Surprising Wealth Blog
Welcome to Surprising Wealth, where we explore the unexpected journey towards financial independence and abundant living. Join us as we share stories, tips, and strategies for achieving financial stability and creating a life filled with purpose, freedom, and memorable experiences.
Recent Posts:
88 Months to FI – Review Your Financial Plan Regularly
With 88 months to go (🎉 ), we’re not just focused on the numbers; we’re also weighing the importance of present joy against future wealth. As we inch closer to financial independence, we’re reminded that it’s not just about reaching the finish line—it’s about making thoughtful decisions along the way. This month, we took a step back to evaluate our progress and consider what’s truly worth adjusting our timeline for.
Tracking Our Lifetime Wealth Ratio: 2024 Update
Tracking our Lifetime Wealth Ratio (LWR) over the past four years has been a powerful tool for understanding our financial growth. Starting in 2020, we moved from rough estimates to precise calculations, revealing that nearly half of our earned income had been converted into net worth (woohoo), mostly through real estate investing. This insight and shifts in the RE market drove us to diversify and explore equities more deeply. Our efforts paid off significantly. Strategic investments, including putting our stimulus money into IRAs and opening solo 401ks for our businesses, along with disciplined savings, and improving our understanding of the tax code have added up to Surprising Wealth.
What is Opportunity Cost?
What if skipping your daily coffee splurge could unlock your dream vacation? What if choosing a modest lifestyle today sets you up for a life of abundance? Could your entertainment budget be the key to early retirement? What if rethinking your spending habits could pave the way to your dream life? By understanding opportunity cost and recognizing the tradeoffs involved in every decision, you can make more intentional choices that reflect your values and long-term goals. Whether you’re navigating financial decisions, managing your time, or balancing personal growth with relaxation, being aware of opportunity costs helps you align your actions with what truly matters to you.
2024 “Great Life” Goals August Update
August has been a month of living my values: Buying tickets for a family wedding next month, messaging friends to make plans together, and staying active with daily walks despite the weather. Setting and tracking my Great Life Goals has kept my intentions top of mind and helped me build a life that reflects my values.
Is your phone really worth $196,000? A case study on Opportunity Cost
Opportunity cost is the concept of what you give up when you choose one option over another. In the context of Financial Independence and Surprising Wealth, understanding opportunity cost helps us make decisions that balance our present-day happiness with our future goals. Every financial decision we make involves a tradeoff.
Money Is Just Tool For Building Your Dream Life
Money is just a tool for building your dream life. Imagine your ideal week, filled with experiences and moments that bring you joy. Use your financial resources intentionally to create that vision. Prioritize what truly matters, balance today and tomorrow, and build a life rich in fulfillment.
The Power of Finding Your FI Friends: Breaking the Norm Together
Ever felt out of place because your financial dreams don’t match the norm? You’re not the only one. Learn how embracing your uniqueness and connecting with like-minded individuals can make your financial journey less daunting and more rewarding. Breaking away from the crowd with your financial goals can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be a solo journey. From awkward first meetups to deep conversations, I share my journey as an introvert stepping into a ChooseFI local meetup. In this post, I share tips for finding a community that gets you.
Finding Peace in Nature: A Surprising Wealth Local Adventure
Weekend FI-Friendly Adventure: Embracing Nature’s Calm Cheerfulness. We decided to slow down and enjoy a local hike, and it turned out to be a beautiful and memorable afternoon. We started our adventure with a simple plan: to explore a nearby trail and immerse ourselves in the natural surroundings.
My Introduction to Travel Hacking: First Award Flight Redemption and International Business Class Flight
About a year ago, my mom and I decided to go to Scotland together. She was researching our ancestry and found out that we had family living on remote islands in northern Scotland in the 1700-1800s. Intrigued, she wanted to experience these islands firsthand. Scotland was never specifically on my bucket list, but traveling with my mother definitely was. This was an opportunity to embrace my personal values and an enticing reason to go exploring. I had been hearing about travel rewards for years but never took the time and effort to look into it. This potential trip to Scotland was the perfect reason to start learning about travel hacking and award flights.
Building Community and Skills: A Small Win for Our Dream Life
How a Simple DIY Project Turned Into a Wealth of Memories and Savings: Recently, my partner and a close friend spent a morning together installing a new stereo and adding a backup camera to my partner’s truck. At Surprising Wealth, we believe that financial independence is about more than just financial security. It’s about creating a life filled with meaningful experiences, strong relationships, and personal growth. This recent DIY project was a perfect example of how small, intentional actions can lead to big rewards. By enjoying time together, building community, saving money, and gaining new skills, my partner, myself, and our friend made creating our idea of a dream life.
Create Lasting Memory Dividends with Surprising Wealth Principles
Achieving a rich life is not just about managing your finances; it’s also about fostering a sense of community and connection. In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the grind and forget to savor the moments that truly matter. At Surprising Wealth, we believe that the true essence of a fulfilling life lies in the memories we create with our loved ones. These memory dividends—moments of joy, connection, and love—continue to pay emotional returns long after the moment has passed. You don’t need expensive activities or lavish vacations to create these memories. Simple, everyday experiences like a cozy movie night at home, cooking together, or a spontaneous picnic can be just as memorable. By focusing on creating meaningful moments, you enrich your life and build a reservoir of joy that supports you on your Surprising Wealth journey.
89 Months to FI – Have A Clear Vision
89 months to FI! 🎉 Our journey began with a vision of freedom. We’ve navigated through ups and downs, always keeping our eyes on the prize. Not a lot has changed this month. We’re auto-investing to meet our yearly goals, we’re prioritizing time with friends and family, and minding our financial business. 🌟We’ve got some big spending ahead though.
2024 “Great Life” Goals July Update
One of my objectives this year was to track how often I’m taking actions that reflect my values. Tracking these moments has not only kept me accountable but has also enriched my life with beautiful memories and deeper connections. I’m excited to continue this journey and see how many more “memory dividend” moments I can create by the end of the year.
Design Your Ideal Work-Life Balance with Surprising Wealth Principles
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, finding a work-life balance can seem daunting. Our journey at Surprising Wealth has taught us the value of prioritizing flexibility and personal well-being over endless hours of work. By choosing employment that offer more free time and making deliberate financial choices, you can enjoy the present while planning for a secure future. Learn how to integrate these principles into your life and start creating the dream work-life balance that supports your path to financial independence.
How To Build The SlowFI Life Of Your Dreams
Many people believe that achieving Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is only possible for those with high incomes and significant savings rates. However, the SlowFI approach offers a pathway for lower income earners to work towards financial independence while enjoying a rich, fulfilling life along the way. Here’s how you can build the SlowFI life of your dreams by incorporating key principles of this mindful and balanced lifestyle.
2024 Mid-year FIRE Goal Update
A Real Path to Wealth: SlowFI + Reflecting on Our 2024 Milestone Acheivements & What It Means – Hello FIRE community! It’s time for our 2024 mid-year update on our journey towards Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE). This year has been an exciting one, and we’ve made significant strides towards our goals. Let’s dive into the numbers and what they mean for our path to financial freedom.
Our 7 Income Streams
For most people, there is no shortcut or secret “hack” to building wealth. Unless you get lucky, receive a surprise inheritance, were born into wealth and connections…. wealth building takes time. It takes conscious money management, consistent investing, preserverance and patience. A common theme of people who build wealth and reach millionaire status, is multiple streams of income. Meaning they usually make money in more than one way. This an often a natural result of using your earned income (money from a job or trading your time for money) to buy investments that then earn money on your behalf.
Q&A: Merging Couple Finances – His Hers & Ours Approach
My Thoughts On Combining & Managing Our Finances: His, Hers, & Ours Approach – We view our finances as a whole, but we manage them with a combination of joint and personal accounts. Here are my thoughts on how we looked at finances when we got married, and a few thoughtful questions I would tell my younger self to consider: Visible, Equitable, Shared Dreams, Legal & Contingency Planning, Estate & Disaster Planning.