Aloha from Hawaii: Oahu, Maui, and Kauai Expense Report

After spending two full months on the Big Island for Whitney's Travel PT contract, we were excited to thoroughly explore the other three major Hawaiian islands. Although we did some amazing hikes on the Big Island, we didn't get the views that we were expecting after seeing a ton of Hawaiian hiking pictures from friends … Continue reading Aloha from Hawaii: Oahu, Maui, and Kauai Expense Report

Aloha from Hawaii: Big Island Expense Report

We originally planned to spend the summer of 2021 traveling to a few countries in Central and South America after our big 2020 Latin America trip was cancelled. Our plans were up in the air due to continued Covid concerns throughout the region though. This left us with no set plans for the summer once … Continue reading Aloha from Hawaii: Big Island Expense Report

Current Crypto Asset Allocation and Return: April 2021

It has been exactly a year now since I made my very first two cryptocurrency purchases in April of 2020. This came after over a month of a very deep dive into not only the past and potential future of crypto, but also a thorough examination of the macroeconomic impact of COVID. Once I understood … Continue reading Current Crypto Asset Allocation and Return: April 2021

Mexico Adventure 2021: Update and Expenses (Jalisco)

If you haven’t read the expense update from the first half of this trip, check it out below: Part 1 of Trip: Quintana Roo After our five weeks on the east coast of Mexico, we were anxious to see how the west coast compared. Our last stop on the east coast, Cozumel, was our favorite … Continue reading Mexico Adventure 2021: Update and Expenses (Jalisco)

Mexico Adventure 2021: Update and Expenses (Quintana Roo)

At the end of January, Whitney and I embarked on our first international trip since 2019. We settled on a winter Adventure in Mexico for this trip to escape the cold weather at home in Virginia. We left with a fairly open ended itinerary due to uncertainty surrounding COVID, but we had a rough plan … Continue reading Mexico Adventure 2021: Update and Expenses (Quintana Roo)

Why You Should Consider Investing in Bitcoin in 2021

I remember watching the Bitcoin bull market of 2017 and thinking that people buying then were crazy. After all, I'd spent time in 2016 and early 2017 researching cryptocurrencies and determining that the risk wasn't worth it with all things considered. It was completely baffling to me watching the price increase 20x after that. Comparisons … Continue reading Why You Should Consider Investing in Bitcoin in 2021

Challenges in a Post-FIRE Life

Since reaching semi-retirement in 2018 and actual financial independence in 2019, life has been a whirlwind! In the past two years, Whitney and I have traveled to over 30 countries, spending about 9 of the last 24 months in total traveling internationally. We are actually supposed to be traveling through South and Central America for … Continue reading Challenges in a Post-FIRE Life

Determining True Effective Tax Rate Based on Income Level

Oh, Hello There! It's been quite a while since I've written a good finance related article! Part of this has been due to running short on ideas of things to write about, but primarily it's been due to a lack of motivation. Since reaching my FIRE goal net worth last year, I just haven't been … Continue reading Determining True Effective Tax Rate Based on Income Level

Live Interview with Chris Mamula: Co-Author of the New ChooseFI Book

In November, I had the pleasure of sitting down with physical therapist and early retiree Chris Mamula for a "Facebook Live" interview on the FifthWheelPT Facebook page. Chris is co-author of the new book, ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence, the primary writer on CanIRetireYet.com, and the author of a really great guest post on … Continue reading Live Interview with Chris Mamula: Co-Author of the New ChooseFI Book

Lessons Learned and Results From a Full Year of Tracking Expenses

Taking the Hypothetical Plunge I've mentioned many times in my monthly financial independence updates that for 2019 I decided to track all of my expenses for the entire year. Although quite arduous at times, this was a great experience for me and gave me insight on my actual spending and where my money goes each … Continue reading Lessons Learned and Results From a Full Year of Tracking Expenses