Tag: financial freedom

July 17, 2019Written By Paula Pant

Unusual Ideas about Self-Care … FIRE Edition

There are people who claim that ‘self-care’ requires wasting money.

They’ll encourage you to “treat yourself!,” because “you deserve it!”

Buy those shoes! Enjoy that upscale sushi restaurant! Upgrade to the nicer, newer car! You work hard. You deserve it!

Uh-huh.You know what else you deserve?

You deserve the relief that comes from wiping out a debt.

You deserve the joy that comes from buying an investment or a rental property.

You deserve the pride that comes from maxing out your contributions to a retirement account.

You deserve the stress relief that comes from taking a long walk in the park while listening to an audiobook, or taking a yoga class, or enjoying a hard workout at the gym.

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March 20, 2019Written By Paula Pant

So I Gave a Talk at Google …

A few months ago, I got an invitation to speak at Google.

“Cool,” I thought. “That’s, like, grown-up stuff!”

The invitation came from one of my podcast listeners, David Moltz, who works at the company’s Los Angeles office and who hosted the hour-long Q&A.

“Could you talk about financial independence,” he asked me, “but maybe leave out the part about everyone quitting their job?”

“Haha! Sure thing,” I replied.

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February 18, 2019By Paula Pant

#178: How to Make Work Optional, with Tanja Hester

Tanja Hester retired at age 38.

She had a negative net worth until her late 20’s, thanks to a combination of student loans, buying expensive cocktails and clothes, living far beyond her means, and not paying attention to her money. If you were to have met the 27-year-old version of Tanja, you wouldn’t guess that she’d be a likely candidate for retiring early.

Yet a decade later, she’s saved 40x of her annual cost of living.

How? Tanja worked as a political consultant in Los Angeles, and during her career, ascended to important high-ranking roles. Every promotion came with more grueling hours, accompanied by a raise.

Tanja maintained her same standard of living, banking every raise. This simple strategy allowed her to rapidly grow her net worth.

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September 7, 2018By Paula Pant

#149: Tell me about something that scared you — from Camp FI

Welcome to the September 2018 First Friday bonus episode!

We recorded this episode at Camp FI, which stands for Camp Financial Independence. It’s a gathering of people who are pursuing financial independence; we spend a few days eating, drinking, and having late-night poolside conversations about money. There are several Camp FI’s throughout the year; I […]

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August 13, 2018Written By Paula Pant

How Much is Enough?

The idea behind financial independence is that your passive income — typically through investments — is enough.

But how much is enough? Enough for what?

The typical reaction that many people have to this question is to define “enough” based on their current standard of living.

For example: “Right now, my spouse and I […]

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April 25, 2018Written By Paula Pant

15 Insightful Books about Investing, Money, Work and Life

I love to read. If you share my enthusiasm, you might enjoy this variety of books about money, work and life that I recommend.

Feel free to scroll, or click on one of these links to skip ahead to your favorite section.

Productivity Books Money Mindset Books Investing Books Real Estate Books

Productivity […]

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March 20, 2018Written By Paula Pant

Here’s a Counterintuitive Idea for Your Retirement …

Once upon a time, in southern California in 1994, there lived a man named William Bengen.⠀

His friends called him Bill.

Bill was born in Brooklyn, and he studied aeronautics at MIT. He wrote a big paper on advanced model rocketry. Then he became an executive at a soft drink company. Finally, 17 years […]

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March 6, 2018Written By Paula Pant

Why Money Won’t Solve Your Problems

A few years ago, my friend J.D. Roth told me a story that’s stuck in my mind ever since. ⠀
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During his 20’s and early 30’s, J.D. was broke and in credit card debt. But in his mid-30’s, he started a business, and within three years, he sold it for a […]

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November 16, 2017Written By Paula Pant