Happy New Year, everyone! Wow, what a difference year makes. This time last year we were recovering from the plague, I was obsessively breastfeeding 3-month-old Little Matchstick to avoid a hospital trip, and he only had three modes: cry, crap, and nap. Now, at 16 months old, not only can he walk (albeit more like a drunkin’ sailor), he can speak a few Chinese words, nap for 3 hours straight, and go to sleep consistently on his own every night! He can even play independently from time to time, without destroying our apartment (mostly). The post Our 2024 Finances Part 1 appeared first on Mille ..read more

“I would never retire. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.” “What if you don’t have a passion? How do you go about finding it after FIRE?” “I don’t like my job, but I guess I’ll keep working because what else am I going to do?” These are just some of the concerns readers have mentioned about finding their purpose. When most of our time is filled with our job and just treading water trying to keep up with bills and family, there’s very little time to think about what our life purpose is. When we do reach FI and have the time to think about it for the first time, it can be pretty daunting ..read more

Hello! I always enjoy seeing a fellow Canadian’s Reader Case. Hopefully I’ve got one you’re interested in. I’ve been following your blog for years. I bought your book too! It’s so informative, and I need to dive back in to fix my life but I’m literally stuck at the moment and don’t have access to my possessions. I’m desperate for your help!  My partner and I are renters. We both have (separate) businesses and while I was earning good money for a period of time, a few things have changed that have impacted my work life. The first is a baby, […] The post Reader Case: Renters Who Got D ..read more

Some places you love so much you can’t wait to go back. Barcelona was not one of those places. From the hotel manager who screamed at us for daring to ask about our room bill, to the restaurant owner who charged us 30% extra to sit outside, to the shopkeeper who shortchanged us and refused to correct their mistake, it was obvious the locals loathed tourists back in 2009, when we visited it for the first time, and nearly made me swear off Spain forever.   Luckily, the warm and kindness of Andalucians in Seville and Malaga changed my mind […] The post Let’s Go Exploring! Barcelona: Annoyin ..read more

“Didn’t you guys say you’re going to Valencia?” “Yeah?” “So, it got flooded yesterday and it’s now a natural disaster zone!” “WHAT?!” I had no idea the city we were planning on visiting would experience an emergency like this just days before our arrival. We were taking a trans-atlantic cruise and had zero Wifi. Luckily another digital nomad family on the ship had Wifi paid for by their company and told us. The second our cruise arrived at port, I immediately contacted HomeExchange, and within 2 hours they sent an SOS out to all members in Barcelona, seeing who could […] The post HomeExchange ..read more

I try to avoid talking about politics on this blog, because a) There is no shortage of people discussing politics on the Internet and b) It keeps attracting crypto bros to the comments section, and nobody wants that. But sometimes, the topics of politics and finance become intertwined, and I HAVE to talk about it. So, here we go… My initial reaction to the election was to simply do nothing, and that’s turned out to be the right move. Stock markets didn’t collapse, and instead trended upwards since Nov 5, and those that panicked and moved to cash will now […] The post Should We Change Our Port ..read more

Now that we have a kid, naturally the next step is to buy a house, right? I mean, that’s what people tell us, anyway. Of all our friends and family members, the number of parents we know who chose to rent are next to nil. This is because not only is owning viewed by North Americans as the ultimate status symbol, renting carries a stigma. I’ve heard the phrase “renting is throwing your money away” and “home ownership is the key to wealth” so many times I can no longer roll my eyes because they’re permanent stuck at the back […] The post When Does Buying a House Make Sense? appeared first on Mi ..read more

I try to avoid talking about politics on this blog, because a) There is no shortage of people discussing politics on the Internet and b) It keeps attracting crypto bros to the comments section, and nobody wants that. But sometimes, the topics of politics and finance become intertwined, and I HAVE to talk about it. So, here we go… My initial reaction to the election was to simply do nothing, and that’s turned out to be the right move. Stock markets didn’t collapse, and instead trended upwards since Nov 5, and those that panicked and moved to cash will now […] The post Should We Change Our Port ..read more

Now that we have a kid, naturally the next step is to buy a house, right? I mean, that’s what people tell us, anyway. Of all our friends and family members, the number of parents we know who chose to rent are next to nil. This is because not only is owning viewed by North Americans as the ultimate status symbol, renting carries a stigma. I’ve heard the phrase “renting is throwing your money away” and “home ownership is the key to wealth” so many times I can no longer roll my eyes because they’re permanent stuck at the back […] The post When Does Buying a House Make Sense? appeared first on Mi ..read more

It’s been a while since I’ve done a reader case, so here goes! Who do we have in our mail bag this week? Hi FireCracker! I’ve been reading your blog for about a year. Just finished reading your book which I love. A lot of it resonates with me as my parents immigrated to the US from Vietnam. My father was lucky to get education in the US during the 70s but then was put into re-education camp when he came back to Vietnam at the end of the war. My parents then escaped Vietnam while my mom was pregnant with me, […] The post Reader Case: How Do I Get My Money Out in Retirement? appeared ..read more