Weekends are a beautiful thing.  You can spend time with loved ones, get outdoors, spend time outside the office.  With that said, a good question to ask is how much time do you waste?  When I think of wasted time, I typically think of watching television.
When it comes to building a second income stream, time management outside the “day job” is important. Working outside of work is tough and takes determination and a strong work ethic, but it can definitely be worth it, especially int oday’s tough economic environment. The …

My generation is fascinating to watch.  We grew up in the middle of the greatest economic boom (artificial boom, maybe, but a boom nonetheless).  As such, it’s amazing to witness what we expect out of life.  We expect things to happen for us.  We expect a four year vacation (college) where we can study fun things like psychology and history prior to entering the “real world” without any real skills.  We expect a high paying job with lots of benefits and a wonderful work/life balance.
It’s not our fault.  We were …

I recently completed a few days vacation at Siesta Key beach in Florida – recognized as one of the world’s best beaches (hopefully the oil stays away).  Each time I take a few days off and spend it relaxing on the white sandy beaches of Florida, the idea of completely escaping the rat race pops into my mind.  I start to ask myself the following questions:

What would it take to achieve full income/financial freedom?
How much money do I need to make online to work from anywhere?
Can I accomplish this with …

It’s sad how many Americans are dependent upon a high stock market, praying each night that the markets don’t tank because the ramifications would be enormous for you.  Today’s market is crazy.  It’s volatile, unpredictable, and possibly even manipulated.  The winners over the last decade have been the financial planners and Wall St while Americans stash away every dime they have into stocks hoping for outsized gains, while the “experts” rake in fees and win no matter what the market does.
While investing in stocks is a great idea, I completely …

I love reading about individuals who chart their own path, going in a different direction than the herd.  While obviously we don’t read about the countless failures of this path, but typically only the successes (i.e. Timothy Ferriss “Four Hour Work Week”), it is still fun to read and think on such people and their paths.
Most of us view a “different path” as one different than a normal job/career lifestyle.  This “normal” existence typically means working some version of a 9-5 like job Monday thru Friday, with a few weeks …

When you hear the term “The Good Life”, what comes to your mind?  Sitting on a beach?  Working for a non-profit?  Spending time with your family?  This is an important question, because how you define the good life will likely dictate your goals and vision for your life.  Let’s break it down further.
Fulfillment
I would assume that your good life would involve some level of fulfillment or achievement.  This could come from a variety of sources such as a job, a business, volunteering, seeing your kids accomplishments, etc.  Where do you …

A recent article from the WSJ tells the story of many American families these days.  With unemployment especially high amongst young people, and amid a tough economy for our parents age group as well, young people are struggling to make financial progress.  Parents are working hard to provide the good life for their kids, but are finding it difficult to get by themselves.
The following story illustrates the struggles of many middle class families:
The family income of the Johnsons is a fifth of what it used to be. And the children …

We’re continuing the theme of security this week.  If you read my other posts this week, I talked about how most people prefer security versus freedom & opportunity.  You can reads parts one and two.
My points from those posts was that more and more people are looking to the state or other people for their security.  Well, not me.  To show you how I define security, I’m going to spell out SECURITY in the following way:
S – Savings – Savings are the cornerstone of all financial success and progress.  It …