In Part 1, we discussed the role inflation plays in the deterioration of wealth over time. As we demonstrated, when money is not growing at a faster rate than that of inflation, its purchasing power will be continually diminished. Because bank accounts yield growth rates much lower than inflation, leaving […]
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Pre-Tax Investments (Not Roth) Are The Best Choice For Building Wealth
(Though it’s not required, it may be helpful to read my previous post about progressive taxes, before diving into this post.) The classic pre-tax (e.g. Traditional IRAs and 401(k)s) vs. Roth comparison usually goes something like this… AssumptionsInitial Investment = $10,000Tax Rate = 25%Total Investment Return = 900% (i.e. 10x) […]
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Monthly Financial Update – March 1, 2018
The Monthly Financial Update gives our readers an inside look at the allocation and performance of our personal portfolio. At the beginning of each month, we share a snapshot of our investments and highlight their performance over the previous month. In addition, we compute our progress towards achieving our retirement […]
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Your Taxes May Be Lower Than You Think
I recently had a discussion (debate) with a friend of mine comparing the benefits of pre-tax investments to those of Roth investments. I argued that, while there are many cases where Roth investing would be more advantageous/practical for the average person, pre-tax is usually the best choice mathematically. I presented […]
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All That Glitters, Isn’t Gold
A few years ago, my heart sank when I saw trees and lush vegetation torn from the ground, tons and tons of earth gutted and displaced…I was watching Gold Rush on the Discovery Channel. I had NO idea that this horrible scene was the cost of the small trinkets and […]
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Why Saving Money In The Bank Will Leave You Broke (Part 1)
In 1923, Germany began printing and circulating two-trillion mark banknotes. That’s a “2”, followed by 12 zeros (i.e. 2,000,000,000,000) on each individual banknote! What would cause a country to print such a large denomination of their currency? The answer is, Inflation. Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price […]
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Surprisingly Simple Investment Strategy For Retiring Early
The other day, while browsing through YouTube videos, I came across one that featured Tony Robbins discussing investing. I watched the video and found it had some good, if not groundbreaking, suggestions. There was one portion in particular that really stood out to me, however. Robbins suggested that you should […]
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Water Conservation: Your Life Depends On It
With major environmental threats to our planet, fresh, clean water is becoming increasingly difficult to access. So many people and creatures rely on this precious, life-sustaining fuel, and we must pay attention…NOW. The increase in global population, pollution, and changing climate all impact this fragile ecosystem. Let’s work together to […]
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Monthly Financial Update – February 1, 2018
The Monthly Financial Update gives our readers an inside look at the allocation and performance of our personal portfolio. At the beginning of each month, we share a snapshot of our investments and highlight their performance over the previous month. In addition, we compute our progress towards achieving our retirement […]
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Why 401(k)s Are The Best Investments, Period
There are plenty of great investment options out there to choose from, but very few can compete with the advantages of a 401(k). When you add in employer matching to the equation, I believe 401(k)s become the best investment, period. Some other types of accounts may provide a bit more […]
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