Never Ask Me for Anything Ever Again Meme

Hey guys!!

Tomorrow's my last 24-hour interval here!!

If at that place was anything you ever wanted to ask me, at present's your shot! :) Can exist about money, biz, honey, life, kids, mohawks – whatev!

If I tin legally (and consciously) respond yous, I will ;)

Drop your questions downward below in the comments or via email, and I'll reply each and every one of them then update this post hither so everyone can see the Q&As… Or if you'd rather enquire something in *individual*, that'southward cool too – only give me the heads up and I'll keep it on the low 👍

1-2-3 Go!

******

How would you recommend the best means to learn the stock market thoroughly?

Reading! Lots of information technology! :)

Just starting with these two resources volition help speed it up a bit for you lot (though fyi they're definitely biased towards indexing, lol..)

• "The Picayune Book of Common Sense Investing" by Jack Bogle
• JL Collins' "Stock Series" – https://jlcollinsnh.com/stock-series/

How much practice you lot think you're going to miss writing these blog posts? Just so you know, I've really enjoyed reading your posts. Thank you so much for everything!

Hey cheers!! They've been fun to write for a bulk of the years, simply I'll be honest and say I don't recollect they're nigh as good every bit they used to be :) I think I've finally said everything I wanted to say then I don't predict missing them. I Will miss all the PEOPLE here though!! That's going to be the hardest to walk abroad from until my next project!

Are you enjoying abode ownership, or practise you actually prefer renting? (Sorry if yous already answered this question since I don't ever read every single email you write 😊)?

I would rent every twenty-four hour period of my life if I could :) Habitation buying is merely not for me, just it is best for my *family unit* and then I suck it up and curlicue with it and information technology'south def. not as bad as it was 10 years agone when we first owned. Probably because I have coin at present to fix everything when information technology breaks! We merely paid $3,000 to cut downwardly a couple of expressionless copse in our yard a few weeks ago – information technology never ends.

Are you still writing, and will I however be able to follow you? I know y'all mentioned your future plans in one of your posts, merely I can't call up the details.

YUP! I'll still be in the community working on projects relating to $$$! The next one volition be a curation-focused site similar to Rockstar Finance back in the twenty-four hours that'll exist launching on Soapbox.com in near a calendar month (July 6th).

Hither's everywhere else y'all can find me in the meantime (make sure you're subscribed to my personal newsletter and then you lot become all my updates):

• Twitter: @BudgetsAreSexy
• E-mail: j @ jmoney .biz
• Newsletter: jmoney.biz/newsletter

Any chance you'll host another podcast? Miss hearing from you back in the twenty-four hour period on the MONEY show with Paula P.

NOPE. Haha… I'll gladly proceed going ON other peoples' podcasts though! :) A lot more fun and a lot less work! Though I will exist getting into *video* more and so we'll see how that goes… You lot'll get my face AND my vox ;)

[Here's the backstory on that podcast btw for anyone new: Good Reasons to Quit Something vs Bad Reasons to Quit Something (And Why I'm Retiring from Podcasting)]

What is the value of dearest?

$38 and a pocketbook of Cheetos 😂

My question is where will you be in v years? In otherwise what is the next big target you are going for in life?

Oh human being, I couldn't tell you! I've never been one to really fix long-term goals as crazy as that sounds, but I DO know whatsoever I'thousand working on it'll fit within my ideal *lifestyle*. Which is waking upwardly and working on whatsoever I'm passionate about (work-wise) for the offset half of the day, and then logging off and doing whatever non-work stuff I desire to practice the second one-half of the day :) I'thousand finding that's the ideal schedule so far for me where I'one thousand the most productive – and happy! – in both areas of the work/life balance, while yet doing *just plenty* to earn a decent living, lol…

What I desire to know is – are you still keeping up with your early forenoon schedule (was information technology a phase thing – or is it for life?)

I AM!! I woke upward at 5:02 this forenoon and still ane of the best habits I've ever formed! Here'southward a post on why I love it and so much which sums it up nicely – 3 Years Waking Up Early on Like Benjamin Franklin! – just if you want the TL;DR here y'all go:

• It'south so all the same and peaceful in the morning!
• It'southward nice to wake up and set your *own tone* for the day vs letting others practice information technology for you (like crying babies!)
• Information technology helps *slow downward* time more and allows for skilful reflection
• It's 100% YOU time!
• It feels great jumping right into life so fast – and without distractions
• It's much easier working in the mornings for me than the afternoons
• It too helps me *get to bed earlier* and not stay upward goofing around!
• I've also become much less anxious over the days – knowing I have that time to myself every morning to work out things or get a plan going…
• And lastly, and perhaps nigh surprisingly?, waking upwardly early has stopped me from snacking and drinking beers throughout the entire night :)
  

Then yes – all expert things! And I should mention this is *but for Mon-Friday btw… I let myself to slumber in and recharge during the weekend, made even more impactful by not opening up my laptop anymore too after Fridays. Another great habit I've recently formed!

What's your next project? Volition you still maintain your own Twitter business relationship? Or did you sell that too?

I still own and have my Twitter –> @BudgetsAreSexy. It's my favorite place to hang out in the $$$ community :)

And the adjacent project I'm working on will be a curation-similar site launching over at Soapbox.com in approximately a calendar month… So if y'all liked my monthly roundup here, you'll similar this one!

I'm buying my kickoff car in the side by side month or so. If yous have any tips on banks to go with, getting loan approval, what interest charge per unit I should shoot for with 760+ credit, purchasing a auto from another state… Anything really, I would appreciate it. I'k just trying to save an much equally I tin for as long as I can to pay off this new car and my student debt.

Rock on! Your credit score is lit! I personally utilize – and honey – USAA for both financing and insurance (been a member for over twenty years now!), only unfortunately they're simply open to those continued with the military :(

I will say though that I promise you lot're considering a *used* car for your kickoff ane vs a new one! Pros and cons to both, but even just getting 1 a year or two off the lot would relieve you immensely over the years. Or amend yet getting a beater and so "upgrading" later when you're more secure! :) Fun adventure though!

If y'all were lucky enough to spend a month this summer in any Canadian province, which one would it be and why? :)

Victoria in British Columbia!! Because Business firm BOATS! And water! And scenery! And all things cute and romantic!! :) Plus you could take a fun ferry ride right into Seattle and relish a little U.S. action too, lol…

What do you call back are the best ways to get through the colorlessness of the mundane to go an good in your own personal finance? Many people (myself included) struggle subsequently we get semi-competent in a new task.

I gauge mayhap I'd just inquire myself if you really *need* to be an expert in all the areas? Specially if you're already doing okay? Information technology's awesome if yous can learn the ins and outs of everything, but sometimes it'south also awesome knowing yous're fourscore% fine and don't need to be 100% perfect :) Orrrrr – doing what I do and just moving to other fun areas in life to explore, similar hobbies or friends/etc, and *then* moving back to a deep swoop in a financial topic in one case information technology becomes more relevant or heady… It'south def. difficult to forcefulness yourself to do something if yous're not ready/motivated.

Hullo J, I've recently been reading a book on Multiple Streams of income where the author discusses how to protect your assets, by using LLC's, living trusts, etc. What steps do you remember are important to put in place for the boilerplate ordinary Joe with a Glass Jaw to protect his (or hers) assets? I mean I can't continue fighting similar this, at some point I'll go brain damage :D

Haha… Well it all depends on how comfortable you are and what exactly you're trying to protect, but as someone who just recently finished their volition and trust, I can tell you it def. makes a globe of deviation in the peace department :) But then once more I also accept 3 kids counting on me and a business organisation and business firm to worry well-nigh, etc… I don't know if I'd mess with LLCs or a trust if it were only me right now and I was in the early stages of my journey, but there are certainly benefits to information technology.

Who would win in a fight to the death between all the humans and all the insects in the world, and why are you wrong in your respond?

We've got Chuck Norris, so… :)

If the point of FIRE is to pack it in when you lot accept a self sustaining investment portfolio, exercise you indeed pack it in, or do you shoot for an eight digit net worth? Or nine? Or the triple comma club? Or some other goal? What volition you, J Money, do?

I think if you accept to enquire yourself that question you haven't yet found a manner to be content ;) There'south fiscal freedom, and then in that location's trying to amass money but to see how much you can take in the end! Would I love to have more? Of course! But I think if you tin larn to exist happy with what you've got then the rest is all "actress" and not so much a *demand*.

Does your wife work outside your home, well at least before covid tines? If and so, what is her chore/occupation? Also, how did you two meet?

My wife works for the government and normally telecommutes half the week and works from home the other half, but with the Covid stuff she's thankfully able to work at home fully right now. And she loves her task so it'south bang-up! (She's an editor)

Nosotros met at a bar when she asked me where the bathroom was and I asked her to dance instead ;) She said no, and then an hour afterwards she constitute me on the dance floor! I guess it was my sweet moves!! #Non

1. The thing yous are most proud of with money?
2. The most rewarding way you lot ever spent money? (tin can be a gadget, trip, experience, philanthropy)
3. Your craziest hidden talent 😜

I'm nigh proud of finding a mode to do what I want with my career while however managing to go along a household afloat :) Especially throughout all the ups and downs and crazy ideas I've had over the years!

The about rewarding manner of spending my money will e'er exist when it's directed towards other people… I don't know why that is as it's literally THE OPPOSITE of what we work so hard towards, haha, just as Anne Frank once said, "No one has ever become poor by giving."

Craziest subconscious talent?! Does yard saling count?? :) I'm really good at finding them and bargaining people downward, haha… As well I tend to work *more than creatively* the less sleep I have! At least until I crash!

My question is nigh the mechanics of setting up a blog for affiliate marketing (write helpful content and link it to resources at Amazon or other vendors). I have a registered domain, hosting account with Bluehost, and purchased Elegant Themes. I likewise take a list of ideas to write about in a narrow niche. I tin can't figure out the mechanics of getting a blog going. I have read a ton of blogs on the subject area, only the information is usually vague (start a blog and write virtually something). What resource would yous recommend that teaches about the number of pages one should take, fonts, where to get pictures from, and anything else related to setting up a blog?

Well, I'one thousand probably the wrong person to inquire for that as I prefer blogs that *aren't* set up chiefly to make money equally information technology tends to skew everything (language, intent, "feel"), withal in either instance it really does come down to writing your heart out and getting those ideas downwards on newspaper :)

Sure there are tips on word length (at least 600 for example for SEO) and cool fonts (I like these guys: https://www.1001fonts.com/) as well as places you tin catch pics safely and free from (cheque out https://pixabay.com/ and https://unsplash.com/), simply at the end of the 24-hour interval you need those articles pumped out for people – and Google – to starting time being able to detect y'all. And perhaps even more of import than that, you need to see if you actually ENJOY blogging and are good at information technology! Or the rest of the stuff doesn't even matter!

So my recommendation is the same as those vague articles yous've come across and to But START while yous're interested and gear up to learn… Sure you'll get things wrong, but the writing is 80% of the game!

What is one thing in your life that you wish yous'd done differently and/or one regret you take that you lot wish yous could change?

I don't have as well many regrets in life thankfully, just one I would have 100% done over would be to alive a more MINIMAL life SOONER. I know we all get our epiphanies at different times and so not sure how I would have *known* to do things differently, but man how much freedom – and joy! – I would have had if I had caught on sooner! All my dreams of tiny business firm living and getting rid of all my "stuff" would accept been much easier to practise before starting a family and having a million kids! Haha… Which I know technically y'all can still do, but nosotros're talking a way unlike story in that location ;) But oh well… in that location are worse problems to have of course!

If you had a million dollars and also had a 150,000 dollar educatee loan…what would you do with all that money?

Is it $1,000,000 *extra* dollars? If so I'd wipe away that debt once and for all and then invest the residue into index funds :) If my *net worth* is a apartment million dollars, then I'd probably still wipe abroad the debt merely to exist rid of it and and then make sure the rest is applied towards index funds and cash and perhaps some existent manor if that's your thing. A challenge for me has been *diversifying* more than outside of just straight up retirement accounts (which account for the major clamper of our $$!), so the one nice affair about owning a home if I have to say a nice matter, lol, is that it does help spread across our $$$ meliorate. And I'm also trying to focus more on our non-retirement brokerage account too now that the rest is so pumped up. But all fun questions to recall virtually! I hope you lot just hit the lottery! :)

What is your favorite coin, and why? What are yous doing next?

My favorite coin that I *own* is this former Indian head nickel that someone carved into a different face that I inherited from my grandma, and known as a "hobo nickel":

But my about *favorite* coin that I'll never exist able to afford is the 1915-Southward Panama Pacific Gold Commemorative money fabricated upwardly of 2 and 1/2 ozs of gold and shaped in an octagon :) Just look at that owl!!

What I'm doing adjacent? Helping curate the best financial articles in the community for a new project that'll be launching on Soapbox.com come July 6th. Brand sure you're signed up to my newsletter to go notified of it!

What kind of saving pots do you have? For east.g. do you accept sinking funds/savings for travel, house repairs, general?

At the moment I only have a "business firm fund" for anything that breaks in the place or we want to upgrade (like the floors or bathrooms, kitchen, etc). We now accept a new savings account in general under the trust nosotros just set up upward, but right now that's just some longer term money sitting there and not actually earmarked for anything. I tend to but have one or two specific funds prepare up at any fourth dimension due to my minimalism ;)

All-time advice for edifice a successful weblog that provides a full time income (allow'due south say 100K per year). As well, any advice on selling a blog?

HAH! Only going for the kill are we?? :)

Yous'll have to see my notation up above for my thoughts on starting a blog for money, but obviously it tin can be done and there are happy mediums of doing it like what we did here on this blog (ie did enough to survive just never fabricated it the #1 priority). I would say your best chance of being successful with blogging is to kickoff ENJOY IT! and and so secondly be in information technology for the *long* haul as it's not a fast ride ;)

Or better yet, use the blog as a *resume* and brand money off the opportunities it brings! Similar speaking or freelance writing or even coming upwards with your ain products or books! Lots of ways to brand money, but again information technology comes down to passion and hustle.

Every bit for selling blogs once it'southward time, I have a private e-mail list of people interested in buying them and happy to laissez passer along the details to gauge interest (if y'all wanna go on the list, sign upwardly here – https://jmoney.biz/brokering/), only at that place are also larger brokers out there that volition really market place it and get a top offer simply of course charge a nice commission as well :) Can't think of their names off my head, but if you lot email me I can find them and email you back later this AMA is over.

Besides FWIW  – most places look at the trailing 12 or 15 months of profit and stats, so always best to ramp it up adept earlier you're set to sell for the best shot of maximizing a sales price!

Regarding generating passive income, it seems like the #1 suggestion is e'er invest in real estate and become a property manager (landlord). I know a lot of people doing this and always heard the horror stories so I've been very leery of this. What are your thoughts?

My thoughts are that it makes me want to vomit to even think most information technology :)

Only then once again I'm non a real manor lover and it HAS worked for people for hundreds, if not thousands of years! So in that location'due south definitely validity to it, but thankfully there are plenty of other ways to bring passive income in likewise… Such every bit investing in the marketplace long term – which is the route I cull to become (but has it'south own set of problems, of course). Really comes down to how comfortable y'all are with run a risk and what your personality is like.

Mr. Money, afterward following you for one-time now I am still request myself, "why oasis't yous started; what'southward holding you back from financial freedom," and being self taught and evolving monthly with stocks I continously find my brain racing to avoid the growth. And so permit me ask you, how did you become from lack to sack? What actually drove yous to become higher within yourself?

Hah! I'thousand not sure I exactly follow the question, but I can tell you I've been more motivated past *lifestyle design* than I have money over the by few years.  Since the whole bespeak of money anyways is to arts and crafts the life we live! And then maybe focusing on the  *daily* changes you desire to see in your life might be more than motivating than the larger – harder – "growth" parts of it all? How do you see yourself living in a perfect world?? What would you be doing every day? Tin you start doing some of information technology Now and then incrementally do more over fourth dimension? Those are the bigger questions that drive me, anyways :)

What advice do you take for someone who is extremely disorganized and hates tracking things and budgeting, but still wants to achieve FI? (I already pay myself commencement and max out my and my wife's 401k and ira, so something beyond that). Cheers once more for all the insight and motivation over the years!!!

How well-nigh tracking your net worth? A much easier – and quicker! – exercise to do every calendar month? Maybe that'll proceed you motivated seeing how things overall change over fourth dimension? Also if you're like me, information technology's usually more fun going "all in" on a certain goal too than trying to striking thirteen unlike smaller ones :) Perchance there'due south an area of your life/finances you can really turbocharge for a solid month or ii and see what comes of it? Or maybe a hobby you tin plow into a coin maker, even if it'due south just a little to add some fuel to the Fire?

What I need/or am searching for the most is a great budget tracker/or Excel canvas example you might accept, equally I'm looking for a new, consistent way (and to assistance me practise a better task quite frankly;) to upkeep out monthly, yearly, etc…..and find that actress $$ to put back into our family operations, savings, etc.

Have you come across this listing of upkeep templates from the site notwithstanding? –> https://world wide web.budgetsaresexy.com/free-budget-templates-sites/

Or these FIRE spreadsheets? –> https://www.budgetsaresexy.com/early-retirement-fi-spreadsheet/

If someone is about to give up on their FI journey, what would you say to them?

Ooooh good one! I don't think I ever thought of that before? I suppose I'd want to know the *why* behind information technology then I could sympathise more than and see if I could offering another perspective, but if I had a gun to my caput and had to blurt something out, I gauge I would say "Become do you thing and the door is always open up for you to come up back…"

I've never had success trying to convince someone to do something they actually don't want to practice deep downwardly (which is why I never leap into politics online! No one is at that place to be convinced otherwise no matter how many facts you throw their way!), then the best hope is to just let them know you lot're always at that place if they wanna chat about stuff, and and so hopefully they have some other epiphany and are ready to spring back in :) Def. gonna have to think more on this one though… skilful one!

I'm curious when you selected a lawyer for your will, how did you go almost that process? What did you look for? What questions did yous ask?

Great questions! It took us over a YEAR to finally find someone we liked, but then again we weren't ever really hardcore about it either ;) Information technology basically came down to *asking around* for recommendations from people, and then chatting with each of them to become a better sense of how easy they were to work with as well as the costs of form…

I knew I'd have approximately 837 questions so I needed someone who could hold my paw and non get annoyed with me, haha, only at the aforementioned fourth dimension assistance guide me to the *right* answers and in a perfect globe exercise information technology in *person*. Half the people we chosen never called the states dorsum, and a majority of the others had their *assistants* call usa back and then that was a no go, so when we came across this smaller mom and pop shop who offered to come across over java to talk about stuff I was already 80% sold :) A few more chats later and we were all signed upward and rolling!

So it's def. proficient to know how YOU work, personally, and then try your best to find someone that'll match upward nicely. But getting recommendations def. helps speed up the process and already gives you lot 1 more level of trust since a friend or loved one already used them!

What did you lot learn most about yourself and what is your biggest takeaway that will continue you going for your next chapter?

I learned that I'grand a VERY emotional person, and if something doesn't excite me whether it makes a ton of coin or not, the odds I actually exercise something about information technology are slim to none :)

I also learned that in that location actually isn't that many "rules" in life so you can basically do things on your own accord and become away with it just fine! You merely have to ASK for what yous want or simply get for it! So long as you're not hurting anyone in the procedure! (At least that'due south one of my only rules I have for myself…)

Where do you invest your money, and do you withal invest the same way in down turns such as this pandemic and the 2008 recession?

I invest all my money into Vanguard'southward Full Stock Marketplace Index Fund – ticker VTSAX. And it'south all still there, as I continue to add to it even in these Covid times!

I used to have my $$ scattered all over the identify – and in all kinds of cockamaimy schemes – and then I finally woke upwardly and started paying attention to what all my FIRE friends and bloggers were doing :) A few months of poking effectually later and I was quickly sold on the indexing strategy!

Hither are my ii primary posts on it if you desire to see the backstory and links to the resources that really helped me:

https://www.budgetsaresexy.com/say-hello-to-vanguards-newest-member/

https://www.budgetsaresexy.com/lazy-ane-fund-investing-strategy/

What advice would y'all offer to someone who has pretty good income and savings rate, cyberspace worth approx $400k, but a very brusk time horizon (and involvement rates are in the basement of class) to build wealth as quickly as possible?

Yikes! I don't even Desire to respond that question because "making money" and "quick as possible" usually never ends well in the same judgement, haha… That beingness said, I've been pretty pleased with my returns by investing in index funds over the past half a decade or then, but without knowing your risk levels – and how brusk "very brusque" actually is? – it's hard to really suggest I'1000 afraid. If you lot observe the answer though I hope you'll tell all of us!! :)

Then when are you all going to get an RV to travel this wonderful country and evidence the kiddos all the smashing sites? Home – check. Minivan- check. RV??

I'll check off that one when those get-go two checks are long gone, haha… I like going "all in" or zilch and don't want another "affair" to worry about! :) If only I became a minimalist earlier starting a family unit!!

How much do you put abroad each calendar month for each child? Where did y'all ready up their business relationship?

Nosotros were setting aside $fifty/mo/kid, just simply recently upped it to $100/mo/child so we tin grow it faster (and also while things are lower right now!). Nosotros accept all their money invested in Virginia's 529 plan (virginia529.com) to milk the tax rewards along with information technology :) See if your state offers any too as you lot're searching around!

This is random, merely several years ago I used to have an app for Budgets are Sexy but when I inverse to a new phone and I tried to download the app it wasn't there anymore – did you take out the app?

Hah – we never had an app! But if you blazon in "budgets are sexy" in your phone's browser you should be hands able to just add a "bookmark" to information technology on your dwelling house screen in one case it pops up. That's how I view it every mean solar day!

I'm ever curious how people meet their spouses – how did you lot meet yours? Your wife seems similar a lovely married woman and you have a beautiful family! And to exist off-white, since I asked how you met your wife I'll tell you how I met my husband! We met in college and nosotros started dating after we threw each other into a lake and I have pictures to prove it :P My half-dozen yr old daughter loves it when I pull out the pictures to tell the story.

That is so cute!!! What a story!! My sons recently acted out *our* meeting in a play of theirs, haha, but information technology was much less fun :) She asked me where the bathroom was tardily one Fri night at the bar, and after I told her I asked her to dance. To which she politely declined, and then an hour later randomly showed up on the dance floor and we've been dancing together e'er since! ;)

What are your thoughts on spending coin on WEDDINGS? Is it worth it to spend on the (hopefully) i wedding you'll ever have? Is it non worth the fuss and you should simply save your money?

I'll give you the same answer I give out whether information technology'south relating to weddings or houses or even Starbucks coffees :) If information technology's something you lot VALUE and is important to you, past all means spend the money! It'due south your life and you lot should exist able to do what yous want with it provided it's within reason! Now if you're also splurging on your home and cars and everything else you don't care as much for, then you're def. non doing it right, but on a few selected areas of life past all ways convert that coin into happiness!

What are your fondest memories from budgetsaresexy? What is your favorite legacy from it (or what do you lot hope your legacy will be from it)? And accept yous ever looked at a upkeep and idea, maybe I should change the proper noun to "onlySOMEbudgetsaresexy"? :)

Haha…

No to the changing of the proper name, but if i had to first a blog all over again it would exist called FinancialFreedomIsSexy or NetWorthTrackingIsSexy.com, lol…. I oasis't approaching in years ;)

As for the legacy and memories, it really has been all near you *readers* for me and merely engaging day in and day out and feeling like one happy financial family :) I never set out to make a new career of it or for the blog – and the other projects that spawned from information technology – to take off equally they did, every bit for me it was just most sharing some thoughts and having fun! And of course improving my *own* finances in the concurrently.

Then personally the site far exceeded any expectations that I had from calendar month #1, lol, but information technology's been a smash seeing where it'southward all gone from there and I gauge my only real promise for information technology is that the articles *stay online* for many years and so they hopefully keep getting people to pay attention.

Will yous go out us with the promise that when you have your first grandchild you will resurrect the "Baby Tracker" idea and convert it to how much a grandparent spends? Or am I the but i of your fans that found that idea both vivid and extremely funny?

Haha… Bargain.

And it'south but funny because you KNEW there was no fashion I'd go along it up, right??? ;) Once that 2d one came forth??

I know y'all're getting *out of the blog* business. Merely practise you remember there's still room for opportunity and growth *in the blog* business concern? If you had cyberspace worth $0, would y'all beginning a blog today?

Totally!!

When I started everyone was saying it was overcrowded then too! Lol…

But guess what?? There are BILLIONS of people on this planet and literally only a few thousand bloggers. So there is *plenty* of room for more to come in – and especially those with interesting stories/ideas to tell :)

Now is it a skilful *way to make money*? Well, I've never been a fan of starting it for that reason since there are wayyy more ways to make information technology faster than blogging!, merely if you're *passionate* virtually it and want a better way to agree yourself answerable, starting a blog is 100% a smashing way to go about it. Plus, as you've seen here you never know where information technology could lead! I never thought I'd exist doing it 12 years later and having my unabridged life and friends and career alter from information technology! It's been amazing!

Java or tea? And favorite flavor? :)

Java. 100%.

Flavor? Hazelnut :) Although recently my sis turned me onto a "muddied chai" (you ever hear of that?) and it was pretty damn glorious, haha.. And gives you lot a mix of both coffee AND tea! If it weren't and so expensive I'd make it my daily drink :)

What does the "J" of J. Money correspond? And is that fifty-fifty your real first name? :p

It's totally made up! Lol…

Though in one case a week someone will call me by a J name because in their head they just assumed it was any they thought :) Yesterday I was called Jacob, and the week before I was Jason!

I have 2 questions for you lot: one) Would you recommend keeping some of your 3-six months emergency in stock market (possibly a loftier dividend depression volatile stocks)? And 2) I've been trying to increment our saving rates to be able to max out our 401K but it has been hard. Exercise you lot take whatever tips on keeping your household monthly budget down? We probably just swallow out once a month.

RE: Emergency fund – nope, I'd never put information technology into the market place or anywhere else with like volatility every bit to me the E Fund is meant to be stable and super accessible. Of course, that doesn't mean you lot can't maybe only cut your fund in half and throw some into the markets and keep the other into savings or a money market or something similar that, but I've never been a fan of putting it *all* somewhere other than a cash-related vehicle.

RE: Monthly upkeep – if you're having a hard fourth dimension cutting it further, information technology may very well be that you've done the best y'all tin – at least to proceed the lifestyle you're currently enjoying. And so in times like that it'due south improve in my opinion to but allow information technology be and shift your focus towards *earning more than* where y'all have much more flexibility and growth potential. Whether information technology'southward at your current task or taking on hustles on the side… You tin effort and slash expenses even more if you're willing to not savour life so much, but at that place's just and so much you can exercise and y'all certainly don't want to detest waking up every morn :)

A question I accept is what strategies did you use to grow your blog?

I networked a lot! I did some guest posting. I responded to every final comment and email and tweet. I tried to share the love as oft as I could (re-share other peoples smashing content, cheer others on, etc). And then most importantly, I did my best to put out stuff I hoped people would like :) (And I did it *consistently* also – besides important!) I never messed with SEO or any real "building" strategies much – but and so once again that'south also why I never got to millions of views a month either ;)

Practice you and your married woman share the same financial mine set?

Yup! And mainly simply a coincidence too equally it was nothing nosotros actually talked about until in one case we got married :( So SUPER lucky it turned out this way or who knows how this blog would take gone! Lol… (Although she doesn't care much for the RE part of FIRE – she very much enjoys going to work and volition exist doing so for many years/decades? to come… all the while I'chiliad retired ;))

What did you do before you lot became a finance rockstar and what was your monthly income?

I was a projection manager, graphic designer, customer service director, realtor, airline amanuensis, Former Navy acquaintance and approximately 30 other titles before landing here ;) Ranging from $10/hr to $78,000 + bonuses.

Here's a breakdown of all the gigs whenever you lot're bored: https://www.budgetsaresexy.com/all-thirty-jobs-ive-ever-done/

Is computing net worth whatever dissimilar when you rent?

Nope! Net worth basically remains the aforementioned no matter how y'all alive:

assets – liabilities.

You won't have a "mortgage" in the liabilities department of the breakdown, but of course your rent will nevertheless affect cash menses which ultimately changes the #'s in the net worth, but yous wouldn't put "hire" in that section or anything…

What's your 1RM bench press? And more importantly favorite local beer?

Nooo idea what a 1RM bench press is (I fifty-fifty Googled it and still don't know!), but currently I've been really enjoying Boddingtons straight from the can… That fiddling ball that floats effectually in it is a phenomenon worker! Haha… Love all the cream it creates up peak equally yous crack it open up!

For people starting out in blogging, how would you recommend they keep rail of their previous posts and so they know, as they're creating new posts, what topics they can hyperlink to? I'm just beginning down this blogging journey merely am realizing that I will need to create a arrangement to rail every postal service I've washed but honestly I'm not good at beingness organized.

Oh homo, I've merely kept it all in my noggin and did my best to recall them when needed! But y'all're right information technology'due south not the most failproof system! Lol… Luckily wodpress has that little search department when you go to link to words in the article, just I don't know of any other existent ways outside of just manually throwing them in a spreadsheet or something w/ notes…

Only really, information technology'southward probably fine even when you practice forget things because a) you lot don't desire to exist linking to the same stuff ALL the time, and b) if you don't recall it probably wasn't anything as well spectacular anyways? Plus near of this stuff just keeps being repeated in different ways just, and so it allows you lot to recreate the thought or idea in fresher words to keep the party going…

There'southward been multiple times I've written the exact same post over the years without even knowing information technology :) And that's fine! People rarely remember it anyways, and every new day at that place are new people coming to your blog for the very first time. So don't let information technology keep yous upward at dark too much. Simply go along pumping out those manufactures!

Information technology seems equally though the whole concept of Burn is about getting your priorities directly. How would you describe your life philosophy/priorities in life?

Basically, yup!

It'southward an ongoing procedure, but every year it seems I get more and more obsessed with improving my work/life residue, with almost of the focusing going towards the "life" part :) As evidence of me retiring from this blog, haha..

I don't know if others think about information technology equally much as I do, but I'chiliad constantly thinking almost *death* and what all this life means and what our purpose is here, etc etc, and someday I go down that rabbit hole "work" is rarely a part of the picture.

Now fortunately for many of the states "work" really means "passion" so it'south non exactly a straight upwardly task, but the more I contemplate decease – and really NOT knowing when it'll come! – the more I remind myself to live TODAY as best I tin can in case at that place isn't a tomorrow. Something y'all can't practise as well well if you're finances aren't in lodge and drowning in debt. So yet over again more reason to work towards Burn down to be able to arts and crafts a more natural lifestyle for yourself! I'thousand only able to practise this so fully because we put in the time and free energy to get financially sound!

Can you lot share your best parenting tip for new parents? (expecting our first in a few months :) )

But Dearest THEM As Hard AS You Tin can!!!

Information technology'south what the nurse told me when we left the hospital for the first time and I was freaking out :)

Said that no thing what you do you tin never love them too much.
Best tip I ever got.

******

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Jay loves talking about money, collecting coins, blasting hip-hop, and hanging out with his iii beautiful boys. You tin check out all of his online projects at jmoney.biz. Thanks for reading the weblog!

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Source: https://www.budgetsaresexy.com/ask-me-anything/