The other day, my wife, Kali, mentioned she wanted to thank me for something. We recently bought a home we both love in upstate New York. It sits on a little mountain and has an incredible, western-facing view. We were sitting on the deck watching a gorgeous sunset (an activity we don’t imagine tiring of…
Beyond Finances Podcast #43: The Value of a Coach
Can you DIY or will your way through everything you want to accomplish in your life? Sure. Is it the most effective route that’s going to optimize your results? Debatable. Today we’re talking about the value of a coach in areas of your life that really matter — the areas that you care about, the…
The Unusual Financial Planning Process to Buy a Vacation Home
My wife and I rarely do anything in what could be described as “the usual way.” We think outside the box and generally choose to forge our own path instead of following the well-known and mainstream; from the fact that we’re both extremely independent and prefer to work for ourselves to choosing to rent in…
Beyond Finances Podcast #42: Want to Build Wealth? Then Create THESE
A high income is a critical step in building wealth… but it’s not the defining factor in whether or not you’ll be financially successful. For that, you’re gonna need to build ASSETS. Most people assume they just need to earn a high income, and then they’ll be wealthy. Unfortunately, building wealth (especially when you’re doing…
Some Favorite Books for Personal Finance and Personal Development
Reading personal finance blogs and listening to podcasts is great (here’s one you might want to try if you haven’t already), but sometimes there’s no substitution for the deeper dive that well-researched and well-written books can give you. The right books for personal finance and personal development can provide an incredible amount of powerful knowledge…
Beyond Finances Podcast #41: So You Want to Make a Speculative Investment
A broad-based, globally diversified portfolio is hands-down the right answer when it comes to growing wealth for the long term. But that doesn’t mean other, more speculative and risky investments are always a bad move… They’re just not a great idea most of the time. Today, we’re looking at some alternative ways to invest outside…
Have Equity Comp? Make Sure It Doesn’t Put Your Wealth at Risk
A version of this article was originally written for and published on Kiplinger. Equity compensation can be an extremely useful tool when it comes to building wealth. And just like any other tool you may use, you can leverage your equity comp to build something great — in this case, significant wealth — or, you…
Beyond Finances Podcast #40: Understanding Insurance — What You Need, and What You Don’t
In the wake of the pandemic, many people have scrambled to take out insurance policies. But before you buy, make sure you understand the real purpose of a policy so you can choose the best option for your needs. Insurance is, as Kali puts it, something that can make you go “eurrrgh.” It’s a product…
5 Stock Market Basics You Ought to Know Before You Invest
The number-one thing to know about the stock market? It’s unpredictable. Think of it like a wild bull — and I don’t mean “wildly successful bull market” where everyone is always making money. I mean, literally a wild bull: a large, powerful entity that has zero interest in your personal concerns, feelings, happiness, or well-being….
Beyond Finances Podcast #39: We Bought a House (in a Pandemic). AMA.
Buying a house is an intensive (and stressful) process in the best of times. Throw in a crashing economy and global pandemic — and the fact we don’t do anything the “normal” way — and our recent experience got pretty interesting. Okay, to be fair, the pandemic didn’t dramatically change much about the process of…