PSLF, Insurance, and Bonds
Answering reader questions about Public Service Loan Forgiveness, looking for disability insurance as a resident, and what role bonds should play in your retirement.
How to Navigate the Tariff Circus
– Quite accidentally, it looks like we timed our last talk about the stock market pretty darned well. Back in February 2025, the market put the perfect cap on a multi year climb be...
My Biggest Surprise in Retirement
Today, I'm sharing my biggest surprise in retirement. It's related to a financial element of retirement planning that I didn't expect.
The Sunday Best (06/08/2025)
Dr. Chen, physics isn't just theoretical—it's actively sabotaging your finances. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that energy spreads out and systems
The Sunday Best (06/01/2025)
You fought for that residency. Got it. Then discovered you hate being micromanaged by attendings who peaked in 1987.
Barista FIRE for Doctors
Barista FIRE is an offshoot of the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement. In this case, you’ve saved enough to cover most of your expenses through passive income, bu...
Where Are Your Kids Summering?
Have we turned childhood into a résumé? A look at the summer camp arms race, how parental anxiety is fueled by class and fear, and why letting our kids be bored might be the most e...
2026 Military Pay Charts
Defense budget talks in Congress suggest that spending in the NDAA 2026 will hit historic levels. Read how it could impact military pay?
A New Edition of The Simple Path to Wealth
Let’s start with a couple pieces of exciting news, and then I’ll fill you in. First, there is a brand new edition of The Simple Path to Wealth coming to bookstores on May 20th. Se...
Deja vu all over again
April 7, 2025 Deja vu all over again A few short years ago my blog comment section and social media were blowing up. Panic was in the air. The comments were varied, but uniformly c...
VA Loan Gift Fund Guidelines
Gift funds allow VA loan borrowers to receive financial assistance from eligible donors, making home-buying even more accessible. Learn more here.
Amex Green for Military
The Amex Green Card® is an iconic rewards card that offers exceptional perks for frequent travelers, especially those in the military. Learn more here.
Wow, have you seen the stock market lately?
– And by lately, I mean the past several years or more. The value of the S&P 500 index of stocks, where most of us hopefully have a good chunk of our retirement savings stashed in...
How to buy a house in your twenties
This post is a <thought experiment> in risk taking for the young and the brave. It is most definitely <not> advice that applies to everyone. Let us start with the brutal truth…buyi...
Don’t Avoid the Pro Rata Rule
In retirement, we want 100% of our Roth conversions to be taxable income. The goal is to pay tax now at a lower rate rather than we would pay later.
What If Stocks Only Rise 3%?
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?
Investing Our Mortgage – 3 year update
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...
Got a question?
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...
Fuck You Money = The Power to Say No
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...
Debt as a Recession Tool
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%.
D I Why?
Do it yourself. Why? Because its fun, costs way less than outsourcing, and ensures it is done right.
Kibanda Repairs & Summer Reading
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...
$656,000 of Frugal Things I Still Love Doing
– ŌĆ£I used to read Mr. Money MustacheŌĆØ, some people say these days, ŌĆ£Until he got all rich and fancy so that he no longer understands the common personŌĆÖs plight. Stash pro...
Are Index Funds a Bubble?
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...
The Workplace is a game of Snakes and Ladders
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...
The Ultimate Life Coach
– 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...
Safety First – SWR Series Part 61
The Safety First retirement approach can be useful for traditional retirees. It's not viable for early retirees, due to low interest rates.
How to negotiate a big payrise
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...
The importance of low % fees in investing
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...
Bogleheads and Bitcoin Maximalists
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...
100% Stocks for the Long Run?
A recent paper claims that a portfolio with 100% stocks (50% domestic, 50% international) is optimal. I point out the flaws in that analysis.
How To Afford a House These Days
– 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 Best Advice from JL Collins
I collected all of the best advice from my three interviews with the author of The Simple Path to Wealth, JL Collins!Read more →
Why do so many people hate their jobs?
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...
Your Money and Your Health
Parker Hewes, author of Lifelong Youth, shares the 8 health behaviors that are essential for longterm health and wellbeing!
The Arizona Experiment!
– 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...
Why I Let My Kids Go Into Debt
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
What to Do About These High Interest Rates
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...
The Comfort Crisis
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...
The Tail of Gigi The Dog
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
The Hobbit And Other May 2023 Expenses
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
Frugal Man Buys $52,000 Car – Why??
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...
How to Build a Kitchen (and Why)
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 ...
The California Effect
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 ...
It’s Get Smart With Money Day!
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...