I enjoy attending and even hosting personal finance/FI meetups.  Whether it involves a structured format like a presentation/case study or it’s a more informal gathering…

Tipping is a deeply ingrained aspect of our culture here in the United States.  While seemingly a simple act of gratuity, in reality it’s a…

I’d say I’m in pretty good shape. Maybe I don’t exercise a lot on the weekends.. but on weekdays I try to go out for…

Fall is upon us. This time of year means so many different things to so many different people.  For coffee-lovers, fall is the official start…

Frugality is one of our favorite topics here at Epic Financial Journey.  Even more fun than discussing our own frugal habits is learning what frugal…

Like most everybody else with a job, I may not love every minute I’m at work. However, I like where we live and I’m happy…

I’m familiar with mini-retirements and sabbaticals. I’m sure that many people in the FI community are also familiar with mini-retirements and sabbaticals. What I haven’t…

FinCon was unquestionably a memorable event that both of us were glad to have experienced.  We each went into the conference with our own expectations…

We did it! We successfully survived our very first FinCon and boy do we have some thoughts to share. Although neither of us really knew…

We’re headed to FinCon 2025 in Portland! (Well, perhaps that statement is tremendously obvious already, because why else would we write a blog post about…

During my path to Financial Independence, I’ve tried several different methods to make sure I’m staying cognizant of what I’m spending money on, and investing…

Converse All Stars. You know them. I know them. EVERYONE knows them. These shoes have been around forever and I see people wearing them all…

I feel like my mindset is slowly starting to change when it comes to my financial future, and this in turn is making me rethink…

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This quote from motivational speaker Jim Rohn is so true –…

When I hear people contemplate whether or not to leave the workforce early, say in their 40s or 50s, there are a few things that…

First and foremost, this post is actually right on time and closely aligns with the actual day I retired 2 years ago, unlike last year’s…

Unfortunately money is just one of those taboo topics that most people don’t want to talk about.  It doesn’t matter whether the discussion is amongst…

So I get it that we may only have one life to live. Yes, ideally we should probably strive to spend as much time as…

I’m busy. VERY busy. But that makes no sense, right? For those already in retirement, don’t many of these retirees complain about being bored?  For…

What will my sense of purpose be when I’m retired? What will my main theme in life be? This is something that I haven’t actually…

My mother-in-law is like me in most ways, at least from a financial perspective.  She has always been very frugal; never taking fancy trips, never…

Similar to the popular mantra “personal finance is personal”, there is no one “right way” to achieve Financial Independence.  In fact, there are an almost…

Similar to the popular mantra “personal finance is personal”, there is no one “right way” to achieve Financial Independence.  In fact, there are an almost…

As the school year starts to draw towards a close with only a few weeks left, I’m getting excited. My wife and kids are about…

Exhausted, Inspired, and Grateful. I literally just got back home a couple hours ago and wanted to document my three current emotions before they start…

TLDR I think I know what to expect.  On the other hand, I have no idea what to expect. Where Are You Going? For those…

While Parts 1-5 of this Family Series have focused on finances and other meaningful topics such as career paths & learning, we aren’t 100% serious…

The first 18 years of most children’s lives are fairly well mapped out and uniform, at least here in the United States, from the progression…

Allowance is another one of those highly debated topics when it comes to kids & money, with a wide array of thoughts & opinions amongst…

Much the same way that different teachers can use different methods to educate their students, parents can use a variety of methods to educate their…

Probably the number one most asked question in personal finance is whether or not to pay off a mortgage early vs. investing the money instead. …

Both of us are married and in each of our households we are the ones that are most interested in personal finance & Financial Independence. …

I know I’m several years away from Financial Independence. I can calculate my investments, and will eventually get to a point where work will be…

Chaos. Absolute chaos. But in the best way. That’s how I would describe this past weekend at the EconoMe Conference.  I guess that’s what’s to…

TLDR I’m both nervous and excited. Where Are You Going? For those who are unfamiliar with the EconoMe Conference, it is a gathering of ~500…

“3… 2… 1… And we’re live!” Those words were uttered one year ago on the morning of 3/14/24 from a hotel room in Cincinnati, Ohio. …

I recently attended a presentation on planning for retirement at my work. These financial talks are presented at lunch time a few times a year,…

An Unpleasant Surprise… My alarm clock went off and I hopped out of bed.  For some reason it felt cold… VERY COLD.   Yes, it was…

By now all of our readers should know us well enough to recognize that we’re big on frugality.  In fact, sometimes we’re even ridiculously over-the-top…

The ability to support myself without relying on a paycheck has become a goal of mine for more than 5 years now… But why? Do…

I don’t care what your job is.  I don’t care what your job title is.  I really don’t care to know much about your day-to-day…

Nobody is perfect, especially not us.  We’ve all made mistakes in every aspect of our lives and that’s okay. While many people may feel shame,…

I’m not a great planner, but I do find it helpful to think about my future self. This kind of helps me take a snapshot…

As you know, I’m a HUGE fan of taking action, especially in situations where there is potential for a tremendous positive impact.   The Culprits Holding…

Per tradition (at least in American culture), here is a list of goals and/or plans that each of us have made for the upcoming year. …

Each year that passes is full of numerous experiences that we can learn from and 2024 is no exception.  Sometimes these lessons are obvious, but…

As fun as it sounds to be financially independent, I’ve got a ways to go. I like my job, and like where I live, and…

As I was driving home recently I looked down at my car’s odometer and noticed a very cool milestone (perhaps some would merely call it…

“No, we’re not going to get you video games” was a comment that my wife and I have repeated hundreds of times over the last…

Simple Path To Wealth? The high-level FIRE roadmap seems fairly straight-forward: Save & invest as much as possible until one’s portfolio grows large enough to…

Both of us have many things to be thankful for this year.  While this blog is focused on personal finance & Financial Independence, it may…

So I’m closing in on forty four years old and by the looks of it, I probably won’t hit Financial Independence for another decade or…

CONTINUATION OF MUSINGS FROM PART 1… As I mentioned in my first set of musings, there was no huge transition for me into retirement.  Because…

With all the summer travel, finally starting up this website, and my current podcasting & parental commitments, I’ve been pretty busy and haven’t had a…

While frugality is an enduring pillar of Financial Independence, recently there have been some changing attitudes in the community towards spending money.  Frivolous or unintentional …

With frugality so ingrained in most of us here in the FI community, it’s sometimes hard to even think about spending money, let alone actually…

While most of us in the FI community treat frugality as a badge of honor, sometimes we can take it TOO far.  Of course, deciding…

Frugality is a cornerstone of Financial Independence.  While most of the world may view frugality as foolish, restrictive, or even a fruitless waste of time,…

Although this website is only a few months old, I already feel its impact and how it’s leading to positive change in my life.   Case-in-point:…

Band.   Marching band tryouts to be exact.   That’s where we first met in the fall of 1999 at our local public university.  This admittedly sounds…

Trying to explain the idea of Financial Independence to others has been an interesting endeavor. As I learn more in the world of personal finance…

Spoiler Alert: It was spent with friends & family. Busy, Busy, Busy As a family we traveled to 10 different states, attended 9 concerts (4…

Nothing. Leave your answers or comments below – or email us directly at info@epicfinancialjourney.com

I’ve found that talking with others about topics like music, food, sports, and kids, can really provide a fun opportunity to share and connect with…

You Want to be Like Who? I’ve always considered myself to be an average person.  In all honesty, I would even classify myself as fairly…

The term “Financial Independence” or “FI” is confounding – it’s one of those nebulous phrases that has a technical definition, yet there is additional nuance…

I find people both interesting and exhausting to talk with. I would consider myself an introvert, and I have a hard time spending large amounts…

A Long, Lonely Road As most people already know (and I bet most have experienced first-hand), money is treated as a taboo topic that nobody…

Saving was something I did when I knew what it was going to be spent on. College, a car, a house, music, and so on….

Desire for Certainty   As a former engineer with an optimizer/maximizer personality, there is nothing in this world I desire more than absolute certainty.  For most…

When we read the United States Declaration Of Independence in school, I found it so interesting that it mentions the right to pursue happiness. In…

How does anything get done?  This may sound like a simple & obvious answer, but things get done by taking action.  Will the lawn mow…

I grew up in a loving family. As a kid, I enjoyed life and took school seriously. I played sports and stayed busy, and as…

RESUMING THE JOURNEY FROM PART 1… Fortuitous & Life-Altering Financial Moment #3 – Discovering FIRE One of the magazines I started reading long ago, Kiplinger…

TLDR I’ve never experienced any traumatic events in my life, money or otherwise, so I have no heroic stories of courage to share (and for…

Hello and welcome to Epic Financial Journey; we are your friendly neighborhood personal finance blog.  As you can probably see we are the new kids…