But wait... there's less!

"Been busy?" is a question we're often asked. Sadly we're often far too busy and don't have time for the things we really want to do. We've made working our number one priority and are suffering the consequences. But it doesn't have to be this way. Author Celeste Headlee explains the reasons work takes up too much of our lives and shows a way forward to being less busy, less overworked and more happy. The title "Do Nothing" might put you off reading this book. I recommend you read it anyway. The subtitle "break away from overworking overdoing and underliving" is a better description of the book. In a world of overworking we seem busier than ever. How is it that our grandparents had so much leisure time even without the assistance of robot vacuums, online shopping, microwaves and the internet? Author Celeste Headlee suggest that instead of gritting our teeth and forcing our "body and mind to work punishing hours" as if they w...

You don't have win the lottery or receive a big inheritance. Money magazine interviewed seven people who are getting financial independence on fairly average salaries. "They are followers of the popular personal finance FIRE movement (financial independence retire early)"  who are saving rigorously, investing sensibly and enjoying a modest lifestyle. The article describes the FIRE movement as "the opposite of working flat-out through-out your life, piling on debt, living beyond your means and consuming voraciously." "While most Australians rely on drip-feeding their ... retirement account FIREs are aggressively saving much more outside super." So who are these people doing it so well? Kate is 22, aiming to retire at 40. Pat (32) is on track to retire at 35. Dave retired at 28 having left school in year 11 Leo  (34) and Alisha (32) will retire this year on 90k/year Serina  (48) retired at 46 with a family on 60-70k/year Jason  (48) is nearly at his 9...

In writing this blog, the topic of Financial Independence is coming up again and again. So what exactly is it? Here's a brief intro. In short, Financial Independence (or FI, or FIRE) is the point at which your investments provide enough income for you to live on, and you do not need to rely on a traditional job. It sounds like an out-of-reach dream but the FI community is about using financial literacy, thinking a bit outside the box, and sharing clever ways to make it easier. How much would I need to do that? The rule of thumb I see most is an investment of 25 times your annual expenses (also known as the 4% Rule ). It's more of a rule of thumb - and some will prefer to have more (just to be sure). But for now let's use 25. If annual expenses are $40,000 that would imply an investment target of $1 million. Woah. That sounds enormous. Yes it does - at first. But it's simpler than it sounds. And it gets easier as you go. The two key principles are to spend less than we e...