Since 2013, we have exchanged our Arlington, VA home 8 times (with several more planned exchanges foiled by the pandemic). We exchanged with families in Paris, Barcelona, Montreal, and Iceland, to name a few. With the world opening back up, this is a good time to share what is great about a home exchange experience. … Continue reading Home Exchanging: A Great Way to See the World

Net worth is a key measure of building wealth. I have been calculating my net worth since 2011 so I can see my progress over time, and it’s a really useful tool. Many people are familiar with calculating their net worth: you add up the value of all of your assets (e.g., stocks, bonds, real … Continue reading Calculating Functional Net Worth

When host Regis Philbin asked his game show contestants and audience “who wants to be a millionaire?,” he tapped into a belief many of us learned as children, that a million dollars was the pinnacle of financial success.  I grew up on the rural eastern side of Washington State, and many people I knew were … Continue reading The Meaning of “Millionaire”

On August 28, 2020 at 5:47 pm, at age 52, I declared my financial independence (FI), packed up my personal belongings and left my GS-15 job at the Department of Defense after 9 years of civil service and 20 years of active duty. How was I feeling? As you can see from the below video, … Continue reading Taking the Leap — Living The FIgh Life

I often hear (and read) discussions about choosing either the military Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) or term life insurance to help the surviving spouse remain financially secure. This is comparing the wrong two things. While both term life insurance and the SBP are insurance products, they are designed for different purposes. When deciding whether to … Continue reading “SBP v. Term Insurance?” Is the Wrong Question