Category: A Head Start

Hey everyone! I’m home after 3 months in Thailand. I had a great time there, but wow, it is so nice to be back. There really is no place like home. Unfortunately, Japan Airlines’ “Chewing” millet pasta gave me food poisoning (stomach cramps and diarrhea). I was in pain for …

Hey, everyone. Q1 is over! Boy, what an exciting year 2022 has been, so far. Well, exciting isn’t quite the right word. The world seems to be spinning out of control, but we have to figure out what we can and can’t control. I can’t do anything about inflation, the …

I know, I know. You’re probably thinking – Joe has gone too far this time. However, this isn’t as uncommon as you’d think. According to a Pew Research survey, about a third of Americans like or even love doing their taxes. Most of these people said they like doing taxes …

Hey, everyone! Sheesh, what a crazy month. Russia invaded Ukraine and the stock market threw a fit. I’d invest more if I was at home, but it’s very difficult to react that quickly while I’m in Thailand. Vanguard won’t let me log in. I have to call them to make …

Retirement can be a tough transition. People think retirement would be easy, but it can be a blessing or a curse. You could really love it or just loath it. It depends on what you do with your newfound freedom. I’m visiting Thailand for 3 months and it became clear …

Did you know that 4 out of 10 wives earn more than their husbands? I had no idea. I thought our family was just a small minority. However, female breadwinners are a growing trend and all of us will have to adjust to the new reality*. Changes can be difficult especially when …

Kids grow up so quickly. I originally wrote this post in 2015 when our son was 4 years old. Now, he’s 11! Back then, he didn’t really understand money, but he knew money is nice to have. He always picked up coins whenever he saw one and put them in …

Last week, I saw a very interesting personal finance story. If you haven’t seen this, then take a guess who this story is about. This person is an entrepreneur, hedge fund manager, and investing guru. Here is their asset allocation. 50% in cash 40% in U.S. index funds 5% in …

Whew, the first half of 2022 is over. It’s been a tough year for investors. The stock market is officially in a bear market and a recession is looming. Along with the stock market, our net worth decreased by the largest dollar amount ever (15%). However, our passive income is …

Are you ready for the summer! It’s Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start of summer. Oh man, I am so ready for warmer weather and travel. As usual, spring was cold and wet in Portland. It finally started to warm up this week, but our heater is still kicking in …

Hey, everyone. Did you have a good month? May was uneventful for us. Life just went on as usual. Now, we are just waiting for RB40Jr to finish school. Once he’s done, we’ll go on a long summer vacation. On the personal finance side, May was an anomaly. We spent …

Hey everyone! Things are looking a bit grim in the U.S. and the rest of the world. Inflation is high, the stock market is crashing, and a recession is looming. We are all feeling a bit poorer these days. Even with these problems, many of us are splurging on travel. …

Hey, everyone! We’re in the midst of our road trip. Unfortunately, I didn’t write anything ahead so I’ll just post once per week about our travels. We decided to drive on this trip because the flight tickets were quite expensive. We also heard about all the domestic flight problems and …

Happy Independence Day! Did you have a good month? June was a fun month for us. RB40Jr finished school and we went on a road trip to see friends and families. This road trip was put off twice due to Covid so we were all looking forward to it. We …

Whew! I finished our taxes and sent them in on time. Unfortunately, we owed the government over $3,000 because I didn’t pay enough estimated taxes. I also contributed $5,000 to my i401k for 2021. That reduced our tax liability a bit. Unfortunately, these big payments reduced our cash savings to …

I originally wrote this post in 2014. We were doing well financially then, but we are much more comfortable now. Did I change over the last 8 years? Am I still frugal and what do I splurge on these days? Today, I’ll give you an update.  Frugal lifestyle All right, …

Last week, I wrote a pessimistic post about the future – Are You Prepared for Cold War 2? I spent so much time talking about how things are worsening that I didn’t have time to talk about the investing part of it. Today, I’ll share how we can prosper in …

Wow, what a great 40th birthday cake! Yes, I know the title of the blog is Retire By 40. However, many of our readers are in their 40s and 50s and they are planning to retire soon. You don’t have to be under 40 to read this blog. Maybe I …

Does ethics have a place in your investing strategy? This is a difficult topic, but it is more relevant than ever with the current conflict in Ukraine. Since the invasion of Ukraine, over 400 companies pulled out of Russia. This is to help support the sanctions and to show solidarity …

Hey, everyone! I’m in Chiang Mai to help out my parents for 3 months. I’m living quite well, but I’m not spending much money at all. That’s mainly because I’m staying with my parents for now. I go out to eat every day and it isn’t too expensive. However, the …

Hey, everyone! I’m in Chiang Mai, Thailand for 3 months. The food here is awesome and super affordable. Today, I’ll share the top 3 grilled chicken places in Chiang Mai. In my experience, the grilled chickens in Thailand are way better than in the US. The chickens here are smaller …

Hey everyone, we are back in Thailand! Mrs. RB40’s sabbatical continues. We had a short rest after our California road trip, then flew to Thailand. There are so many flight problems in the US and Europe, but Asia is still functioning pretty well. Our flight to Thailand was trouble-free. It …