Join us in Ecuador for a week exploring money and meaning!

Howdy, friends! This summer, I'm traveling to Ecuador to participate in my fifth chautauqua on financial independence. You should consider joining me. These Ecuador chautauquas — which are unrelated to the European chautauquas — are always a fun, educational, and bonding experience. Clarification: At some point, chautauqua founders Cheryl Reed and...

Feb 2023

A clear line

Hello, my friends. I hope this new year is treating you well. It's been excellent for me so far. Soon I need to announce the 2023 Ecuador chautauqua about money and meaning, but before I do I'll give a brief update on what I've been up to. Deciding to extend my sabbatical from Get Rich Slowly indefinitely has been liberating. The moment I committed...

Jan 2023

2023: The year of me

Last night, for the third Wednesday in a row, I ventured to the Whiteside Theater in downtown Corvallis to watch an old movie. Two weeks ago, it was National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Last week, it was It's a Wonderful Life. And yesterday was Star Wars. The place was packed! So fun to watch a favorite film in an old theater with a couple of hundred...

Dec 2022

A values-driven life

Hello, friends. Just a quick note to let you all know that my life, at last, seems to be settling. A full two months after the death of my mother, the fog has lifted and I find that I'm motivated to pursue productive pursuits once more. I spent much of the past several weeks doing some serious soul-searching. It's clear to me (and to Kim) that above...

Dec 2022

A man of no ambition

A memory came to me this morning while I was walking the dog, a memory of those days when I was fresh out of college and just beginning to work for my father at the box factory. A salesman had come knocking on our door. This was strange since the box factory was (and still is) located in a rural area. But somehow this guy had found us and he was there...

Nov 2022

Sabbatical

My mother died Monday night. She was 74. Earlier this week, I began writing a memorial for her. I know I haven't talked much about Mom here at Get Rich Slowly, and I felt I owed her a tribute. But after writing 2500 words, I realized I have a lot to process. And maybe Get Rich Slowly isn't the place to publish a tribute to her. I don't know. In...

Oct 2022

Why I bought a NEW car

I am 53 years old. Never in my life have I allowed myself to buy a car I truly love…until now. This is the story of how I allowed myself to make a huge purchase just for the joy of it. And it wasn't even a purchase I'd intended to make. Let me explain. During the peak of the pandemic (early July 2020), I paid $35,990 for a used 2019 Mini Countryman...

Sep 2022

How self-centered shopping has made me happier with the things I buy

I've changed the way I shop over the past few years. And although the shift has been subtle, I've found that I'm much happier with the things I buy. In the past, my approach to shopping was simple. If I wanted a new thneed, I would go to a store (or, with the advent of the internet, a website) and choose from the available thneeds. I'd look at the...

Sep 2022

Who coined the term FI/RE (financially-independent, retired early)?

It's always fun to unearth some esoteric piece of personal-finance history. I know there are only a few nerds out there who care (hello, Grant Sabatier!), but those of us who care really care. Two years ago, I published an article exploring the history of financial independence in which I noted that the earliest reference I can find to the notion of...

Sep 2022

What I learned at Fincon 2022

It's Sunday morning as I write this, and my weeklong adventure at Fincon 2022 in Orlando has come to an end. I'm exhausted. As has become customary, I didn't actually attend any workshops or keynotes or breakout sessions here at Fincon. Instead, I spent the entire week connecting with friends: I enjoyed chatting with Rob Berger about how he's managed...

Sep 2022