FIRE Archives - Page 6 of 11

“Set for Life” by Scott Trench: Book Review

“Set for Life” by Scott Trench is one of those books that’s more useful in your late twenties than your late thirties, which isn’t a knock — it’s just the honest audience. Trench built his framework from his own experience going from broke recent grad to financially independent relatively quickly, and the whole book is oriented around aggressive early-stage wealth-building. If you’re past that stage, you’ll still find useful ideas, but the action items are most relevant when you’re starting from zero.

Google Fi Port-Out: How to Transfer Your Number

I ported out of Google Fi after using it for a few years, and the process was smoother than I expected — once I understood what information I needed upfront. The main thing that trips people up is not having their account number and PIN ready before they contact the new carrier. Get those two pieces of information first and the rest is straightforward. This post is a companion to my Google Fi review for anyone who’s already decided to leave and just needs to know how.

The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin: Book Review

Here’s something most people don’t realize when they pick up “The Way to Wealth”: it’s not really a book. It’s a short essay Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1758 as a preface to the final edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack. The whole thing takes maybe 30 minutes to read. What you’re getting on Amazon is usually a very slim volume — the essay itself, possibly with some historical notes. That’s it. Which means if someone tells you “this book changed my life,” what actually happened is that a 30-minute read from 1758 changed their life. That’s either impressive or concerning depending on how you look at it.

The Story of the Mexican Fisherman

Have you heard the story of the Mexican fisherman? If not, allow me to introduce you to a tale that is sure to leave you feeling inspired and contemplative.

Bali Digital Nomad Visa

Bali has been the shorthand for “digital nomad paradise” for years — maybe too many years, which has made it both more developed and more crowded than the version people picture. I still looked into the visa situation carefully, because living and working from Indonesia for an extended stretch is genuinely different from a two-week vacation there. The honest answer is that the Indonesian visa system for long-term nomads is more complicated than most guides make it sound.