We've reached December so it's time to look back again, time for yet another portfolio update. It's amazing how fast November has passed. That's a bit of a cliche, but it's like I published my last update only days ago. Yet here we are: Another month has gone by. October was gruesome. Well, that's perhaps … Continue reading Portfolio Update: November 2018
20 Minutes To Financial Independence
Today I sail to work. I live on the waterfront and my office is also on the waterfront, just a few miles from my home. I can walk, bike, drive, sail, canoe or even swim to work. Today I decided to sail with the yellow water taxi, a service run by the municipality. It takes … Continue reading 20 Minutes To Financial Independence
Mintos Auto Invest Explained
In this post I will take a deep dive into the world of auto-investing on the Mintos crowdlending platform. It's a feature that allows you to let the platform invest your funds for you while you sit back and relax and watch your money grow. For those of you who are new to the concept … Continue reading Mintos Auto Invest Explained
A Guide To Getting Lost
Some of my fondest childhood memories are when my brother and I went on adventures and got lost. Not 'I can't find my way home' lost, but lost in the moment, lost in our imaginations. During summer time. It was when we imagined we were soldiers or pirates or space travelers. When we went exploring … Continue reading A Guide To Getting Lost
Why Invest In Index Funds?
Investing isn't my second nature and I am scrambling up a steep learning curve to master the fundamentals. I sometimes feel like an inexperienced mountain climber who just realized he is afraid of heights while hanging off a cliff. The good news? While a mountaineer has little tolerance for mistakes, I can afford them. More … Continue reading Why Invest In Index Funds?
Thought Experiment: What Would You Do If You Knew With Absolute Certainty That You Would Die In Exactly 10 Years Time?
What would you do if you knew with absolute certainty that you would die in exactly 10 years time? It doesn’t matter how you know this or what you will die of; in 3652 days you will drop dead. It's a new thought experiment from TheSavingNinja. The way thought experiments work is by starting off … Continue reading Thought Experiment: What Would You Do If You Knew With Absolute Certainty That You Would Die In Exactly 10 Years Time?
Financial Independence: Flirting With The Wrong Girl?
I've been thinking. I do that sometimes. A little personal thought experiment. Loosely inspired by TheSavingNinja's thought experiments. What if I'd kill my financially independence and early retirement aspirations? Stop investing actively, stop trying to squeeze an ever higher savings rate out of my income? Throw the Excel files with all the numbers, projections and … Continue reading Financial Independence: Flirting With The Wrong Girl?
A Travel Story: Lessons From The Arctic
The journey to financial independence and early retirement has a lot in common with a few road trips that I have been on with my brother. It's when we jumped in our car and drove 2000 kilometers (1250 miles) in less than 2 days. You may wonder, what has driving such an insane distance in … Continue reading A Travel Story: Lessons From The Arctic
Early Retirement: Could A Bad Sequence Of Returns Annihilate Your Portfolio?
You had done all the right calculations. At least that's what you thought. And according to the math the accumulated invested capital was exactly what you needed to bridge the years from your early retirement until full pension age. Even the average return was very close to what you had used in your formula's. But … Continue reading Early Retirement: Could A Bad Sequence Of Returns Annihilate Your Portfolio?
Crowdlending: The Mintos Way
Crowdlending (also referred to as peer-to-peer or P2P lending) is the concept where individuals (lenders) pool funds together to lend money to other individuals (borrowers), typically brokered by an online platform. This form of lending is bypassing banks or other financial institutions. One such crowdlending platform is European based Mintos.com, which is the first platform I … Continue reading Crowdlending: The Mintos Way
Live For Today
When you are seeking financial independence like me, you focus a lot on the goal. And the closer you get to reaching it (not that I am that close), the more elated you become. Soon you can quit your job, soon you will be free. Imagine all the things you can do. There's nothing wrong … Continue reading Live For Today
Typewriters And Tape Recorders
This post is entirely inspired by a picture of an old typewriter. When I saw it I knew I had to write about it. Or rather write about the memories it triggered. My parents had a typewriter like that. This was in the 1970's. Before there were computers. Well at least those that weren't the … Continue reading Typewriters And Tape Recorders
Portfolio Update: October 2018
We've reached November so it's time for a portfolio update, look at what has happened during October and reveal my plans for the upcoming period. October has been a very exciting month. It was brutal for equities, with the S&P, Dow and Nasdaq all dropping significantly and with high volatility for the company stock that … Continue reading Portfolio Update: October 2018
The October Effect
The month of October is nearing its end and my company stock has been in some pretty rough weather. One day it was down, the next day it was up. But mostly down. I really feel like an inexperienced sailor on a tiny sailing boat, trying to cross the Atlantic. How should I interpret this? … Continue reading The October Effect
A Travel Story: Azur
(Very) short travel stories by a 'financial independence wannabe' - guaranteed 50% true. The sign said Irish Pub, but that was a gross exaggeration. It was as un-Irish as it could be. It looked in no way like one of those authentic Irish pubs where people, neighbors, friends and family greet one another and socialized while … Continue reading A Travel Story: Azur
