Find your ideal country for financial independence—higher salaries, lower costs, and a faster path to early retirement!

Where would you relocate to fast-track financial independence? Explore the best and worst cities in the US and Canada for FI in 2024!

Find the best global destinations for faster financial independence today.

Explore top European locations for financial independence with insights on salaries and cost of living data.

Considering Germany for Financial Independence? Learn the basics on salaries, taxes, cost of living, culture, and more!

Ensure your portfolio never runs out with the VPW—flexible withdrawals linked to life expectancy and market performance.

Personal insights on balancing financial independence and raising kids. Experiences from parents on the journey to freedom

Learn how ‘The Second Mountain’ reveals paths to overcome isolation and unhappiness.

Align green living with financial independence for wealth and impact!

Unlock financial independence with stealth wealth, avoiding lifestyle creep, and focusing on freedom over status.

War & Stock Markets: Historical Insights, Investment Tips, Key Trends

Retire up to 7 years earlier by leveraging geographic arbitrage in affordable countries like Portugal, Mexico, and Thailand

Discover how capital gains taxes in top retirement destinations like Spain, Portugal, and Thailand impact your early financial independence timeline

Discover the top countries for early retirement in 2024 and accelerate your path to financial independence with geographic arbitrage

Discover the Guardrail Withdrawal Strategy: A flexible, smarter path to early retirement beyond the 4% rule.

Renting vs Buying: Discover the 30-year net worth impact and learn how each option affects your path to financial independence.

Unlock 8 powerful lessons on frugality from Vicki Robin’s 'Your Money or Your Life' to transform your finances and achieve financial freedom

How to achieve financial independence by understanding the crossover point from Vicky Robin's 'Your Money or Your Life.'

Discover Vicky Robin’s 9 powerful insights from 'Your Money or Your Life' to transform your work mindset and achieve financial freedom

Discover 9 timeless lessons on mastering time and living with purpose from Seneca’s 'On the Shortness of Life'

Do you even realize how leveraged your life is? If your debts are higher than your portfolio, you ought to consider paying them down.

Shark Tank makes angel investing look pretty exciting on TV. Learn who should consider being an angel investor and how to mitigate the risks.

Joined by tax guru Alexis Gallati, we have another Friends of WCI episode, where we answer questions about the benefits of hiring your spouse and children, the tax implications of ...

This is how WCI spent the last year and what we have planned for 2025. As always, we want to give thanks to our community for your support.

The risk of being sued is the elephant in the room during every clinical encounter with patients. Here's what to do if it happens.

Compound interest is vastly important in your financial life. But don't quit it too early. Otherwise, you'll miss out on huge gains.

If you want to increase your return on investment, you'll need to take on more risk. But, be careful how you try it—if you try it at all.

The VA doesn’t offer a home equity loan, but learn about other options for veterans to access home equity, like the VA cash-out refinance.

A VA loan can be used for a second home in several scenarios. Learn more here.

Yes, you can use a VA loan to buy a fixer-upper, and there are specific loan types designed for this purpose. Learn more here.

This article explains just how VA seller concessions function, the rules governing them, and how they differ from closing costs.

Discover how to purchase a foreclosed home using a VA loan, exploring eligibility criteria, benefits, and possible disadvantages. Learn essential steps and tips to navigate the pro...

VA loans have different requirements for manufactured, mobile and modular homes. Learn which home type the VA loan covers and how to qualify.

You may have to pay a VA Funding Fee when trying to get a VA home loan. Use this VA funding fee calculator to see if you'd pay and how much.

VA residual income minimums help lenders see how large a loan someone can afford. Read how much you need with our VA residual income charts.

While VA loans don't require a down payment, borrowers must meet certain credit score minimums. Read about minimum credit scores you need for a VA loan.

You can buy a barndominium or shouse with a VA loan - learn more about eligibility, advantages, and tips for veterans.

This fee is far lower than if you pay your taxes through a tax preparation service or software, as you’ll next.

One of the main differences between hospitalists and primary care physicians is that while you can always find a primary care physician in a hospital setting, a hospitalist does no...

When it comes to retirement plans for self-employed physicians or those with side gigs, two popular options are the SEP-IRA and the Solo 401(k). Though both the Solo 401(k) and SEP...

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Sunday Best where we comb through the internet to curate the best reads for you.

Unlike standard disability insurance, ODI provides coverage if you’re unable to perform the specific duties of your medical specialty, even if you can work in another capacity.

It’s no secret that we live in a society that’s obsessed with appearances. Doctors, in particular, often get tagged with the reputation of being big spenders. A sprawling mansion, ...

The AAMC Residents and Fellows Stipend Report is released yearly and provides insights into the financial landscape of graduate medical education. This year’s report showcased an i...

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Sunday Best, where we bring you our favorite reads from all over the web.

Let’s just get this out of the way up front. A 401k is definitely still worth it for doctors…and anyone else. Unfortunately, I am hearing more and more

A step by step guide that shows you how to successfully complete a Backdoor Roth IRA contribution via Vanguard in 2023 (for a mutual fund or brokerage IRA).

I had the opportunity to review the latest publication from Christine Benz, which is based upon interviews with 20 experts in various aspects of retirement,

The literary realm of medical professionals is like taking a peek into another world you could’ve never imagined. Doctors don’t just save lives: they pen down

Welcome to another edition of the Sunday Best, where we read through the internet and blogosphere to bring you the best of everything. 

Discover the companies that had their IPO in 1975 and how the market was changing.

Over the past few years though, I continue to get increasingly concerned about how we don’t protect our data and identities in the digital world we live in.

As the holiday rush fades, another shortened trading week could still spark outsized moves, with housing data poised to confirm or reinforce resilience,

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Sunday Best!

Most recently I experienced the ignorance of the crowd during my trip to Japan. For those that don’t know, the thing that I spend the most money on every year

Santa’s got his elves to help him spread holiday cheer, and you’ve got your stethoscope, which means your superpower is making a difference. This Boxing Day, why not channel that g...

Christmas isn’t about perfection – it’s about connection, in all of its beautifully imperfect forms. It’s in the burnt cookies, the off-key carols, and the spontaneous moments that...

An inside look at why author Sam Dogen, aka Financial Samurai, wrote his new book, Millionaire Milestones: Easy Steps To Seven Figures.

Donald Trump will be the 47th President Of The United States with JD Vanc as his VP. Here's a look at what Trump means for your investments.

A case study on buying stock on margin at a high 12.575% interest rate and coming out OK. In general, buying margin trading is a bad idea.

Four reasons to be positive on commercial real estate in 2025 according to Ben Miller, CEO of Fundrise, a leading private real estate co.

Using ProjectionLab's financial tools to help one couple earning $500K a year reduce costs and achieve financial freedom sooner.

Learn how to make money from a whole life insurance policy in seven steps. For high earners, whole life can be much more than just insurance.

During good times we need to calculate our excess investment returns and celebrate! We should spend 10% - 20% of the money on a better life.

– A couple of years ago, Mr. Money Mustache lost some credibility among the faithful when he wrote this blog post about actually trying to spend a bit more money, while buying a Te...

– Well, it looks like we’re here in another US election year already.  As Advanced Mustachians, we already know that the ongoing battle of Harris vs. Trump should not be consuming ...

– ‚ÄúI used to read Mr. Money Mustache‚Äù,  some people say these days,  ‚ÄúUntil he got all rich and fancy so that he no longer understands the common person‚Äôs plight. Stash pro...

– Almost  nineteen years into early retirement now, I’ve come to realize that the complete freedom of this lifestyle can be a double-edged sword. You’ve already heard me raving ple...

– The other day, an MMM reader stopped by and left the following comment on one of my older posts about the principles of FIRE: As with every critique of our ideas, I thought about...

– The thing that drew me to early retirement is freedom, and that’s still the best part of it.  Back in 2005, the primary reason for this freedom-seeking was being able to devote m...

Whoa, have you seen what just happened to interest rates!? Suddenly, after at least fourteen years of our financial world being mostly the same, somebody flipped over the table and...

As with many things in life these days, it all started with an episode of the Peter Attia podcast. In this edition, our nation’s most Badass Doctor was interviewing a guest I initi...

Here’s the new car, on its first real camping trip shortly after taking delivery. As I type this, I’m jumping through the various hoops involved in buying a 2023 Tesla Model Y, a r...

. In my role as Mr. Money Mustache, I do my best to be your one-stop-shop for Lifestyle Guru ideas. So over the years we’ve covered not just the Money side of life, but also the ev...

Well, looks like it has happened again.  Since the last time we spoke, I got sucked into building my 17th(?) kitchen, and I have finally emerged from its messy yet addictive grasp ...

One of the reasons I don’t write as often these days is that my life has gradually evolved into a Personal Finance Bubble.  The people around me have learned to be purposeful with ...

Have you ever noticed that as a whole, our society has its daily habits almost completely backwards? We’re generally so “busy” that we don’t have time to get much exercise. And the...

Let’s jump right to the real news here: There’s a Netflix documentary that just came out TODAY* called Get Smart With Money Somehow old Mr. Money Mustache and several friends got l...

As strange as it may sound, earning financial freedom is a lot easier for certain people than claiming that freedom once they have earned it. And if the following statement rings t...

Another fine day in Retirement During our recent discussion on Inflation, a Badass reader stopped by and caught my attention by dropping the following block of wisdom into the comm...

The market has been on a tear, but what if stocks only rise 3% over the next decade, as Goldman Sachs and Vanguard are forecasting?

The Purpose Code is Jordan Grumet's latest book, and it's worth your time. Today, we're taking a deep dive between the covers.

The most popular posts on The Retirement Manifesto during 2024. Here's your chance to catch up on any that you missed.

Based on interviews with CEOs, 7 hidden traps of retirement have been discovered. Today, we'll review the traps and offer tips to avoid them.

There are critical steps you must take as you prepare your finances for retirement. Today, I provide 10 steps and the sequence for the work.

Writing a Love Letter to your spouse is a good way to share critical elements of your financial plan. Today, I'm sharing the details of ours.

Are you scared to spend in retirement? If so, you're not alone. Today, 7 Tips to make it easier to spend your money and enjoy retirement.

I've written over 400 articles about retirement, but I've never reflected on what I've learned in the process. Today, I answer that question.

For our latest RV adventure, we're heading to The Ozarks! Here's a summary of our trip and where we'll be camping...

How To Retire is a new book by Christine Benz and a "must read" for anyone within +/- 5 years of retirement.

A few years ago we bought a house, paid in full with cash. Then I got a small mortgage as an inflation hedge and to invest for fun and profit. We used a chunk of the mortgage to fu...

The process I used to select our ACA health insurance policy.

A simple check-list for important things to do before the end of year to optimize all of your retirement taxes.

I avoided selling stock to pay our bills during a down market by using low-APR loans and 0% credit cards, for a profit of up to 40%.

Do it yourself. Why? Because its fun, costs way less than outsourcing, and ensures it is done right.

We got a great deal on a 2024 EV so we decided to replace our older EV with a new one.

“Isn’t a Roth conversion ladder far superior to an SEPP in every way?” “You wrote all of this stuff about SEPPs but it is a complete waste of time, everyone should just do a Roth c...

We make some money on this blog. This is how and how much.

Trading options for supplemental income solves Sequence Risk: generate enough cash flow & never liquidate assets! The year 2024 in review...

Small-cap value (SCV) stocks got a lot of publicity in the FI/FIRE community. Don't buy the hype! SCV's recent performance has been atrocious!

The Wheel Strategy is often sold as a surefire downside risk management tool when selling cash-secured put options. Here are several flaws in this approach.

Some empirical research indicates that early retirement may reduce life expectancy. Here's why I'm personally not worried about that.

The Safety First retirement approach can be useful for traditional retirees. It's not viable for early retirees, due to low interest rates.

Box Spreads can provide a high-yield and tax-advantaged alternative to CDs and money market accounts. Here's a step-by-step guide.

Trading Options for extra income is a phenomenal way to improve investment outcomes during accumulation and in retirement.

A recent paper claims that a portfolio with 100% stocks (50% domestic, 50% international) is optimal. I point out the flaws in that analysis.

Looking at 100+ years of return data, stocks offered an attractive investment for the long run, both in absolute terms and relative to bonds.

The average households net worth has been rallying. We are now all millionaires, on average. I take a deep-dive into the data.

Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! Christmas and New Years celebrations are drifting away in the rearview mirror as we round the corner into 2025. We've enjo...

After a busy travel season from April to November, where we spent five months on vacation, it's time for a break. A vacation from vacationing (ha ha ha!). I have a growing to-do l...

Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! We are at home in Raleigh for a brief stay before we head back out for another two week cruise for most of the rest of Nov...

Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! We just got back to Raleigh after a two week cruise to Alaska during the last half of September. Alaska really exceeded ex...

Here's a special mid-month update from Root of Good! A reader asked for more detail about the lodging we usually book on our multi-month vacations.  Phillip wrote: "I am constant...

Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! After spending over two months exploring Poland this summer, we have enjoyed the past month of relaxation at our home in R...

Welcome back to Root of Good, folks! After a very busy nine weeks of summer vacation in Poland, we are finally back home in Raleigh. We capped off our trip in Poland with nine days...

Welcome back to Root of Good, folks! We landed in Poland a month ago and we have been enjoying this new-to-us country quite a bit. We started our trip in Krakow and made our way so...

Welcome back to Root of Good, folks! We are back in Raleigh after our latest Caribbean cruise. In a few days we hit the road again. We'll spend two months visiting Krakow, Zakopane...

Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! We are back at home in Raleigh after a fun 11 night cruise to the Caribbean during April. In a few days we return to the C...

This one is going to be very brief. I’m putting together a FAQ. If you have a question you’ve always wanted to ask, drop it in the comments below. Keep in mind this is for a genera...

  Since last Wednesday, depending on your political leanings, you have been celebrating or in mourning. Or maybe you greeted the news with indifference. Now, as the dust settles, y...

September. Labor Day. Already.  Ah well, it has been a great summer here at Kibanda. This was the year we conclusively decided not to tear it down and build new. If you’ve read the...

  Lanju Photografie, Unsplash Recently a friend reached out asking for my take on concerns raised in this article: What Goes Up I hate these kind of requests, probably because ever...

This is the third and final post of “intriguing quotes” since the October 31st launch of… Pathfinders It has been two years in the making and it is a book I have wanted to bring to...

This past October 31st launch of… Pathfinders …has been two years in the making and it is a book I have wanted to bring to you since 2016 after The Simple Path to Wealth was publis...

  Halloween has been my favorite holiday since I was old enough to trick-or-treat. But none has been as special as this October 31, 2023. This is the Halloween that launched… Pathf...

32 things to know about following… The Simple Path to Wealth (besides that it is not outdated) 😉 1. Investing, done well, is the soul of simplicity. 2. Anyone who tells you differe...

Salamat An original painting by Alex Ferrar On display at  Sobremesa, Antigua, Guatemala   Sometimes it feels like I’m blowing flower petals into the wind. Recently my pal Mindy Je...

It is always fun to peek behind the curtain, to have backstage passes if you will, to some cool process or event. Hasan Minhaj, who wrote the foreword for Pathfinders, just arrange...

If you want to be a free man (or woman), if you want to be citizen of Rome (rather than a slave) you need to be able to say no to your boss. This is best illustrated with a concept...

One of the recurring themes that comes up when talking with parents is how to best help their children learn about money. It is the role (and the burden) of parents who love their ...

In order to win the game, you must first survive in the game. The modern workplace involves a series of games to be played, ladders to be climbed (promotions) and snakes to be avoi...

When it comes to career progression, AC/DC put it best in their 1975 classic: “It’s a long way to the top”. Getting robbed, getting took... I tell you folks, it's harder than it lo...

In horse-racing, they add lead weights to the saddlebags in handicap races. % fees in investing are like those lead weights The higher the % fees, the heavier the weight carried by...

I know that some of you don’t want to hear this…but I have to tell you that crypto is back. It is my job to follow the data and trends in finance and explain what is going on to my...

Most people struggle to save for retirement and can’t see that financial independence is even a possibility. So most personal finance content is either primary skool level (save 10...

Consider the following: Nobody ever went to Monopoly Business School and yet on some level everyone knows how to win at Monopoly. For those who’d like a quick reminder, here’s how ...

Bio-chemistry is upstream of everything Bio-chemistry is upstream of your success in life including your performance at work, promotions and career change…all of which are easier w...

One of the questions that I often get asked by prospective financial coaching clients is: “Do you think you’d be able to teach me how to manage my own portfolio” The answer is alwa...

One of the driving forces behind the birth of Frugalwoods was our desire to leave the city and buy a homestead in the woods. That happened in May 2016 and let

Sam and Riley are a married couple living in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada along with their dog Bisky and two cats, Theodore and Greta. Sam works as a

Yes indeed, we've welcomed a hobbit into our home. Mr. FW is a well-known lover of The Lord of The Rings books and the main reason he wanted to have children

Anna is a 35-year-old special eduction teacher of middle school students with severe and profound disabilities. She lives in rural Illinois and is currently

A question I've been getting a lot lately: "What happened to your dog???" I get this question via email, through blog comments, on Instagram, Facebook and in

Laura and her husband Ethan are from Philadelphia, PA, but have been living in Hanoi, Vietnam for the past two years. Ethan teaches English literature at an

A menace wall in our home is gone! Longtime readers may recall that we've embarked on a slow, years-long renovation process, which we kicked off with a wall

Kat and her husband Jay live in the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan where Jay is stationed as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. They are childfree by choice and

As you may have noticed, things look different around here! Turns out, there've been some advancements in web design in the nine years since I started

Last weekend was ye olde county fair here in Vermont and, of course, we were on the scene to cuddle cows (if you're Kidwoods) and look askance at cows (if

Brian and Michael, both 34, live with their two cats in central Connecticut. Michael works as a project coordinator for a state behavioral health agency

I'm still here! I took an unplanned (and therefore unannounced) break from writing the blog, which was intended to be for a week, but expanded to a month and

Military servicemembers have access to incredible tax, investing, and travel benefits that can accelerate the journey to FI!

There's a better alternative to resolutions and goals...especially if you're pursuing financial independence and early retirement.

I finally talked to the person who introduced me to the idea of financial independence - Jacob Lund Fisker from Early Retirement Extreme!

Learn how to retire early with kids from the dad who has 14 of them! Rob shares how his family achieved FIRE six years ahead of schedule.

It's been five years since I left my full-time job so here's my fifth (and final) annual update on post-FI life!

A Mad Fientist reader shares how he utilizes tax-advantaged accounts to unlock even more cost-saving benefits!

I joined a virtual Bogleheads meeting to talk about life after financial independence and early retirement!

The Escape Artist joins me on the Financial Independence Podcast to talk about pursuing FIRE in the United Kingdom!

Patrick Aime from Aime to Invest shares the important lessons he learned on his rollercoaster journey from bankruptcy to FI millionaire!

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Financial Independence Podcast, here are the highlights from my first guest - Mr. Money Mustache!

Thanks to a huge life event, I'm appreciating the benefits of financial independence and early retirement more than ever!

In this short holiday episode, I interviewed my parents and grandparents to find out their best tips for raising money-smart kids!

Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You to Be Rich joins me on the podcast to teach overly-frugal FIRE people how to spend and actually enjoy it!

ProjectionLab is a powerful and beautifully-designed financial-planning application made specifically for FIRE people!

The 4% rule wasn't made for early retirement. Here's a new withdrawal strategy that could allow you to retire even sooner!

If you want to create your ideal FI lifestyle by investing in real estate, learn from Jillian and Chad why "Small and Mighty" may be best!

Parker Hewes, author of Lifelong Youth, shares the 8 health behaviors that are essential for longterm health and wellbeing!

I collected all of the best advice from my three interviews with the author of The Simple Path to Wealth, JL Collins!Read more →

Bill Perkins, author of Die with Zero, joins Chris Hutchins on the All the Hacks podcast to discuss memory dividends and how to spend money!

It's been eight years since I left my full-time job, and here's what I learned from the last three years of post-FI life!

I owe a lot of my net worth to real estate. 

Movies are returning to a theater near you and by next year major blockbusters will be on the big screen.   The sequel to Top Gun, Wonder Woman 2,

If you have read about my main financial goals following leaving my corporate career in 2019, you know that one of my goals is to have my investments generate

If you have been following the economy you are probably asking yourself why it would be time to start buying bank stocks.  This sector has been in the

My family was walking our dog earlier this week when, like many dog owners do, we let our dog stop and say hi to his four-legged friend and then we began to

It’s been a few weeks since I posted an update.  My blog is about trying to improve one’s financial standing over time by making good decisions with your

As most of us know the U.S. government recently passed massive stimulus legislation to try to help people pay their bills during the forced economic shutdowns

First, I hope everyone that reads this article is safe when it comes to their daily lives.   What we are seeing on TV and online is terrible on so

I live in Southern California where the state has been one of the slower states to re-open the economy albeit the pace of re-opening appears to be

As of today all 50 states within the United States have eased restrictions on the rules limiting individual and business activities used to slow the spread of