Mr. Tako's Adventures in Early Retirement (with Kids)
Over the next day, we’ll be packing for our family Hawaii trip. This is the first “air travel” trip we’ve taken with both kids. It’s going to be a big learning experience. Wish us luck! Traveling with young children can be frustrating, and tiring. I expect I’ll be entirely ‘ready to crash’ when we arrive on the Big Island.
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I often get asked the question, “Mr. Tako why don’t you invest in physical real estate?” Today I’m going to try to answer that question. Real estate has long been a popular investment among those seeking financial independence, but (other than my home) I don’t own any physical real estate. However, I have made TONS of money from real estate…
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I need to give you some bad news. You’re not going to live forever. Sorry to be so grim, but it’s true! Your lifespan has a finite timeframe, and as you read this the seconds of your life are ticking away. Tick…tick…tick…
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We need to talk about a serious subject today. It’s time to talk about tools! This is a subject that will enliven the animal spirits of many Tool Snobs. They will probably disagree with me. So be it! Controversy is a good thing! It brings out critical thinking and self reflection….both good tools to help you gain financial independence.
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This weekend the Pacific Northwest was hit by a powerful windstorm. Wind gusts reached 70mph. Power was knocked-out all over, trees fell down, and many schools were canceled on Monday. At the Tako house, we lost electricity, but no one was hurt. With modern lives so dependent on electricity, a power outage can be a major inconvenience for many…
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Charlie Munger is famous for saying “Invert, always invert”. Time to do a little inverting! Today we’re going to perform a little thought exercise about a really common investment. I won’t tell you the name of this investment until the end of the article. As we go through this thought exercise, try to guess what company it is. Do you think it’s a good investment? Will it help us gain financial independence, or send us back to wage slavery? Let’s find out!
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It’s tax time in the United States, and that means Mr. Tako is doing the family taxes! Ads for tax preparation and tax software are everywhere. Retailers are hawking their “tax refund” sales, and tax accountants are burning the midnight oil to get through all those tax returns. Today we’re going to look at some tax stupidity and how a financially independent individual can use the tax system to their advantage…
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February 2016 was a pretty standard month for us, but we did have a few surprise expenses. They threw our usual expense numbers out of whack. In 2016 our stated budget goals are: A monthly income from investments of $4k, and monthly expenses under $4k…
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It’s time to put on our millionaire pants, and share with you a little secret to cutting costs out of the grocery budget. Snack food. Snack foods are a perfect place to optimize in your budget! Don’t get me wrong, the Tako family loves snacking, but most snack foods are overpriced, filled with excessive salt & calories, and are a waste of your hard earned money.
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