financial independence

8 April 2022
The 4% rule is a mind-killer

I love rules of thumb — in the right place at the right time they're invaluable. Working out how much you need to retire isn't one of those places. The 4% rule is a dumb rule that a lot of smart peopl…
18 February 2022
Paid off the mortgage? Don’t cancel your income protection insurance just yet

Lots of people reassess their insurance after repaying the mortgage and cancel their income protection. I often think that's a mistake. Mortgage-free years are usually when you build the wealth that f…
9 July 2021
What does financial security mean to you?

Most of us want to feel financially secure. How we feel about our financial situation is highly personal. I often speak with people worth millions who are worried about their financial security, and w…
25 October 2019
Situational ethics

Ethics in the abstract makes people roll their eyes, but "what's the right thing to do" is one of the most engaging conversations you can have. What often gets overlooked in Ethics 101 is how much sit…
11 October 2019
The last safe investment is YOU

I love books that swing for the fences. The Last Safe Investment is one — a personal development book with a strong financial focus. I disagree with chunks of it, and the authors strawman mainstream a…
17 December 2018
A curmudgeon reads The Barefoot Investor

Scott Pape, aka The Barefoot Investor, has a cult-like following on both sides of the Tasman. I like his values — he bats for the consumer and calls out things most people in the financial services in…
11 August 2017
Financial advice and the FIRE (“financial independence, retire early”) phenomenon

The FIRE movement — financial independence, retire early — is alluring. The core lesson is simple: increase your savings rate, live frugally, and you can retire decades early. I'm sympathetic to it, a…
17 June 2017
The big financial decisions you make need to reflect your values and priorities

My wife and I own a wonderful house. We could have bought one for half the cost, halved the mortgage, and been financially independent years earlier. We made the decision with open eyes — we were prep…

financial independence

The 4% rule is a mind-killer

Paid off the mortgage? Don’t cancel your income protection insurance just yet

What does financial security mean to you?

Situational ethics

The last safe investment is YOU

A curmudgeon reads The Barefoot Investor

Financial advice and the FIRE (“financial independence, retire early”) phenomenon

The big financial decisions you make need to reflect your values and priorities

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