I cannot tell you the amount of times I have heard that financial independence is simply not possible when budgeting for a baby. That as soon as you procreate, all notions of economic autonomy go out the window, along with your sleep, sanity and sex life. “Must be nice, but wait until they have kids.” […]
So many Australians are terrified of share investing because of the risk in buying shares, and also because they don’t feel comfortable with their ability to make money on their money. If that’s the case – paper trading, i.e. “fake-vesting” might just be for you. Paper trading is essentially the sharemarket’s version of try before […]
Unexpected illness. It’s the last thing that any of us want to happen – and it’s worse when it comes completely out of the blue. When it does, though, our finances often bear the brunt of the storm. But managing money through illness isn’t as hard as you’d think. So how do you bounce back […]
The wedding bells have finished chiming, the once-chinking glasses are all back in the special cupboard and it’s time for a little one-on-one, just you two. But how do you think about honeymooning on a budget when everything seems geared to cost so much? On one of the most memorable trips of your life, the […]
A lot of folk say that financial independence doesn’t follow a linear path. That the stages of financial independence change. I disagree, because actually, if you look at common themes in people’s finances across the spectrum, the trends are clear. Personal finance is of course, always personal, but the “stage” we find ourselves in at […]
There’s a common acronym within the financial independence, retire early (FIRE) community – and it’s used often. FU money. For many, it’s a pipe dream they’re diligently working toward being able to say to a specific person, and for others, it’s a general vernacular they’ll carry in their arsenal for when the time comes. FU […]
My Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) journey began when I was a little girl. I would look at people working until they were in their 70’s, mostly when they didn’t want to, and feel so bleak about my own working future. Still, everywhere I turned, working was a necessity, because there was no other alternative. […]
Finding extra cash by starting a side-hustle is about as mainstream now as mowing your own lawn. It’s a great way to upskill, network – and of course, earn more cash. Beautiful, lovely cash that can be used for paying down debt, investing into the stock-market, buying property, donating to causes you care about. But […]
Minimalism and money are two things that go hand-in-hand. And while you might think that the notion of having fewer things, or maintaining more simplicity in your life has little to do with the way you manage your cash – you’d be wrong. In fact, minimalism has everything to do with money. Minimalism is about […]
To start off our financial independence story, I’m going to take you back to a smaller version of me. Still as curly-haired, still as gappy-toothed, but much less wrangled by the world. I would read books widely and voraciously (thanks for making reading such a big part of our lives, Mum), and had a particular […]