Posts by David Baughier

MVNO Cell Phone Plans: low cost / high reward! If you open your monthly bill to a surprisingly high number of dollars owed, you may be asking yourself, “How can I lower my cell phone bill?” Cell phones – love ‘em or hate ‘em, we can’t seem to live without them. Owning a cell phone,…

There is one critical lever to pull when you are trying to cut costs from your budget without giving up the things that you love, taking advantage of free library resources. Entertainment may not be one of the big three household expenses but think about how often you purchase books, go to the movies, or…

Cut the cord and see if you find yourself saying, “I wish I had spent more of my time watching TV.” Objectively, the most “optimized” way forward towards Financial Independence is to eliminate paid television altogether and redirect what would have been money spent on ridiculous cable bills to investments in a low-cost broad market…

You have unique relationships with money. You have a unique relationship with each person you know. Normally these two things coexist concurrently in relative harmony. But at some point you may find yourself in a deep relationship with another person. You may decide to spend years or a lifetime together. Your relationship with money and…

What is Mindfulness? At its core, mindfulness represents a profound awareness and acceptance of the present moment. In today’s fast-paced world, our minds are frequently scattered, juggling myriad tasks, responsibilities, and worries. Among these concerns, financial troubles often stand out, casting long shadows of stress, anxiety, and precipitous decisions. These financial burdens, whether they stem…

Can you access your investments and withdraw retirement funds early? When I say withdraw retirement funds early, I mean before the age of 59 1/2. If you are a fan of Financial Independence, there is a significant chance you will have accumulated a required level of wealth, and have the option to no longer work…

Investing in yourself pays massive dividends! Because you are a part of the Financial Indepdendence community, you are already predisposed to investing in yourself. You may have a mentor or a financial independence coach to help along the way. But, in general, you look for reasons to do it yourself rather than hire out tasking.…

There’s no arguing money makes many aspects of life easier, but does money make you happy? Does not having money make us happy? Does having money make us unhappy? Depending on how you are feeling today, you might come to different conclusions. One thing is certain, there may not be a direct causal relationship, but…

Should you pay off your mortgage? This lesson assumes you currently have a mortgage on a primary residence and are now asking “Should I pay off my mortgage?” You are deliberating between paying it off as soon as you can, making payments for the full term, or some hybrid between the two options. Numbers, psychology,…

Fiology thanks Seonwoo Lee, a college hacking expert of the FI community, for shaping this lesson. Being responsible parents and fiscal fanatics we would be remiss in not exploring the idea of planning for our children’s higher education. Many are in the camp that since we had to pay for college ourselves that our children…