, we shoved everything into the car and drove it three thousand miles […]
The first thing that struck me about The Cash Machine was its cover. Of course it appealed to me—a machine under construction, tools strewn about the floor, and money flying in every direction? Sounds like just the book for ol’ Financial Mechanic over here. The subtitle sealed the deal: A Tale of Passion, Persistence, and Financial Independence. I was sold!