The Sunday Best is a collection of articles I’ve curated for your reading pleasure.
Expect most of the writing to be from recent weeks and consistent with the themes presented on this website: investing & taxes, financial independence, early retirement, and physician issues.
Presenting, this week’s Sunday Best:
Ben Carlson of A Wealth of Common Sense approves of what we’re doing and thinks you should do something similar. Why You Should Be Working Less.
The Doc of All Tradez has something to say about working less. I Just Quit My Job After Taking the Red Pill.
Zach, the young man behind Four Pillar Freedom, unplugs himself from The Matrix long enough to pen a letter from his future self, a unique and thoughtful twist on the more typical “letter to my younger self” post. A Letter from my 34-Year Old Self.
Fritz, the not-so-young man behind Retirement Manifesto, seems to have forgotten his age. Tales of adventure, excitement, coldwater swims, and broken ribs abound in this two-part series:
The Biglaw Investor, with whom I shared a $25 burger and a $33 burger last week, is living life on the limit of a single one income. How, exactly? Strategies for Living on One Income.
If there was a franchise that could consistently and successfully sell $33 burgers, I’d be the first to sign on as a franchisee, despite knowing very little about franchising. Passive Income MD knows a little something, and he shared that knowledge in The Basics of Buying a Franchise.
Additional income may be even more important when the people working for you know you’re a physician. Nisha Mehta MD describes a situation in which she was discriminated against and overcharged simply because she and her husbands are physicians. Another reason to practice Stealth Wealth is on display in The Doctor Dollar.
It can be even worse for lottery winners. Everyone knows about their wealth. Many have squandered their winnings, but Steve at Think Save Retire shares a number of refreshing stories in which winners used their riches wisely: Weird, Wild, and Awesome Lottery Spending.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is my top pick for your first rewards card. Welcome bonus of 60,000 points worth at least $750 when used to book travel (after a $4,000 spend in 3 mo) and other great perks you can learn about here.
Our Next Micro-retirement Begins!
As this post is published in the wee hours of the morning, the four of us are on a shuttle heading to the airport to catch a plane to the 50th state. Hawaii, here we come!
I don’t know if “micro-retirement” is the best term for it, but I described our last one in Guanajuato as a preview of life after FIRE, so I am clearly considering each of these three-plus week trips as a small slice of what life could be like in early retirement.
I hesitate to call a three-week getaway a vacation, because it’s not exactly that, either. Compared to the last trip, though, in which we stayed put in one apartment for the entire time, this one will be a bit more fast-paced.
We’re spending time on three islands (Kauai, Big Island, and Oahu), and I’ll be attending a four-day anesthesia seminar in the middle of the trip. I also have tentative plans to meet up with blogging and podcasting friends on each of the three islands we’ll be visiting. Surf lessons from Nords of The Military Guide? That’s an offer I couldn’t refuse.
If you’ve got any must-see or must-do tips for our destinations, I’m happy to hear them. Keep in mind we’re traveling with our 7 & 9 year old boys, so family-friendly adventure is what we’re looking for.
The City So Nice They Named It Twice!
I spent a few days in New York, New York for the first time in about ten years this last week. The time flew by, but I did get to see some cool and powerful stuff. I also met up with a college buddy and a handful of friendly bloggers, some of whom were in town for the NYSE event put on by Inspire Investing.
In addition to the mallet-pounding, I found time to see Times Square at night, ice skating at Rockefeller, curling in Bryant Park, the Houdini museum, and the September 11 Memorial. I clearly remember hearing reports on the radio in an operating room at North Memorial Hospital, describing one plane and then another striking the Twin Towers on that fateful day.
I hope to have more time the next time I visit the Big Apple, but for those of you I did get a chance to see, I’m glad we were able to connect. That list includes:
- Jeff
- Jonathan
- Josh from Biglaw Investor
- Jimmy from The Compounding Dollar
- Reid from Wealth Rehab
- Church from My Mattress Money
- Miss Firebird from Birds of a FIRE
- The man behind Prosperly Way
Good luck to the Eagles and Patriots in the Super Bowl. My team’s not playing, so I’m not going to pick a side. Based on this video from the mayor’s office, I think I know who Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, will be rooting for (be sure to watch to the very end).
Also, good luck to the fans who will be braving single-digit temperatures with windchills below zero on what will easily be the coldest Super Bowl ever. Fortunately, the stadium is well heated. Surly Brewing did a great job welcoming fans with their outstanding tongue-in-cheek Minnesota Primer.
Have a Super Week!
-Physician on FIRE
I love the Big Island and have been there several times. Visiting the summit of Maunakea is incredible and 100% worth it. Make sure you go with a guide who has some background in astronomy and can educate you on the constellations. Jumping off “the end of the world” is fantastic (assuming you all are good swimmers). Hiking to the green sand beach. Kayaking to the captain cook monument with dolphins all around. Going to the farmers market and getting unbelievable deals on incredible tropical fruits. Have fun!
All sound awesome! Definitely looking forward to all of these things, and of course, seeing the volcanoes and hopefully some orange glowing lava.
Aloha!
-PoF
Nice roundup, PoF! I’ll have to check those blogs out.
Glad you enjoyed NY and have fun in Hawaii!
well, it’s pouring cats and dogs on Kaua’i right now – hopefully the weather will clear up for your vacation time here.
Go snorkeling and take a whale watching trip.
That’s what I hear! Doesn’t bode well for the hiking trails. The waterfalls should be spectacular, though.
Mahalo,
-Pof
Likewise PoF! 🙂 I’m glad we were able to link up!
Hope you have an amazing time!
Kauai: Poipu Beach, Waimea Canyon (hopefully it is clear when you go), backcountry ziplining, and helicopter ride over Na’Pali coast.
Oahu: Hanauma Bay, USS Arizona Memorial, Lanikai Pillboxes hike, Dole Plantation, Haleiwa, shark cave diving on the North Shore.
Big Island: Kona Brewing
Thanks for the tips, waffle lady!
Is there any place you haven’t been? I’ll be sure to hit you up for tips if we plan a trip to Cambodia or pretty much anywhere.
Cheers!
-PoF
Cuba… Good thing we have that covered already!
Enjoy the trip to Hawaii PoF! We tend to visit fairly frequently too, partly because of great deals we can find during the “off season”.
Oh, and great Sunday Best!
We did a tubing excursion on Kauai. They take you through the aqueducts of an old sugar plantation, with lava tube caves. 100% kid appropriate.
Big Island: I refused to be in Hawaii and not got to a national park. Volcanoes National Park is great. We did the free guided walking tour, with a great guide and the legend of Pele. We brought a picnic lunch, and then drove to other viewing spots. As we were at the visitor center where you can see the lava flow (use the viewers or bring binoculars) a hula flash mob showed up. I found it moving that this group of women practiced this gorgeous dance and then were here honoring Pele. (On a Tuesday afternoon.)
Oahu: CLIMB zipline near the North Shore was wonderful. Check the weight limits, kids below a certain weight have to go with an adult so they don’t get stuck on the longer zips. We had an adventurous 9 year old in our group (he only got stuck one). It was my mom’s first time ziplining and she loved it!
We stopped at the food trucks for lunch after. The wait is worth it for the garlic shrimp! Bring a sharpie to sign the truck.
We also just stopped at a beach to watch the surfers for a while.
The Aloha Stadium Swap Meet is another ‘do it if you can’ experience. We got all our souvenirs there. Sarongs for $5, Hawaiian shirts, Orchid hair clips, and more! We found a stand with home made stromboli and brought 6 home for dinner. They gave us muffins for dessert to try to clear out some merchandise, really good!
Kualoa Ranch – Pricey but worth the excursions. Our family of 6 were able to split up an do ATV & horseback tours and everyone had a great time. We did the secret island beach excursion first, and you get to use kayaks, stand up padded boards, hammocks, etc. It’s a nice way to try them out without committing to a time set rental, or a specific tour. My aunt happily sat in the shade and sketched the scenery creating her own note cards, while we splashed about. (She is a wicked talented artist.)
Polynesian Cultural Center was great. I wish I’d had more time to explore.
Wishing you a wonderful time in Hawaii! Aloha!
Thanks for all the tips! We’re excited for the trip, but desperately need sleep now — been up for 22 hours…
zzzzz
Have a great vacation! From the sounds of it, N.Y. seemed to be a great time too! Happy Sunday
Thanks, Erik!
We went from -13 F when we left our house at 0200 to 80 F when we landed in Honolulu. That’s a 93 degree swing!
Enjoy the Super Bowl revelry. I’ll bet the town is alive tonight, despite the frigid temps.
Cheers!
-PoF
Thanks for including me, PoF! Great list of links here – this will be some good Sunday reading 🙂
Happy to feature you, Zach — I like how you turned a common theme upside down with that one.
Cheers!
-PoF