One of the big questions when considering smart investments choices for kids is: bonds vs direct investments? My husband and I knew from the moment we learned we were pregnant that we wanted to build a cash nest egg for our baby. We wanted to be able to gift them a significant lump sum that […]
If you’re like any of the Aussies with FIRE on the mind (in short: swapping extravagant lifestyles for frugal, intentional living and investing) – the biggest question for you is… how? The answer, simply, is following the six steps to ensuring your financial independence and early retirement. Whatever demographic you fall into, DINK, SINKS, a […]
It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the fallacy that acclaim and success are direct outcomes of how much we earn, or how complicated our affairs are. Accomplishment isn’t linked with complexity. We can merely “work to live” and still make major bank with the simplest of systems, workflows and personal productivity ethos. I […]
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. […]
