Exponential FI

Here’s a hack with a high percentage return.  If you pay your own electricity bill, chances are your use is metered and charged by the Kilowatt hour (kWh) .  A Watt (W) is measure of power, or energy per second, so a Kilowatt hour is just using 1,000 Watts of power for one hour. For example, a common household incandescent light bulb uses 60W of power.  If you left this light bulb on for 3 hours a day for a year, it would use 65.7 Kilowatt hours: $$Total\ Energy = Power * Time$$ $$Total\ Energy = 60 W * {3\ h \over day} * {365\ days \over year}$$ $$Total\ Energy = {65,700\ Wh \over year} = {65.7 kWh \over year}$$ Since Thomas Edison invented the incandescent bulb in 1879, however, there have been some improvements to the technology.  The latest is the LED Light Emitting Diode bulb.  An LED bulb can create the same amount of light Typically measured in lumens. as an old incandescent light bulb using much less power.  For example, an L...

Housing is an expense we all must deal with which can add up to a large portion of our income.  The US the Bureau of Labor Statistics last survey on Consumer Expenditure found housing to be the largest category for the average American at 33% of their spending.  The Pareto Principle would tell us this is an area ripe for action.  What are some ways we can reduce the amount we spend on housing? Live at home for as long as you can.   Living with your parents is becoming a frequent stepping stone for college graduates.  Outside of America, multigenerational households are already much more common.  Not only is it more efficient to combine more family members under one roof, but younger generations living rent free is a great tax-free wealth transfer tool! Don’t forget about grandparents or close aunts and uncles living in areas you would like to work. Chose a low cost of living area.   Include the cost of living in your calculat...

Introducing Thrifty Thursday. On Thursdays, I’ll post a quick article with a tip or life hack to help with Intentional Spending . These will fall into three basic categories: Freebies are life hacks to get something for nothing! Maybe there’s no free lunch, but there are plenty of things you have already paid for in one way or another and just need to take advantage of, or that are being offered in hope of future business. Cost Cutters are the things we all need, that you are probably already buying in some form, but cheaper! Worth It are things that might not look like savings up front, but could be worthwhile investments, eventually leading to more savings. They may also be actual splurges, but with a good value and totally worth it! Check out the articles so far: Freebies The Library Cost Cutters Hack your Housing Save Thousands on Your Phone Plan Worth It Upgrade to LE...

With the internet offering the temptation of quick, ubiquitous access to information, many of us have forgotten the old standby of the library.  However, the library still has a lot of value to add and it’s free Most libraries will issue library cards to residents for free. Many will even let a non-resident obtain a card for a small fee. to get a library card since your tax dollars are already paying for it! What can you get at your library? Books - While blogs and tweets are great quick hits, books often contain the highest quality information as the authors have put the time and effort to distil and consolidate their best material.  Meanwhile the editors and publishers make sure it’s concise.  Looking for something to read?  Focus on learning and self improvement; you can start with my recommendations . Audiobooks – Using audio to consume information while commuting, working out, or otherwise have your hands busy but ...

Your spending is an important factor in your financial independence journey. It effects the rate at which you can save and invest while in the accumulation phase and is also a critical factor in calculating your Target FI Number. When accumulating wealth, the amount you can save and invest is a simple calculation: what you make minus what you spend.  Like many of the levers we talk about, your spending has a non-liner effect on your FI journey.  Spending slightly less also means saving slightly more and both of those quantities are found in the formula for Stash Rate , leading to a multiplied effect. $$ Stash Rate = {Annual\ Savings \over Annual\ Expenses} $$ As we saw in the Stash Rate article, decreasing expenses leads to an exponentially increasing rate of wealth building. On the other side of financial independence, the level of spending in your drawdown phase directly determines your Target FI Number. $$ Target\ ...