I enjoyed a number of posts this August. Many dealt with important behaviors on the way to financial independence; some with how to manage life choices once you have it.
Delayed gratification is an important part of saving for retirement. Or, really, any sort of adult financial plan. Banker on Fire reminds us that there is a cost to delay, and that sometimes seizing the day can be the better choice, in The Other Side of Investing.
In some cases, delay is not practical. In Adam’s case, he did not have the luxury of waiting to see what career suited him best. I found his guest post on Financial Samurai inspiring. Overcoming Blindness: Achieving Financial Independence With a Visual Impairment has given me much to think about.
In other cases, delay can be disastrous. This post from Doctors on Social Media (SoMe Docs) on discussions to have with your college-bound child is something I would share with any friend who had a child in that demographic.
Dr. Payitback did not delay his road to financial independence. He may not be there yet, but his post describing his financial position 3 years out of residency shows impressive progress. The advice to “live like a resident” worked for him. Strong work, doctor!
One tool to speed up the path to financial independence is geographic arbitrage. We all know that it costs more to live in some areas than others; so it makes sense to think about moving to a lower cost of living to stretch your dollars. The Darwinian Doctor will be trying this soon, as he moves out of California to support his wife’s career. Mr. Tako also has moved out of a high cost of living area, but so far hasn’t seen much in the way of savings.
Another tool to speed up the path to financial independence is making more. Owning your own practice can be a great way to do just that. Investing Doc started his practice 3 years ago (how the time flies), and has some great lessons to share in Biggest Mistakes I Have Made Managing My Private Practice.
I very much enjoy the articles Dr. Margaret Curtis has been posting on White Coat Investor. This month, she wrote You Should Invest Like a 50-year-old Woman, which is both funny and very true. A few grumpy men offered cranky comments. For them (or, more likely, for women readers), I offer this piece from McSweeney’s: Thank You for Calling the Perimenopause Hotline.
Reaching financial independence–or just having good financial reserves–means you have more choices. You have more choices about how you want to spend your time.
The Woke Salaryman writes about this in Saying No is the most underrated card. In this vein, Freddy Smidlap uses his Financial Independence Cudgel to avoid an undesirable situation at work, and the Financial Mechanic decides she is done with work for a while.
It’s not all about confrontation. I enjoyed this account of more cruise ship living from FI Heroes: Our 90 Day Cruise, part 1. I still don’t think I want to be on a boat that long, but I love hearing about their trip(s). I am looking forward to the next installment, which might be out by the time this post is published.
For a change of pace, I thought I might include a few posts I sent to my spouse:
From Surviving and Thriving, Life Hack: Baking Soda as oven cleaner. I am sad our “self-cleaning” oven doesn’t actually self-clean. I am happy to use baking soda instead of those nasty-smelling oven cleaners.
I haven’t actually sent the post yet, but this story from BBC.com read like a crime movie. A gem of an article (wink, wink). How the Tamara Ecclestone diamonds case was cracked.
Lastly, though Labor Day is supposed to mark the end of summer, I can’t let go of that original summer blockbuster. I haven’t yet persuaded Mr. PiN to watch it again with me, but he is a sucker for the classics. Maybe this article by Olivia Rutigliano will persuade him: On the Endless Symbolism of the Best Summer Movie: Jaws. And How It Owes Its Dark Soul to Moby-Dick.
Any favorite summer posts of your own? Feel free to post below!