We all have a financial thermostat which is usually set at a comfortable temperature. Too low and we get cold, too high and we get hot and uncomfortable. In most cases, whether we experience a financial setback or windfall we will end up at the same basic temperature at some point. Our thermostat setting is usually passed on to us by our parents, friends and society - “Mom and Dad had their thermostat set at 70 degrees, and that felt pretty comfortable but maybe I’ll bump that up to 72.”
At typical salaries for professionals there’s not a lot of money left over at the end of the month after mortgage payments, property taxes, groceries, auto expenses, and costs of raising kids (for some) to name a few (okay throw a few lattes in there too). If you manage to put away a bit each month you are well ahead of the game. However, you’re also looking at 30+ years of more of the same to reach that elusive retirement goal (a whole other topic on its own). After seeing your paycheck size reduced significantly after deductions, year after year, and reading lots of books on the topic, you’ve probably realized that in order to shorten the time to retirement you need to do a couple of key things: continue reading »






