Financial Independence Update- November 2023

November was a quiet month. Besides a day trip out of the state (to WV to meet up with some friends for the afternoon), we spent the entire month at home in Virginia. We did a lot of hiking and got a lot of work done for the business. Thanksgiving was a good time spent … Continue reading Financial Independence Update- November 2023

Financial Independence Update- October 2023

October was a good month. I've had an increase in net assets and net worth almost every October since I started tracking my net worth, and this month was no exception. It seems that both income and investments are usually pretty good at this time of year. Another reason October is a good month is … Continue reading Financial Independence Update- October 2023

2023 Europe Trip: Summary and Expenses

At the end of August we wrapped up our most recent long international trip in Europe. We've taken many multiple month international trips in the last 5 years, but this one was really special (why? keep reading). If you haven't read about our prior trips and the associated expenses, you may be interested in those … Continue reading 2023 Europe Trip: Summary and Expenses

Financial Independence Update- September 2023

At the beginning of September, we finished up our road trip to our last national park in Michigan, plus visiting friends in Wisconsin. Soon after we got home from the road trip, we flew to Las Vegas for annual The Traveler's Conference. This conference is always one of our favorite times of the year, and … Continue reading Financial Independence Update- September 2023

Financial Independence Update- August 2023

We finished our 10 week European honeymoon near the end of August. At the beginning of the month, we finished up our time in Norway with a roadtrip around the southwestern part of the country. We started in Bergen but then spent about 10 days driving all around and through the fjords, mountains, and glaciers. This … Continue reading Financial Independence Update- August 2023

The Often Overlooked Impact of Mortgage Amortization on Homebuying

The Housing Market The housing market has been insane since 2020, and everyone seems to have an opinion about what the future holds. No matter what your opinion on it is, there's no denying that things are really out of whack and that this is an anomalous situation. Houses are even more unaffordable now than … Continue reading The Often Overlooked Impact of Mortgage Amortization on Homebuying

Financial Independence Update- July 2023

We spent the month of July continuing on our 10 week European honeymoon. After leaving Switzerland at the end of June, we headed to Slovenia next -- but not without some complications along the way. To get to Slovenia, we had a flight connection in Belgrade, Serbia. Unfortunately, our flight from Zurich to Belgrade was … Continue reading Financial Independence Update- July 2023

Over $120,000 Ahead After 8 Years of Income Based Student Loan Payments

The long awaited update is here! I'm past due for an update on how far ahead I am financially by choosing to go on an income based student loan plan (rather than pay off my student loans ASAP), while instead choosing to invest heavily at the beginning of my career. My original article about being … Continue reading Over $120,000 Ahead After 8 Years of Income Based Student Loan Payments

Financial Independence Update- June 2023

June was an amazing month. Whitney and I got married and then set out on another long international trip for our Honeymoon, this time 10 weeks in Europe! The beginning of the month was a little hectic, with making sure everything was good to go for the wedding, but overall everything went really smoothly. We got … Continue reading Financial Independence Update- June 2023

2.5 Weeks in Switzerland (Europe Honeymoon 2023)

We kicked off our 10-week European Honeymoon trip in a long-anticipated destination: Switzerland. We had only ever heard amazing things about Switzerland, so we knew we were going to love it. The only downside to Switzerland-- and why we had delayed going there up to this point in our travels-- is the high cost. But, … Continue reading 2.5 Weeks in Switzerland (Europe Honeymoon 2023)