July 2020

Celebrating Financial Independence Wins Along The Way

– Posted in: FIRE
2 hands holding and clinking wine glasses

When we signed the closing paperwork last year to sell our entire Indy rental portfolio, I happened to be speaking at a business conference. When my colleagues figured out that I was dashing in and out from my presenting duties to take care of a closing, I was met with several high-fives and other forms of congratulations, since for many people, a real estate transaction is a major milestone. Unfortunately, [...]

Using A HELOC For Investment Property

– Posted in: Real Estate

HELOC, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: Using a HELOC for investment property so you can look like a cash buyer even when you’re financingSmoothing out cash flow when you’re a small business with lumpy earningsHaving money to tap for emergencies in lieu of a rainy day bank account earning negative return after inflation Apologies to Elizabeth Barret Browning for swiping a line from her beautiful [...]

The Wealthy Have Multiple Streams Of Income – How Many Do You Need?

– Posted in: Finance
person holding a bunch of bills

We recently signed up for a course on making printables. My main business is career coaching, so I do a lot of writing, keynotes and training – activities which lend themselves to printable quotes and exercises. We had been thinking about adding a product in our business to give it another stream of income. While most of my work was already virtual, I still did a significant amount of live [...]

My Friend’s Mortgage Application Was Denied – Four Alternatives For Moving Ahead

– Posted in: Real Estate
couple looking at a computer screen that says 'loan'

A good friend of mine had a rent-to-own agreement on the house she was living in, but her application for a mortgage was denied so she was unable to meet the purchase deadline. A rent-to-own agreement is what it sounds like – it looks like a typical lease, except at a specified date, the tenant has the right to purchase the property for an already agreed upon price. For my [...]

31 Days Of Running, And Why Reaching A Goal Is Not The Only Goal

– Posted in: Wellness

I do a lot of running. I've been running very regularly since approximately the summer of 1994, which is the year after I finished college. My running log in Excel goes back 21.5 years, all the way to Dec 26, 1998! During my 21.5 'running log' years, I've run 11,495.2 miles (as of July 5 2020), completed 22 marathons in 17 states, 34 5k's, and covered and raced every distance [...]

Three Freedoms That FIRE Brings

– Posted in: FIRE
view of statue of liberty

I was recently speaking at a pan-Asian media conference (supposed to be hosted in Singapore in March but unfortunately moved to a June virtual event due to the pandemic), and listening to the keynote by Maria Ressa. She is the founder and editor of Rappler, but also recently convicted in a Philippine court for cyber libel. Her talk really made me appreciate the freedom of the press that we have [...]

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