The Sunday Best is a collection of articles I’ve curated from the furthest reaches of the internet for your reading pleasure.
Every week, I scan hundreds of headlines, read dozens of posts, and bring you the best of the best to save you time and mental energy.
Financial Independence (FI) is a primary focus, but it’s an awfully broad topic. I tend to approach FI and early retirement from a fatFIRE perspective and through the lens of a physician, so expect to see those biases in the selected articles.
Related topics that have become recurrent themes include early retirement, selective frugality, tax issues, travel, physician issues, and of course, investing.
For more great articles, take a peek at The Sunday Best Archives. Now let’s get to the best… The Sunday Best!
It’s been three years since he was able to Stop Ironing Shirts, leaving the banking world behind. Updates on life, travel, health, and money in Three Years of FIRE.
The guy behind Rational Walk left his job at the depths of the Great Recession. Having retired early 13 years ago before FIRE was really a thing, he reflects on some issues with the current narrative. The Trouble with FIRE.
They almost moved to Hiroshima, Japan. They nearly chose Austin, Texas. Where did the early retired Mr. Tako and his family choose for the next chapter in their lives? It’s Official: We’re Finally Moving!
Many cut back on work before quitting completely. Would you retain your skills if you worked less? Passive Income MD has an interesting take. Would Working Part-time Make You a Better Doctor?
People are clamoring for more info on this $300,000 side gig. A follow-up post may be in order! FIRE Starter 012: Orthopedic Surgeon With a Lucrative Side Gig.
The overall market is down, but tech and growth are getting walloped. The number of stocks down 80% to 90% or more is staggering, as Ben Carlson from A Wealth of Common Sense points out. 15 of the Craziest Charts Right Now.
Those charts don’t look so bad if you include data from the last few years. Carl from 1500 Days takes comfort in this as he counts his mounting investment losses in the high six figures year-to-date. Performance Update, April 2022: Zoom Out.
Most investors chalk up their losses to bad luck. Prudent investors also recognize the role of luck in their wins. The Prudent Plastic Surgeon pontificates on Luck in Personal Finance and how it’s affected his FI trajectory.
Prudent spenders plan their purchases in a way that gets them the most money back. Here’s the one-two punch I’ve been using and loving. Make your own luck and Earn 2.25% to 15% Back on Purchases With These 2 Credit Cards.
You don’t have to drive a beater to get ahead. That’s not even the best approach, says Dr. Taylor Christensen, who does an exquisitely thorough analysis on the cost of car ownership at The White Coat Investor. The Cheapest Way to Own a Car. The bottom line is that about $15 a day is as good as it gets.
Conventional wisdom may not be appropriate for unconventional times, as Jim Wang from Wallet Hacks reminds us. Money ‘Rules of Thumb’ You Need To Forget Right Now.
Fifty years ago, when Adam Sayler of Humble Dollar worked at McDonalds, a dollar could buy you two hamburgers, fries, and a Coke, and you’d get 22 cents in change. The price has increased more than sevenfold since then. A unique look at inflation in Fries With That?
How are inflation and supply chain issues impacting commercial real estate? Alpha Investing provides an overview while delving into their strategy. Inflation, Supply & Demand Imbalance, Cloud Growth Prospects.
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This Week in Crypto
It wasn’t pretty, was it?
Much wealth has been created with cryptoassets. Much has been taken away, as well, and this was one of those weeks where wealth was lost.
The big story was the “stablecoin” $UST losing its peg to $1 U.S. Dollar. The result was a decimation of projects that are also a part of the Terra ecosystem, including the $LUNA token and Anchor protocol. In early April, $LUNA traded at more than $100. By Thursday, it was worth less than a penny.
If the terminology I’m using isn’t quite right, please accept my apology. I don’t fully understand these tokens and protocols, and so I don’t put substantial money into them. I had an opportunity to invest in LUNA at a discount a few months back. I’m quite pleased that I passed. A friend of mine wasn’t so lucky, although he’s done well enough in other projects that he can easily afford to absorb this loss.
I did “invest” a fairly insignificant amount of money in the $GARI token at a nice discount, and that project seems to be faring much better. It’s been highly volatile, of course, but depending on the day, I’ve been up anywhere from 7x to 24x. It’s a wild ride, and I’ll be happy to step off when a liquidity option arises!
Meanwhile, Bitcoin ($BTC) is nearly 60% off its latest high as of this writing. I know there have been several 70% drawdowns in its history, and it’s always bounced back completely and then some, so I wouldn’t count it out. Past performance does not guarantee anything, however. Caveat emptor. This could be a buying opportunity or a warning signal, and I have no idea which it may be.
We learned about luck in the articles featured above. My positive returns thus far have been nothing but luck, and that luck could run out. I could have just as easily passed on GARI and gone long on LUNA. Thankfully, I did not.
If you’ve entered the crypto space with some play money of your own, I wish you the best of luck!
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Have an outstanding week!
-Physician on FIRE
Upcoming Webinars
Market Outlook and Real Estate Investing
Hosted by Sovereign Properties
Gain insights from Sovereign Properties’ CEO Russ Krivor on capitalizing in today’s market. Discover our fund’s strategy for investing in discounted land near thriving Sunbelt cities and the latest trends in multifamily and active adult living. What You’ll Learn: • Market insights for multifamily and senior living • Strategic land acquisition in growth areas • Sovereign’s innovative active adult community model
When: November 13 | 8 am PT | 11 am ET
2 thoughts on “The Sunday Best (05/15/2022)”
Thanks for the mention in this week’s Sunday Best post PoF! It’s an honor to be featured among such great writers!
It was a fantastic Sunday Best as always too! Many thanks!
You’re very welcome, and good luck with the big move!