How Many Cars Will I Own?

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How Many Cars Will I Own?

There are very different ways of interpreting that question. 

I was rereading the book Your Money Or Your Life recently, and two of its passages brought me back to my mid-twenties:

"Other people’s expectations don’t make you buy stuff. TV does not make you buy stuff. Your thoughts make you buy stuff. Watch those suckers. They’re dangerous to your pocketbook—and to a lot more." - p. 194.

and

"'Quality of life' often goes down as “'standard of living' goes up. There is a peak to the Fulfillment Curve—spending more after you’ve reached the peak will bring less fulfillment." - p. 300.

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Book Review: "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

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Book Review: "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

Want to know what Free to Pursue thinks about Thomas J. Stanley's book "The Millionaire Next Door"?

I gave the book a 4.5 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

Stanley’s findings revolve around three main themes:

  1. Live below your means.
  2. Choose a partner with similar values.
  3. Focus time and energy on wealth accumulation.

To know more about the book, read my full review here.

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Because I Want To - Learning for Learning’s Sake

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Because I Want To - Learning for Learning’s Sake

“Why bother?” is a question that saddens me every time I hear it. It’s usually in response to another person sharing their efforts in learning a process, task or about a subject that interests them.

The question is rooted in a belief that has permeated our society like a cancer. That belief is that the only reason we should do something is in order to reach a desired outcome, something "worthwhile". And, that for some reason the process we use to get there is irrelevant, the only relevant measure being whether or not it can be achieved efficiently.

By thinking this way, WE MISS THE WHOLE POINT OF LEARNING!

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Are You Sure About That? - How to Cure Ignorance

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Are You Sure About That? - How to Cure Ignorance

I'm ignorant, and I'm OK with that. But it doesn't mean that I don't try to be a little less so every day.

Our knowledge, skills, abilities and experience are tested all day long, with every decision we make and in every conversation we have with others. Well, they are tested, unless we tend to do the same things every day/week/month, thereby exposing ourselves to the same type of information and the same types of conversations over and over again with the same people (like the movie Groundhog Day, which I’ve written about here).

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My 2016-2017 Reading List - First Quarter

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My 2016-2017 Reading List - First Quarter

This post contains the full list of books that held my interest long enough to finish over the last three months of this, my fourth year of voracious reading. If you want to take a look at previous years, you can click "Books" on the navigation bar or access them here: 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. You may also want to check out my list of Top 12 Life-Enhancing Books, as well as the top lessons learned from reading over 100 books and five more insights from reading another hundred books.

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An Open Book

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An Open Book

Over the last few years, I’ve been focusing on listening a lot more than speaking. That might sound funny coming from a writer, but what I mean is that I’m practicing the art of absorbing information and reflecting on it more than answering the impulse of wading in on every topic, thought or opinion expressed. I’m not always good at it, but at least I’m more aware of my impulsive need to jump in and I’m trying to improve.

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Money: It’s Not That Complicated

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Money: It’s Not That Complicated

There’s been a recurring theme in what I’ve been reading and watching lately. From The Big Short to Pound Foolish to Four Horsemen to Requiem for the American Dream to Frontline's Retirement Gamble, the message is that the only reason money management is complicated and expensive is that we allow it be by believing what the financial services industry (aka Big Banks) tells us about it.

And it’s a big fat lie.

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