Trump Accounts: Are They a Scam?
When I first heard about the Trump accounts, my first questions were: Is this a trick? Is this a scam? Is this thing designed to steal people’s money and put it into TrumpCoin? And apparently, I wasn’t alone. According to a survey by BuildCommonWealth.org, since Trump accounts became available to the public this summer, only 5% of eligible parents in that survey had opened one. The top concerns parents had were: All valid concerns. Clearly, the branding on the Trump account hasn’t been great. However, I think that judging an account purely based on the name is a mistake. If […]
What if the Good Life Requires Giving Up Some Freedom?
For most of my adult life, I thought freedom meant depending on no one. That’s why I choose to quit my stressful job and travel the world in my 30s. Obsessively saving and investing was the key to finally not have to answer to anyone. I had no boss, no commute, and no home. I had zero obligations. Having grown up with little control over my life, this was a huge relief. I’d spent most of my childhood, trying to meet other people’s expectations, and much of my career doing things I disliked for money. When I finally escaped, autonomy […]
Reader Case: From Cancer Survivor to FIRE
It’s been a while since I’ve done a reader case, so I thought I’d grab one from the ol’ inbox. So here we go! Dear Kristy & Bryce, Firstly- thank you so much for all you do! I have been reading your blog, then book for years and have been quietly inspired. So my story is a little unusual, and I’d love your thoughts (I know, not advice!)… I started on the FI/RE pathway 10 years ago, as a Kiwi living in London who stumbled upon The School of Life (who knew it was a real place? Opened by philosophers […]
What Climbing Grouse Mountain Taught Me About Financial Freedom
Ever since becoming parents, our routine has revolved around being stuck at playgrounds, obsessing over nap times, stopping our kid from eating food off the floor, toilet training, and then coping with all the exhaustion by stuffing our faces with junk food every night. Working out was so low on the priority list it was collecting cobwebs. So, when my friend, Emman, suggested we climb a mountain together, I thought he was nuts. “Um, so when we pass out halfway through, are you going to carry us the rest of the way?” Emman is also a marathon runner, so of […]
My Apartment Gave Me Something That Money Can’t Buy
When people hear I grew up poor in rural China, they usually imagine everything I lacked. The tiny shack shared by three generations. The lack of safe, drinkable water. The constant worry about money. Those things were real. But there was something I had growing up that has become surprisingly difficult to find in modern life. A village. When my mom injured her back so badly she could barely walk, a neighbor carried her to the doctor on her back. When she was unexpectedly called into work, she simply dropped me off at a neighbor’s house. They fed me dinner, […]
