A soft life isn’t always an easy life. But you can make it a better life. — Side hustles. Quiet quitting. Now living a soft life. Things Gen Z and millennials make popular via social media so we think they invented them. When, in reality, Gen X, some boomers and even members of the Silent Generation have been there before. Consider the soft life, which is having…

A ‘soft life’ doesn’t have to be boring or all that frugal — About a month ago, I published the first installment in a series that will track how much it will cost my girlfriend and I to spend one month in Spain and Italy. I’m tracking all of the pre-booked elements of the trip — flights, trains, Airbnbs. Then, during and after…

A simultaneously easy and ambitous approach to spending — The following story originally appeared in my Never Retire newsletter. It’s a quick read. At the end of it, I add additional thoughts on why your smallest income stream might be your most important. Don’t discount relative pennies. They add up. They matter. They make spending on things you don’t…

The real life consequences of giving in to the urge to overspend — Tesla is to 2022 what the Toyota Prius was to 2012. At least in my stomping grounds of Southern and Northern California. Teslas have become common, if not ubiqituous here. I can’t get with the obsession. If I was going to spend luxury car money, it would be on something…

A theoretical and practical guide to navigate a seemingly tough economy that might actually be a blessing disguise — There has been a lot of talk lately about those of us under 50 (or thereabouts) not being able to have the same type of life our parents had/are maybe having. I addressed the conversation the other day in a Medium article — The Amount Of Money You Need To Live A Good Life Is Much Less Than You Think If you’re willing to reset expectations, compromise and redefine class and the American dream, you’re 90% there. You…themakingofamillionaire.com

If you’re willing to reset expectations, compromise and redefine class and the American dream, you’re 90% there. You just have to act decisively. — That house for sale that dropped in price in Los Angeles actually just became more expensive. How in the hell does this happen? If housing prices have started to cool, how does home ownership become more expensive? We methodically piece this dynamic together in a minute, but, in the shell…

How to gain and keep control over your money — Speaking about artists, Bruce Springsteen says — We like to happen to the world. We don’t like the world to happen to us. We’ve had enough of that. The Boss’s words apply beyond people in creative profressions. They can help us gain and keep control over our personal finance. …

To retire traditionally, you might have to live beyond your means — If we just stopped living in pursuit of traditional retirement, many of us would alleviate a huge source of money-related stress. There are people who work super hard — too hard — at the expense of living so they can situate themselves to quit work altogether in their fifties or…

How I paid $8 for a $20 twelve pack so I can live large in 2023 — This is a 12-pack of beer. Regular price: $19.99. I got it for $7.99.