Living and Saving

I had an uncle who lived a good and frugal live. Didn't do crazy stuff, saved up for a nice early retirement. Even did some consulting at the start of his retirement. Ready to really settle down, enjoy the golden years, play with the grand kids. Three months later he died from pancreatic cancer.

What I take from this is to never forget to enjoy life. I'm frugal by nature, and very disciplined when it comes to investing. But at the same time, I make sure my family and I do the things we enjoy, even if they are costly. Sometimes these things make my financial heart cringe. But the emotional return on investment are memories that my kids will carry for the rest of their lives. So we do the 500+ dollar per day ski trips. We do the swim with the dolphin adventures. We don't go crazy -- there are limits. We will take the cheaper flight at the odd time with the lay-over. We'll take the hotel or room that's a bit farther from things or not as big. So we balance the finances out with the experiences.

Active Passive Money

Passive income is everyone's dream -- receiving money without having to work for it. It's why people play the lottery, it is why employers still offering pensions can attract talent. It's also the promise of retirement. I believe that achieving life-style sustaining passive income is possible.
I also believe that it takes many years of full-time employment and actively managing money to reach that state. Some call it early retirement. I further believe it is more than a good mix of dividend-paying stocks. Other factors are owning a house, two cars, taking vacations, and raising two children with sports camps, college tuition, and weddings that come with it. It's easy to prioritize passive income generation and to forget about living life!
I've been balancing life and money more actively since I got married, bought a house, and had two kids. I've been tracking my net worth on a monthly basis for six years. I have financial goals that I'm tracking, and life goals (like places I want to take the family). I have an investment strategy that I've evolved over the years. I'm actively working on setting up passive income. Active Passive Money.
On this site I plan to share what I've learned, my ideas, in hopes that it benefits others. I've learned from others that shared their stories on the web. This is my way of giving back. I hope you enjoy it!