Interest rates are rising.  The financial landscape is changing.  It’s becoming easier to make money from our cash.  These changes in interest-rates have inspired me to update my emergency-fund strategy.  Here is my mission statement:   My goal is to transform my emergency-fund from a liability of $20,000 cash that is losing value to inflationRead more

You must take risks to live an extraordinary, deeply-meaningful life.  I am a huge believer that taking the right smart risks can act like a turbo-booster to help you get what you want out of life.  But the risks have to be extremely smart risks.  Dumb risks turn into pain, frustration, and regret.  Smart risksRead more

Don’t be me this weekend.  Why?  Because my frugal, wealth-building ways almost became a victim of my own pride, ego, and arrogance. For a moment, I almost let irresponsible feelings of vanity get the best of me, and I wanted to, as Dave Ramsey so eloquently puts it: “Buy things I don’t need, with moneyRead more

A friend shared some unique life and money advice as we talked this week.  Our conversation struck my mind as life-altering advice long after it was over.  He said, “A human being’s most important financial asset is the quality of their supply line.” I felt inspired to write a fiction story based on the wisdomRead more

My investment philosophy exploded like a string of firecrackers in my brain-cells recently as I was exploring the knowledge in my mind.  I realized my investment philosophy was full of thoughts I wanted to think about more.  As I dug deeper into these thoughts, I asked myself:  “What does my mental portfolio look like?”    Read more

I went for a walk last night as the sun set.  It’s March in Minnesota.  The snow banks were melting, causing cold, icy, and slippery side-walks as I walked.  This is the season in Minnesota where spring and winter mix together.  Warm afternoon air mixes with the sub-zero nights, and an icy mess appears everywhereRead more

Our best investment strategy was inspired by this below Paul Samuelson quote (a 1970 Nobel Prize winner in economics): “Investing should be dull. It shouldn’t be exciting. Investing should be more like watching paint dry or watching grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas.” I’ve been reflecting on theRead more

A strange thing happened in our home this week. My wife stopped obsessively watching the Olympics. When I asked her why she stopped, a profound truth bubbled up from her heart. This is the story of what she said. It is an extremely important truth if you want to build wealth:   Over the weekend,Read more