Like it or not, we live in a modern hyperconnected world. Always on, always connected. 24/7. The average consumer is constantly told what to eat, how to live, and where to invest. It’s no wonder that “fake news” is now a thing.
We try to tell ourselves “Hey, I’m a free thinker. I not influenced by the media!” But it’s far more likely we’re simply influenced by the most convincing voices around us…
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I’m not going to sugar coat the obvious here… the Tako family net worth declined in 2018. The year 2018 turned out to be a perfect showcase for stock market volatility.
Most of the year the stock market was in a happy place — The economy was growing, consumers were borrowing and spending more, and unemployment was also super low (all of which are important ingredients for a rising stock market).
It looked as if 2018 was going to be yet another year of positive stock market returns…
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December is gone and a new year has begun! Now that 2019 is here, it’s time I did one of those final “tally-up” blog posts which detail all of our annual numbers. I’m usually just as curious as you guys to see how much we spent … and earned in dividends for 2018!
This last year was just a blur of activity…
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Happy New Year! Whew, the holidays are finally over! Things can finally get back to normal. I’ve been so busy lately with visiting family, taking care of kids, and completing holiday gifts that I’ve hardly had time to pump-out a blog post for the last couple of weeks.
A typical holiday (or school day-off) can be no picnic for your average financially independent SAHD…
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With just a couple of days left in 2018, it appears extremely likely the stock market is going to end the year in negative territory. As of writing this blog post, the S&P is down around -7.59%. This will not go down as a stellar year for stock market returns… but it is well within the bounds of “normal” for a single calendar year.
Of course, this fact does nothing to make individual investors feel better about losses. The market value of your assets is going to be less than what you started the year with. That doesn’t make anybody feel good…
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Presents. Trees. Gift giving. Just general overspending. If you take a look around at how most people celebrate Christmas these days, it’s all about the spending!
Capitalism has officially taken over Christmas, and has convinced everyone that spending is the right way to do it…
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Tis the season… to be absolutely super friggin busy. Yes, it’s that time of year when my calendar gets crazy. Besides my regular duties as a stay-at-home dad, chef, blogger, and chauffeur for my kids, there’s all this dang holiday stuff going on.
There’s multiple Christmas parties to attend, Christmas trees to put up, kid holiday events, presents to make (and wrap), AND we have guests staying for Christmas this year…
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The market giveth and the marketh taketh away. Lately the market has been doing a lot more taking away than it has giving.
That’s just how the investing game works! Market prices can vary significantly in any given year, and investors often get way too focused on the price….
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Marriage. Even in the best of times marriage isn’t easy. With divorce statistics in the U.S. stating that 41% of first marriages and 60% of second marriages end in divorce, the prospect of financial destruction due to divorce is a very real risk for those on the path to Financial Independence. Even for couples that have already reached FI…
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