We are a couple of years away from the empty nest, which has started me thinking about how to configure our home for the next chapter of our lives. To be clear, this is a recreational activity for me, not a stressor. I like to spend time envisioning the future, thinking about the different variations it might manifest as, and …
Reconsidering The House We Raised Our Family In
Our oldest will graduate high school this year, and our youngest will leave the nest a couple of years later. Having kids grow up and leave provides an opportunity to reflect on many decisions we made when we had just started our family and purchased a home. This is my assessment of what worked, what didn’t and what we might …
My Life of Luxury
I’m making myself an iced coffee on a lazy Thursday afternoon. I am off on a weekday, which feels luxurious. It’s not just having more time – I live like a baller. Let me explain the many ways, small and large, that my life feels abundant. I added some oat milk to my iced coffee just now. Oat milk is …
The Evolution Of A Financially Literate Physician
I started this blog in 2016 to document and share my journey toward financial literacy, to maintain a writing practice, and to hold myself accountable to my publicly stated goals. Early on, I was thrilled to nerd out over cool strategies like front-loading my retirement contributions each year, backdoor Roth IRAs, and conceiving of creative ways to fund a child’s …
Superpowers Beget Superpowers
Because I am a dirtbag by nature, I did not need to spend a lot of money to enjoy the things I valued during and after residency and fellowship. As an attending, I rented an apartment, drove a beater, and continued to travel like the budget backpacker I’ve always been. [I’m still that guy. An older friend recently retired, and …
Off-Season Arbitrage
For the past year, my wife has been on a mission to find a reasonably-priced Sunbrella© outdoor patio umbrella. When she began looking early last spring, the world was reeling from a wicked winter COVID spike and it seemed that everyone had the same idea to improve their homes’ outdoor living spaces all at once. We had a frustrating experience …
Victory Is In The Accumulation of Marginal Gains
Small wins add up. This is a lesson from several years of playing strategy board games. While flashy, decisive rounds tend to leave a lasting impression and elicit high fives, they usually represent a short-term gain at the expense of a long-term victory. The deliberate incrementalist who responds to round-by-round incentives for small bonus point awards is easy to overlook, …
Credit Card Hackers Beware: IRS Deems Reward Dollars Taxable Income
Developing financial literacy, and the pursuit of financial independence, tends to generate extreme enthusiasm among participants. People go big. Folks who stumble across the Mr. Money Mustache blog don’t just take note of MMM’s frugal lifestyle, they tend to judge whether they are following the precepts of Mustachianism, a tongue in cheek term for a cult that is more serious …
Why I Don’t Have “Fun” Money
Humans are curious creatures. We like to regard ourselves as being internally consistent while the reality is far messier. For evidence, look no further than our investments. Or as the artist formerly known as Dr. Moneyblogs is fond of quoting: Don’t tell me what you think. Tell me what you have in your portfolio. -Nassim Nicholas Taleb Many personal finance …
What A Pricey Pair Of Kids’ Shoes Taught Me About My Baggage
Sometimes you set yourself up for failure, and you can only clearly see it in retrospect. A few weeks ago we decided to day trip by car to make a socially-distanced visit to family who live a few hours’ drive from us. We planned to hit the road early, and piggybacked a shopping trip for shoes for one of my …