Personal Finance

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Personal finance is a bit of a hobby of mine...if it's possible for money management to be a hobby. I love learning about new ways to manage financial resources more efficiently. I'm also very keen to understand how more people can learn about personal finance in a way that's not intimidating. 

Over the years, I've written a number of pieces that explore personal finance from various angles: philosophical, practical, career-related.

My biggest influence around all of this, is the internet personality - Mr. Money Mustache (MMM). With the tag-line "Financial Freedom through Badassity" you can't really go wrong - it's playful, aspirational, and honest about what it takes to eventually be free of the need for a typical 9-5. 

Some people are driven by a desire to be comfortable and see material things as a pathway to contentment. Others expect to make small sacrifices today and have the positive consequences compound over the course of their lives. I am all about the second option (as is MMM), and I'm learning to be less judgmental about the first. We all have our own paths. 

That said, all of us can do wonders for our long term independence by doing our absolute best to:
1. Max out tax-deferred retirement accounts i.e. 401k, IRA, etc.
    a. Purchase the most efficient investments we can e.g. Vanguard low fee index funds. 
2. Save as much of our salaries as possible for emergencies;