<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14208" src="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/greed-lust-best-laid-plans.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="504" /></p>
<p>It&#8217;s June already! Normally at this time of year we would be packing our bags and setting off to explore the world. Ahh, Europe!</p>
<p>Last year our range was limited due to an expanding family and covid, so <a href="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/summertime-mini-adventures-2020/">we adventured locally</a>.</p>
<p>Now, in the year Twenty Twenty-one, our schemes have seemingly gone awry.</p>
<p><span id="more-14197"></span></p>
<h2>Summer in Lockdown?</h2>
<p>So&#8230; after a year of almost perfect normalcy, covid is back. Whilst the rest of the world was in various stages of lockdown, Taiwan executed <a href="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/coronavirus-and-life-in-taiwan/">a near flawless performance</a> of covid avoidance and suppression.</p>
<p>Then, a month or so ago, a hotel that was used to quarantine new arrivals and airplane staff thought it might be nice to boost revenue by encouraging local visitors to spend the weekend.</p>
<p>People who were supposed to be in quarantine mixed with staff and locals. Some of whom went to a &#8220;tea shop&#8221; or two, which it turns out are also known as grandpa shops &#8211; a sort of brothel that caters to an elderly clientele.</p>
<p>As Taiwan&#8217;s Dr. Fauci stated, &#8220;I&#8217;ve not been myself, but I understand given the circumstances it may be difficult for customers to follow masking and social distancing guidelines.&#8221;</p>
<p>As such businesses are technically illegal and come with various social stigmas, tracing customers has been difficult &#8211; so now we have a bit of an outbreak and a &#8220;Phase 3&#8221; lockdown. Schools have been closed for the past 3 weeks with at least 2 more to go (officially.) Restaurants are only open for take-out and delivery. Gyms and playgrounds are closed. Our <a href="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/we-hired-a-nanny/">nanny</a> is otherwise occupied. Even our little <a href="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/joining-the-country-club/">country club</a> oasis is closed.</p>
<p>Vaccination rate is currently less than 1%. Projections are that Taiwan could be at 50% vaccination rates as early as October.</p>
<p>These are just the facts of the situation &#8211; My working assumption is that our summer plans will need to be cancelled (which I support.)</p>
<h2>Summer &#8220;Plans&#8221;</h2>
<p>Remaining optimistic, our existing summer plans are fairly simple &#8211; just stay local. No planes, no fuss.</p>
<p>Once Jr&#8217;s school lets out in early June (all virtual until then), we are headed up into the hills an hour outside Taipei to the <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/tw/yilan-chiaohsi-royal.xu.html?aid=904756&amp;no_rooms=1&amp;group_adults=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi</a>. We have been here 2x before, most recently for Winnie&#8217;s birthday.</p>
<div id="attachment_14198" style="width: 490px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14198" class="wp-image-14198" src="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/chiaohsi-w-birthday.jpeg" alt="" width="480" height="360" /><p id="caption-attachment-14198" class="wp-caption-text">Relaxing in the Royal Hotel Chiao Hsi pool, March 2021</p></div>
<p>But this time we are staying in the &#8220;camper vans&#8221; that they have adjacent to the main property, complete with campfires and sparklers for the kids. We will be 4 families in total, so the kids can run wild and then head up to the pool to cool off.</p>
<div id="attachment_14199" style="width: 550px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14199" class="wp-image-14199" src="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/camper-van-hotel-royal-chiao-hsi.jpeg" alt="" width="540" height="304" /><p id="caption-attachment-14199" class="wp-caption-text">Camper van at Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi (pics from hotel website)</p></div>
<div id="attachment_14200" style="width: 550px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14200" class="wp-image-14200" src="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/camper-van-interior.jpeg" alt="" width="540" height="304" /><p id="caption-attachment-14200" class="wp-caption-text">camper van interior with full queen size bed (there is a separate bunk for the kiddos)</p></div>
<p>The going rate for these camper van things is not low, about $450/night. We will stay just the one night. At least all meals are included.</p>
<p>Next up, at the end of June we will visit Sun Moon Lake with the same 3 families. The last time I was there was maybe 15 years ago and it seems to have become much more upscale since then.</p>
<p>We are staying at the <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/tw/fleur-de-chine.en-us.html?aid=904756;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fleur de Chine</a> hot spring hotel which looks pretty nice, and includes a big indoor kids playroom.</p>
<div id="attachment_14201" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14201" class="wp-image-14201" src="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Fleur-de-Chine-Hotel-taiwan.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="427" /><p id="caption-attachment-14201" class="wp-caption-text">Fleur de Chine lake view room (pics from hotel website)</p></div>
<div id="attachment_14202" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14202" class="wp-image-14202" src="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/best-view-fleur-de-chine-1024x683.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="427" /><p id="caption-attachment-14202" class="wp-caption-text">Lakeside dining</p></div>
<p>We got a great rate for this place, just $180/night. We are booked for 2 nights.</p>
<p>At the end of July we are headed to a newish hotel, the <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/tw/the-westin-yilan-resort.en-us.html?aid=904756;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Westin Yilan Resort</a>. The pics look nice.</p>
<div id="attachment_14204" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14204" class="wp-image-14204" src="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/exterior-westin-yilan-resort-1024x683.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="427" /><p id="caption-attachment-14204" class="wp-caption-text">Westin Yilan Resort (pics from hotel website)</p></div>
<div id="attachment_14203" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14203" class="wp-image-14203" src="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/marriott-yilan-hot-spring-1024x768.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="480" /><p id="caption-attachment-14203" class="wp-caption-text">Outdoor hot spring at Westin Yilan Resort</p></div>
<p>We just booked this place to use 2 of this years Bonvoy <strong>“free night” certificates</strong> from credit cards*, so 2 nights total.</p>
<p>These rooms are normally ~$350/night+ – ignoring all other card benefits the annual fees on the cards are $95 and $135, so the room ends up at about 1/3 the price. (Although I just checked again while writing this and rates are $500+.)</p>
<p style="border-left: 3px solid #b5defc;padding: 10px">Free night certificates with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card are <strong><a href="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/marriottbonvoy40kreferral" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a sweet deal</a></strong>.</p>
<p>Finally, in August for my birthday we are headed once again to Taiwan’s north coast to the <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/tw/white-house-beach-resort.xu.html?aid=904756&amp;no_rooms=1&amp;group_adults=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">White House Hot Spring Beach Resort</a>. We will swim all day, ride a jet ski, lounge in some hammocks, and then barbecue a bunch of fresh seafood. We have been here a few times now and it is a great place to spend a day or two.</p>
<div id="attachment_13572" style="width: 370px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13572" class="wp-image-13572" src="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/whitehousepool.jpg" alt="throwing child in the air in swimming pool" width="360" height="480" /><p id="caption-attachment-13572" class="wp-caption-text">White House Hot Spring Beach Resort &#8211; photo by Winnie, summer 2020</p></div>
<p>The White House is a bit more affordable at ~$110/night, and we will stay one night.</p>
<p>In between these 4 main mini-adventures, we will largely be spending our time at the country club. I recently swam 1500 meters daily for 30+ days &#8211; inspired to make big speed improvements, I just hired a coach. During the first session, he basically said let&#8217;s fix everything :)</p>
<p>There are also a couple schedule &#8220;kid only&#8221; pool days, where they bring out the extra fun toys.</p>
<div id="attachment_14205" style="width: 778px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14205" class="size-full wp-image-14205" src="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/acc-summer-splash.jpeg" alt="" width="768" height="260" /><p id="caption-attachment-14205" class="wp-caption-text">American Club Summer Splash (photo from website)</p></div>
<p>All together we are looking at about $900 out of pocket for hotel nights plus another maybe $200 for transport, not too bad for a full summer of fun.</p>
<h2>Summary</h2>
<p>Things are not looking so great with Covid at the moment, with rising cases and minimal vaccinations. Hopefully the current soft lockdown gets us back to normal.</p>
<p>If so, we&#8217;ll be spending most of the summer poolside &#8211; this includes 4 mini-adventures to various hotels and many days at the country club.</p>
<p>If not, we&#8217;ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Which will be soon.</p>
<p>If things go as planned, we will only spend about $1,200 on &#8220;travel&#8221; this summer. <a href="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/award-travel-series-introduction-part-1/">Travel hacking</a> was minimal, just using 2 free night certificates (via <strong><a href="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/marriottbonvoy40kreferral" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Marriott Bonvoy cards</a></strong>.) (my personal referral link)</p>
<h3>How are you summering?</h3>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.gocurrycracker.com/greed-lust-and-the-best-laid-plans/">Greed, Lust, and the Best Laid Plans</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.gocurrycracker.com">Go Curry Cracker!</a>.</p>


Greed, Lust, and the Best Laid Plans


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large"><img width="350" height="525" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/May-2021-update-350.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22297" /></figure></div>



<p>Hey, everyone. <a href="https://retireby40.org/summer-2021/">Summer is here!</a> The weather is beautiful and it really cheers me up. We got our second Covid vaccine shot in May. Now, we feel a lot more comfortable going out without a mask. On Saturday, we ate out for the first time in over a year. We’ve been meaning to try this neighborhood Indian restaurant for a long time. The food was perfect. It was really great to be able to go out again. I’m very optimistic for this summer. We have two road trips planned and probably will take many day trips too. It really feels like we’re coming out of this Covid pandemic.</p>



<p>On the personal finance side, we had another great month. Our net worth hit a new high again! The stock market keeps going up. I’m starting to get leery, though. How long can it keep this up? Now is a good time to take a little profit and diversify if you can. I sold some stocks to invest in commercial real estate with <a href="https://retireby40.org/crowdstreet">CrowdStreet</a>. This will help generate passive income when Mrs. RB40 retires next year. Our cash flow was also good in May. Things are going quite well.</p>



<h2><strong>2021 Goals</strong></h2>



<p>This is my 2021 goal sheet. It works really well. Try it out if you can’t keep up with your New Year goals. The key is to go over the spreadsheet at least once a month to track your progress. That way, you can see which goals need extra attention.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img width="667" height="377" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/May-NY-Goals.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22276" /></figure></div>



<p>All right! 2021 is turning out to be a great year for me. I already accomplished 6 of my goals and I’m making good progress on the rest. (I made modest goals because 2020 was such a crazy year.) Here are the details.</p>



<h2><strong>Financial Goals</strong></h2>



<ul><li><strong>Real Estate Crowdfunding $150,000.</strong> In April, I invested in an apartment renovation project near Seattle. I have high hope for this one. The housing market in that area is hot. Recently, the projects on <a href="https://retireby40.org/crowdstreet" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CrowdStreet</a> got funded very quickly. I think investors are taking profit from the stock market and diversifying. That’s a great idea, but finding a solid alternative investment can be difficult. This is where CrowdStreet comes in. It’s a great way in invest in commercial real estate.</li><li><strong>FI Ratio &gt; 110%.&nbsp;</strong>As usual, this is my main goal for 2021. The&nbsp;<strong>FI ratio </strong>is passive income divide by expense. We are doing quite well so far this year. We are spending less money than usual because of the pandemic. I’m very happy with 120% FI ratio.</li><li><strong>1-year cash for Mrs. RB40 mini ER</strong>. Mrs. RB40 plans to take a mini-retirement in 2022. I want to have a nice cash cushion before then. Usually, we spend less than $50,000 per year so that’s my target. Currently, we have about $23,000 in our saving account.</li><li><strong>Side hustle income &gt; $3,000</strong>. Mission accomplished! This goal is just for fun. Side hustling is a good way for early retirees to keep busy and stay active. This year I plan to charge scooters, take surveys, and sign up for cash bonuses. In May, I made $2,520 from charging scooters. Wow! It was the best month ever. It seems like most people moved on to do something else. Delivering food is probably a better gig since you get tips. But I’m happy with charging scooters because I don’t have to interact with anyone. Heh. It’s also good exercise for me. Although, I probably should cut back a bit. I’m spending a bit too much time on this side gig, 10-20 hours/week.</li></ul>



<h2><strong>RB40</strong></h2>



<ul><li><strong>Refresh Retire by 40 – Done!</strong> Whew! I finally completed this goal. It has been on this list for over 2 years. This work required a big block of time and focus. I just couldn’t do it at home. I only finished because I was stuck in <a href="https://retireby40.org/solo-quarantine-week-1/">quarantine for 2 weeks</a> and could focus on it. I hope you like the new design.</li><li><strong>1,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel.</strong> Currently, we have 316 subscribers on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8PcOiAjrzR3Td6lyvclrw?view_as=subscriber" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">our YouTube channel</a>. We didn’t upload any video in May. I was too busy trying to finish up our taxes. Making video clips is hard!</li></ul>



<h2><strong>Personal Goals</strong></h2>



<ul><li><strong>Visit Thailand. Done!</strong> I got back from Thailand in February. I spent 6 weeks there to check on my mom and reconnect with families and friends. It was great. I would love to retire there 6 months/year.</li><li><strong>Weight &lt; 135 lbs. Done!</strong> In Thailand, the serving size was much smaller than what I’m used to. I lost weight and it is now 133 pounds. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep it under 135pounds for the rest of 2021.</li><li><strong>Estate planning. Done! </strong>We started the process with our lawyer last year. I thought it won’t be done until March, but we completed it right before I went to Thailand. That’s perfect timing.</li><li><strong>V for vasectomy.</strong> I saw my doctor for an annual physical before I flew to Thailand. She said she can refer me to someone when I get back. We don’t want any more kids. This one is WIP.</li><li><strong>Happiness level &gt; 8. </strong>May was a <strong>9</strong>. I had a relaxing time and didn’t stress out much. The weather was really nice as well. I also got my 2<sup>nd</sup> vaccine shot and went out to a restaurant! It was a great month.</li></ul>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img width="580" height="371" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/May-Happiness.jpg" alt="Happiness chart" class="wp-image-22279" /></figure></div>



<h2><strong>Net Worth (+9.3%&nbsp;YTD)</strong></h2>



<p>I’ve been&nbsp;<a href="https://retireby40.org/personal-capital-track-finances-free/">tracking our net worth</a> since 2006 and it is very motivating to see our progress. Our net worth is up by 9.3% since the beginning of 2021. That’s excellent. IMO. My annual net worth target is +10% per year. We are almost there! 2021 is a great year for businesses. People are ready to spend and investors will profit from that mentality. Let’s see if the market can keep on rising…</p>



<p>Here is a chart of our net worth from Personal Capital.</p>



<p><a href="https://retireby40.org/pcap/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">*Sign up for a free account at Personal Capital</a> to help manage your net worth and investment accounts. I log in almost every day to check on our accounts. It’s a great site for DIY investors.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img width="600" height="294" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/May-Net-worth.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22281" /></figure></div>



<h2><strong>2021 Passive Income ($15,863 YTD)</strong></h2>



<p>Here is a quick summary of our passive income. You can see all the details on my&nbsp;<a href="https://retireby40.org/passive-income/"><strong>Passive Income page</strong></a>.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img width="554" height="245" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/May-passive-income-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22283" /></figure></div>



<p>April was a great month on the passive income side.</p>



<ul><li>Real estate crowdfunding: I received $343 from our investments. This should improve as more projects stabilize.</li><li>Rental income: Our tenant is back from Europe! We made $533 from our rentals in May.</li><li>Dividend: We received $779 from our dividend portfolio. That’s pretty good.</li></ul>



<p>At the end of May, our FI ratio was 120%. That’s excellent, but it’s mostly due to low spending. Our passive income is still a little low. &nbsp;</p>



<p>*FI ratio = passive income/expense</p>



<h2><strong>May 2021 Cash Flow</strong></h2>



<p>Our cash flow was great in May. We didn’t spend much and saved 61% of our income.</p>



<p>Here is the Sankey diagram. You can get a quick overview and see the details below.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img width="650" height="500" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/May-2021-Sankey.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22284" /></figure></div>



<h2><strong>Gross Income: $15,197</strong></h2>



<p>Our gross income was solid last month. Any month with $15,000+ income is a very good month.</p>



<ul><li><strong>Mrs. RB40’s job</strong>: $8,663.</li><li><strong>Blog income:</strong> $2,350. We had a good month at RB40.</li><li><strong>Real estate crowdfunding</strong>:&nbsp;$343. A good month for RE crowdfunding. You can read more at the&nbsp;<a href="https://retireby40.org/passive-income/real-estate-crowdfunding/">RE Crowdfunding Passive Income page</a>.</li><li><strong>Rental income</strong>:&nbsp;$533. Woohoo! Our tenant is back in town. Now, we’ll have positive cash flow this year. Read more at the&nbsp;Rental Property Passive Income page.</li><li><strong>Dividend Income</strong>:&nbsp;$779. Slow month for dividend income. See more details on my&nbsp;<a href="https://retireby40.org/passive-income/dividend-stocks/"><strong>Dividend Passive Income page</strong></a>.</li><li><strong>Interest Income:&nbsp;</strong>$9.</li><li><strong>Side hustle &amp; Misc:&nbsp;</strong>$2,520. I charged a ton of scooters in May. The weather was nice and people are out a lot more. I also made $10 from ProductTube for sunscreen shopping. &nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h2><strong>Monthly Spending: $2,769</strong></h2>



<p>This year, I plan to spend about $50,000. So our&nbsp;<a href="https://retireby40.org/a-simple-easy-budget-plan-for-people-who-hate-budgeting/">monthly spending budget</a>&nbsp;is $4,166/month. May was another low spend month. We just don’t have a lot of expenses right now.</p>



<ul><li><strong>Housing</strong>: $1,261. This category includes mortgage, home insurance, HOA fees, property taxes, utilities, home improvement, repair, and furnishing.</li><li><strong>Parents</strong>: $500. My brothers and I each sent $500/month to my parent. They don’t have much retirement savings. Fortunately, they live in Thailand so $1,500 is enough. I also own the condo they live in so their housing expense is very small.</li><li><strong>Groceries</strong>: $404. Wow, that’s low. I don’t know exactly why it was so low last month. The previous month, we spent about $650. I guess it balanced out</li></ul>



<p>Here are some of the dinners I made.</p>



<p><strong>Green curry noodles</strong> &#8211; This dish was really good. I used Indian eggplants instead of Thai eggplants, but they worked well. Our son didn&#8217;t like it, though. He said it was spicy. I didn&#8217;t think it was spicy at all. </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img width="600" height="600" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/green-curry.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22288" /></figure></div>



<p><strong>Okonomiyaki</strong> &#8211; Family&#8217;s favorite. This is super easy to make once you have all the ingredients. </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img width="600" height="600" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/okonomiyaki-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22292" /></figure></div>



<p>Fajita &#8211; Mrs. RB40 made chicken fajitas. Mmmm&#8230; fajitas. </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img width="600" height="600" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/fajita.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22294" /></figure></div>



<ul><li><strong>Bills</strong>: $23. (This is just life insurance. Water, gas, and electric bills are included in the housing category.)</li><li><strong>Transportation</strong>: $204. This was for gasoline, insurance, public transportation, and maintenance. I also got a battery jump starter and an air pump for the tire.</li><li><strong>Entertainment</strong>: $111. We went out once and ordered takeout twice. . &nbsp;</li><li><strong>Kid</strong>: $0.</li><li><strong>Pet</strong>: $26.</li><li><strong>Travel</strong>: $0.</li><li><strong>Health</strong>: $96. Doctor appointment and prescriptions.</li><li><strong>Clothing: $</strong>35. Mrs. RB40 got a new pair of boots.</li><li><strong>Misc: </strong>$108.School’s fundraiser.</li></ul>



<p><strong>Others</strong></p>



<p>I don’t count these as personal spending.</p>



<ul><li><strong>Taxes and deductions</strong>: $3,230. I sent in the art tax and various other local taxes.</li></ul>



<h2><strong>2021 Savings ($44,644 YTD)</strong></h2>



<p>Alright! 2021 is going very well for us.</p>



<ul><li><strong>Joe’s 401k</strong>: $14,500.&nbsp; &nbsp;</li><li><strong>Mrs. RB40’s 401k</strong>: $7,500. She contributes $750 every paycheck.</li><li><strong>Roth IRAs</strong>: $5,000</li><li><strong>529 College Savings</strong>: $2,000.</li><li><strong>Extra savings</strong>: $15,644</li></ul>



<p><strong>YTD 2021 saving rate = 63%</strong></p>



<h2><strong>May 2021 wrap up</strong></h2>



<p>May was another great month for us. Our income streams were all strong and we didn’t spend much. Our net worth hit a new high again. Real life was great too. 2021 is turning out to be a very good year. Hopefully, we can keep this up for the rest of the year. We need a good year to prepare for Mrs. RB40’s early retirement next year.</p>



<p><strong>How was May for you? &nbsp;</strong>I hope you had a great month as well.</p>



<p><a href="https://retireby40.org/pcap/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">*Sign up for a free account at Personal Capital</a>&nbsp;to help manage your net worth and investment accounts. I log in almost every day to check on our accounts. It’s a great site for DIY investors.</p>



<p>Disclosure: We may receive a referral fee if you purchase or signup for a service through the links on this page.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://retireby40.org/may-2021-goals-financial-update/">May 2021 Goals &#038; Financial Update</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://retireby40.org">Retire by 40</a>.</p>


May 2021 Goals &amp; Financial Update

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<p><a class="more-link" href="https://www.mrfreeat33.com/this-stock-is-up-over-60-in-the-past-year-and-just-raised-its-dividend-by-19-5/">Read More &#187;</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mrfreeat33.com/this-stock-is-up-over-60-in-the-past-year-and-just-raised-its-dividend-by-19-5/">This Stock Is Up Over 60% In The Past Year And Just Raised Its Dividend By 19.5%</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mrfreeat33.com">Mr. Free At 33</a>.</p>


This Stock Is Up Over 60% In The Past Year And Just Raised Its Dividend By 19.5%

In 2016 I wrote a piece called Has There Every Been a Better Time to Be a Homebuyer?
Here were some of my reasons:

It&#8217;s easier than ever to shop for homes online
Houses are now bigger, better and nicer
Mortgage rates at generationally low levels
People were still scarred from the housing crisis making it a good time to buy

I can&#8217;t pat myself on the back too much for this call since it had more to do with th...

Has There Ever Been a Worse Time to Be a Homebuyer?

<p>Warren Buffett is a legendary “buy-and-hold” investor. And this patience has worked out tremendously well. However, that’s not to say that Buffett doesn’t sometimes sell stocks. Berkshire Hathaway unloaded shares in a number of businesses over the first quarter of this year &#8211; and I&#8217;ve been busy buying up a number of these businesses as...</p>
<p><a class="more-link" href="https://www.mrfreeat33.com/id-have-to-disagree-with-buffetts-latest-stock-sells-as-he-sells-i-buy/">Read More &#187;</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mrfreeat33.com/id-have-to-disagree-with-buffetts-latest-stock-sells-as-he-sells-i-buy/">I&#8217;d Have To Disagree With Buffett&#8217;s Latest Stock Sells (As He Sells, I Buy)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mrfreeat33.com">Mr. Free At 33</a>.</p>


I’d Have To Disagree With Buffett’s Latest Stock Sells (As He Sells, I Buy)

If you can&#8217;t beat &#8217;em, join &#8217;em. When you hear about people half your age making bank in some silicon ... <a title="Health Tech is Booming: 4 Profitable Ways to Start a Tech Side Gig" class="read-more" href="https://www.physicianonfire.com/start-a-tech-side-gig/" aria-label="More on Health Tech is Booming: 4 Profitable Ways to Start a Tech Side Gig">Read more</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/physicianonfire/grbz/~4/0-Dwe7Saemc" height="1" width="1" alt="" />

Health Tech is Booming: 4 Profitable Ways to Start a Tech Side Gig


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large"><img width="350" height="525" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Summer-2021-350.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22240" /></figure></div>



<p>Are you ready for the summer?! It’s Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start of summer. Oh man, I am so ready to relax and chill out for a while. We got our second Covid vaccine shot two weeks ago so we are fully vaccinated. <strong>Woohoo!!</strong> I am so excited to go out, travel, and see friends and families again. In fact, an old friend just came to town for a visit and we hung out without social distancing. It was great. I am a big introvert, but even I miss interacting with friends in real life.&nbsp;</p>



<h2>End of school year</h2>



<p>The Memorial weekend also means the end of the school year for many students. <strong>Congratulations to all the graduates out there! </strong>Don’t miss <a href="https://retireby40.org/my-best-advice-to-new-college-grads/">my best advice to new college grads</a>. For younger students, it’s time to relax and enjoy the nice weather.&nbsp; We are still a bit careful this summer so I’m sending our son for any camps. He’s not big on them anyway. I asked if he’d rather go to day camp or buy stuff and learn on his own. He said the day camps are too much like school and he prefers to get some new toys. Hence, we’ll go get a new skateboard and some other fun toys soon. I’ll sign him up for soccer in the fall. By then, a lot more people will be vaccinated so I’ll feel safer.</p>



<h2>Fun toys</h2>



<p>Oh, do you know any good outdoor toys for a 10-12 year-old boy? Here is my list. Let me know what else can we buy. Might as well spend some of that stimulus money, right? I guess indoor toys would be okay too.&nbsp; I’d rather he played outdoors, though. He already spent so much time indoors this past year.</p>



<ul><li>Skateboard</li><li>Pickleball set</li><li>RC truck</li><li>Drone</li><li>A baseball bat and a new glove</li><li>???</li></ul>



<h2>Travel</h2>



<p>Another thing we really miss is traveling. Last summer, we took a couple of <a href="https://retireby40.org/oregon-road-trip-2020/">short road trips</a>. It was fun, but we’re itching to explore further afield. We have two road trips planned this summer.</p>



<h3>Beach trip</h3>



<p>My brother and his family are coming to visit in June. We’ll show them around Portland then go to the beach for a few days. RB40Jr is looking forward to seeing his cousins again. They’re similar in age so they should have a lot of fun together. We meant to go see them last summer, but Covid spiked in California so we called it off. All of us feel much better about traveling now that we are vaccinated.</p>



<h3>Yellowstone!</h3>



<p>I reserved a campsite for a full week in Yellowstone! Our son is in 4<sup>th</sup> grade and he got a free annual pass as part of the <strong><a href="https://www.nationalparks.org/our-work/campaigns-initiatives/every-kid-outdoors" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Every Kid Outdoors</a></strong> program. We’ll drive to Yellowstone and make a few stops along the way. This should be a great road trip.</p>



<h3>Yosemite?</h3>



<p>We might visit Yosemite if we can schedule it somehow, maybe in August. I wanted to go last summer, but you know&#8230;</p>



<h2>Any plans this summer?</h2>



<p>What about you? Do you have any big plans this summer? International travel is still a bit iffy. Many countries are struggling with Covid. I went to see my parents in Thailand earlier this year and I was in <a href="https://retireby40.org/im-done-with-quarantine/">quarantine for 2 weeks</a>. It was not fun. Most people can’t spare 2 weeks for quarantine when they go on a vacation. I think 2021 is a good year to visit sites in your own country.</p>



<p><strong>Also, are you planning to send the kids to camps? If not, what is your plan for the munchkins?</strong></p>



<p>Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/@mateo_giraud" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mateo Giraud</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://retireby40.org/summer-2021/">Summer 2021!!!</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://retireby40.org">Retire by 40</a>.</p>


Summer 2021!!!

Award Travel Series: Business Credit Cards and Why You Should Apply

<p>Episode #167 - Live-in house flips are one of the best tools in real estate to build wealth. In this episode, learn how the strategy works and how you can use it to own your home free and clear of debt in as little as 6 years!</p> <p>Companion article/show notes: <a href="https://www.coachcarson.com/live-in-house-flips-free-clear-home-6-years/"> https://www.coachcarson.com/live-in-house-flips-free-clear-home-6-years/</a></p> <p>Episode 77 - Getting Rich With the Live-in Flip (Interview with Carl and Mindy Jensen) -<a href="https://www.coachcarson.com/getting-rich-live-in-flip/">https://www.coachcarson.com/getting-rich-live-in-flip/</a></p> <p>__________</p> <p>&#x1f3d8;&#xfe0f;REAL ESTATE IN YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNT? This is a strategy I've used successfully for years, but you've got to make sure you have a custodian that specializes in this type of investment. I personally use and highly recommend my friends at American IRA. You can watch a short video, get an information guide, or set-up a free consultation at <a href="https://coachcarson.com/americanIRA">https://coachcarson.com/americanIRA</a></p> <p>__________</p> <p>&#x1f3a7;SUBSCRIBE to the podcast for more episodes about how to achieve financial independence and do what matters using real estate investing! <a href="https://coachcarson.com/podcast">https://coachcarson.com/podcast</a></p> <p>----------------</p> <p>&#x25b6;&#xfe0f;WATCH my YouTube channel - Coach Carson TV - for tutorials, tips, strategies, and interviews <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CoachChadCarson?sub_confirmation=1">https://www.youtube.com/user/CoachChadCarson?sub_confirmation=1</a></p> <p>----------------</p> <p>&#x1f4cb; GET MY FREE REAL ESTATE INVESTOR TOOLKIT <a href="https://coachcarson.com/reitoolkit">https://coachcarson.com/reitoolkit</a></p> <p>----------------</p> <p>FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM &#x1f4f8; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/coachcarson1/">https://www.instagram.com/coachcarson1/</a></p> <p>----------------</p> <p>READ MY BOOK ON RETIRING EARLY &#x1f4da; <a href="https://www.coachcarson.com/retirementbook">https://www.coachcarson.com/retirementbook</a></p> <p>----------------</p> <p>&#x1f44b;&#x1f44b; SAY HI ON SOCIAL https://www.facebook.com/coachchadcarson/ https://twitter.com/CoachChadCarson</p>

#167 - Live-In House Flips - How to Own Your Home Free Clear in Only 6 Years


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large"><img width="350" height="525" src="https://retireby40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/My-Best-Advice-to-New-College-Grads-350.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22234" /></figure></div>



<p>This one is for the new college grads out there. <strong>Congratulations!</strong> Graduating from college is a huge accomplishment. Now, it’s time to rock the world! I graduated over 25 years ago and I still remember it well. I was euphoric to finish 5 years of engineering school. It was a tough program (BS/MS combined). By the end, everyone was totally burned out from studying. All of us couldn’t wait to start working and making some money. Fortunately, I graduated at a good time (1996) and was able to find a stable <a href="https://retireby40.org/engineers-plan-early-retirement/">engineering job</a>. That was a great starting point and I built our wealth from there. My journey worked out well, but it could be better. If I could go back and give my younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Here is my best advice to new college grads.</p>



<h2><strong>Keep learning</strong></h2>



<p>This is very specific. My best advice is to <strong>learn about financial independence</strong>. I didn’t discover financial independence until my mid-30s. Luckily, I <a href="https://retireby40.org/what-was-your-lowest-point-financially/">came from a humble background</a> and I started investing right when I began my engineering career. I knew I need to save the rainy days. By the time I found out about financial independence, we were almost there.</p>



<p>The rainy days came when I realized I didn&#8217;t want to be an engineer anymore. The career wasn&#8217;t the right fit for me anymore and I needed to move on. We saved and invested for a long time so I had to tough it out for just 2 more years. After that, I was <a href="https://retireby40.org/my-two-weeks-notice/">able to retire early</a> and escape from the corporate grind. Thank goodness I knew about financial independence by then. If I didn&#8217;t, I&#8217;d still be an engineer. Whew! It would have been better if I learned about financial independence sooner, though.</p>



<p>Like any young person, I <a href="https://retireby40.org/my-5-worst-financial-mistakes/">made plenty of mistakes</a>. We purchased a big house, drove a BMW convertible, spent a lot of money on entertainment, and invested in the wrong financial products*. It worked out okay, but we would have wasted a lot less time if we knew about financial independence right from the start. It would have given us a focus. I would have learned to invest much earlier.</p>



<p>*I invested with my bank’s financial branch. The “free” financial advisor sold us crappy mutual funds with high fees so he could make a commission. New investors should start with Vanguard. You really can’t go wrong with them. Once you learn more about investing, you can branch out and invest in individual stocks and other assets. Don’t invest with a “free” financial advisor at the bank. They&#8217;re about as bad as used car salesmen, IMO. </p>



<h2><strong>What is financial independence?</strong></h2>



<p>Basically, financial independence is when your investment can cover your cost of living while you&#8217;re alive. Once you achieve financial independence, you won’t have to work for money anymore. Many <a href="https://retireby40.org/can-wife-early-retire-yet/">FI people continue to work</a> because they like their job, they want to shore up their finances, and/or they want to feel useful. That’s okay too. You don’t have to stop working if you don&#8217;t want to. Financial independence gives you more choices. That will come in handy someday.</p>



<p>Yes, financial independence is possible for regular people. You don’t have to be born rich or make a huge amount of money to achieve financial independence. You just have to keep an open mind and keep learning.&nbsp;Here are some concepts that are crucial to financial independence.</p>



<h3>Key concepts</h3>



<ul><li><strong>Saving rates</strong> – Your saving rate is your saving divide by income. The higher your saving rate, the less time it takes to become financially independent. I recommend aiming for 50% saving rate. That will help build your portfolio very quickly. If you can&#8217;t <strong><a href="https://retireby40.org/the-secret-of-saving-50/">save 50%</a></strong> right from the start, don&#8217;t worry. Just do your best and keep improving every year.</li><li><strong>Lifestyle inflation</strong> – New college grads usually have high <a href="https://retireby40.org/lifestyle-inflation-inevitable/">lifestyle inflation</a>. When you make more money, you tend to spend more too. This is dangerous because it will screw up your saving rate. New grads should be very careful about upgrading their lifestyle too quickly.</li><li><strong>Investing</strong> – If you <a href="https://retireby40.org/why-start-investing-young/">start investing while you’re young</a>, you’ll be way ahead of everyone else. Time is your friend when you&#8217;re young. You can benefit from compound interest and learn about investing from experience. It&#8217;ll be much more difficult to start investing when you&#8217;re 40.</li><li><strong>Safe withdrawal rate</strong> – This is one way to <a href="https://retireby40.org/3-ways-define-financial-independence/">define financial independence</a>. It will give you a number to shoot for.</li><li><strong>Start contributing to your retirement plan</strong> &#8211; I know, I know. You don&#8217;t care about retirement right now. But, you need to start contributing to your 401k as soon as you can. The power of compounding is amazing, but you have to start early. Read more here &#8211; <a href="https://retireby40.org/what-if-always-maxed-401k/">What if you always maxed out your 401k?</a></li><li><strong>Track your expenses</strong> – This one is critical. Most people have no idea what they spend money on. <a href="https://retireby40.org/retirement-investing-track-expense/?doing_wp_cron=1527462248.5477850437164306640625">Tracking your expenses</a> will help you figure out what you spend your money on. Do this for at least a few months. Once you understand your spending pattern, you can improve it. Then you don&#8217;t have to track every penny after that. </li><li><strong>FIRE blogs</strong> – There are many great resources on financial independence now. Here is my list of <a href="https://retireby40.org/early-retirement-blogs-everyone/">great FIRE blogs</a> to get you started.</li></ul>



<h2><strong>Good luck!</strong></h2>



<p>Alright, I’ll keep it short today. It is almost summer and I&#8217;m cutting way back on work (blogging.) This summer, I&#8217;ll work 10-15 hours per week and focus on being a SAHD the rest of the time. We have to enjoy the journey, right? </p>



<p>In summary, my best advice to new college grads is to learn about financial independence. Just read and keep taking it in. You don’t need to be <a href="https://retireby40.org/obsessed-early-retirement/">obsessed with financial independence</a> right away. Learning about it will help you get started on the path to financial freedom. It’s like that movie Inception. Financial independence is an awesome concept. It will be stuck inside your head and hopefully, you’ll look at money differently. Money isn’t just for spending. Money really means financial security and freedom. My life is 100x better now that we are financially independent. It is unbelievable.</p>



<p>Congratulations again and good luck on your journey!</p>



<p><strong>What is your best advice to a new college grad? What would you tell yourself if you could go back in time?</strong></p>



<h2>More advice for new grads</h2>



<p><a href="https://retireby40.org/follow-your-passion-is-bad-advice-unless/"><strong>Don’t follow your passion</strong></a> &#8211; Contrary to popular belief, that’s bad advice. </p>



<p><a href="https://retireby40.org/investing-advice-recent-graduates/">Investing advice for new college grads</a> – I wrote about investing advice for new grads previously. Now, I realize it’s better to learn about financial independence first. It’s more motivational.</p>



<p><a href="https://dividendsdiversify.com/46-habits-of-self-made-millionaires/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">46 Habits of Self-Made Millionaire</a> &#8211; This is a great post from Dividend Diversify. Adopt some of these habits and you&#8217;ll be a millionaire.</p>



<p>Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/@charlesdeloye" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Charles DeLoye</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://retireby40.org/my-best-advice-to-new-college-grads/">My Best Advice to New College Grads</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://retireby40.org">Retire by 40</a>.</p>
