Knowledge is Power

I was never someone who sat down an read a book/blog or whatever.  While time moves on I do want to understand what interests me more.  Until we can just inject the information in our heads. I think there is really only three ways to do it.  Reading (or touch), listening, or watching.  I personally think reading and listening are the two best. Watching either on TV or PC is to distracting and doesn't seem to sink in as much.   

I started to read books for personal enjoyment in my late 20s. The Four Pillars of Personal Finance by William J. Bernstein said it perfectly.  "Personal finance/investing can be quite boring or dry to due to the content."  He recommended you read the educational book for a chapter or so then switch to another type of book that you enjoy. I know some people can just plow through non-fiction books while others need a break to not get bored.  I have found it to work very well in keeping my interest up in some books that has great information, but it was either very long and full of numbers and such.

I list of must reads or listen.

1. 'A Beginner's Guide to Investing: How to Grow Your Money the Smart and Easy Way' by Alex Frey
• This explains the concepts very well and helps you understand all the terms
  
2. ‘The Little Book of Common Sense Investing’ by John C. Bogle - Audio booked this one
3.  'The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing' by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf
4. 'The Richest Man in Babylon' by George S Clason - Audio booked this one
5. 'ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence' by Chris Mamula, Brad Barrett, and Jonathan Mendonsa
   

 
 
 The more I learn about personal finance and investing the more you release you don't know.  You hear stocks, bond, put, and short all the time. But do you really know what they are?  You know what a budget is and they are important, but do you know why?   I find the best time for me to improve in walking my dog. I listen to podcasts or audio-books exclusively on my 30-40min walks. Exercise and knowledge. Enjoy.

All good journeys start with the first step

I wish I could tell you that Financial Independence and Retiring Early is going to be easy or that I am retired at 30 and here is how you can do it. So here it is the secret just follow these steps:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Spray a 8"x5" loaf pan

2.    In a large bowl cream 3 ripe bananas. Stir in 1/3 cup melted butter

3.    Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch of salt, 1.5 cups wheat all-purpose flower and stir until all mixed together.

4.    Stir while adding 1/2 cup chocolate chip/chunks  a little at a time

5.    Bake for 50 to 60 min, do the toothpick check to tell if done

6.    Let cool on rack then store in refrigerator. 

Well if you follow those steps you won’t find the secret just a damn good receipt for banana bread.

I'm here to talk about my journey one step at a time.  I recently discover the world of Financial Independence through podcasts (ChooseFI) and since been devouring all the information I can.

Here is the sort of it; my wife and I are in our mid 30s with two kids entering kindergarten today.  Before you ask yes they are twins and no they are not identical one boy and one girl. My wife and I both work and have worked since they were born.  The thing is we both make good money, but with that comes high spending six figure spending.  Lucky for us I grew up making good decisions with my money before marriage and my wife was just building her career so no debt.  We have a tough hill to climb trying to get a grasp on our finances and find ways to hack our spending. We are going to try to cut our spending in half over the next couple of years.  We don't live a lavish lifestyle as the high spending might suggest, but something is not right.

Today is day ONE on our path for financial Independence (FI) then on to Retiring Early (RE). I am an avid reader of financial books, personal finance blogs, and podcasts.  I will pass on what I know and defer to those who are smarter than me.  This is our journey and it will; yes it will end in FIRE.

Enjoy and have fun.