Today is the 10-year anniversary of the day I quit my job. More accurately, it’s the 10-year anniversary of my last day of employment. Exactly 10 years ago today, on April 4, 2008, I finished my final day as a salaried employee. I have never been employed by someone else since. The notion that 10…
It’s an old familiar hum: Every January, we kickoff the calendar year with New Years Resolutions: lose 10 pounds, make smarter investments, create an extra $1,500 per month on the side. Yet by February, we’ve returned to life as usual. The discarded New Years Resolution has become a tired cultural trope. We blame ourselves for…
You should see my Inbox after I’ve left it unchecked for a few days. The sheer volume of crappy pitches, press releases, “check out my infographic” and “could you link to us?” requests would make your head explode. I leave my Inbox untamed for 2-8 days stretches on a semi-regular basis, and when I return,…
Some people are addicted to booze; others gambling. Me? Home renovation. Three months ago, we finished a $13,000 remodel on Rental House #4. To celebrate, we told our contractor to demolish a kitchen in a different house. Call it a victory lap. 🙂 We’re renovating House #2, and we’re coordinating everything — from demolition to final clean-up — through…
Last month, I tracked my time in 15-minute increments for a week and published the humiliating results. Afterwards, I opened this email from a reader: “You gave me a realistic view of what life might be like when I become an entrepreneur -– I could potentially face some of the same challenges that I do…
Back in March 2015, I had asked new Afford Anything subscribers to answer two questions: What’s your wildest dream? What’s keeping you from getting there? After reading through thousands of responses, I heard a theme emerge: “I don’t know how to invest, and I’m afraid of making expensive mistakes.” Let’s tackle that today. As a disclaimer, today’s…
Imagine this: You hop on a flight to Brazil or Costa Rica or Thailand. You spend a month reveling in the sand and surf. You taste new foods. You discover new music. You spot wildlife you’ve never imagined. You don’t check email the entire time. Heck, you don’t even post photos to Facebook. You’re radically offline — like…
Five years ago, Julia Kelly earned $8.50 per hour as a caricature artist at an amusement park. Today she charges $250 per hour for the same service. “But … that’s just one or two hours a month, right?” Guess again. Julia’s art business grosses more than $100,000 per year … and thanks to the power…
Would you rather: Save $12 per year? Save $1,045 per year? Go ahead, think it over. Consult with your family. I’ll wait.
“I only earn enough to make the minimum payment on my loans.” “My boss doesn’t pay me enough, so I can’t save a dime.” “I’d love to quit my job, but I don’t think that’s realistic.” The Naysayer Brigade makes statements like the examples above — statements that give power to their bosses and the economy, while…