All Blog Articles
November 2021 Portfolio Update
Wednesday, 1st December 2021
Back in 2019, I did a podcast episode on The Mexican Fisherman about living today like you're retired. It is still one of my favourite episodes, but there is one aspect which is missing from the tale. The Mexican Fisherman has to get up each day to fish! There is no option for him to take a day off. Yes, he loves fishing now, but will he always love fishing? Will his health always be good and allow him to fish each day, or what if his boat is blown away by a storm. Here lies the issue I was facing when deciding to adopt the semi-retirement lifestyle...
Read MoreOctober 2021 Portfolio Update
Wednesday, 3rd November 2021
In October, I started to reduce my workload. I gave notice to clients who I have worked on and off with for many years that I was no longer going to be available to work on their software projects. I started the journey into the semi-retirement phase of my FI journey. But was this the right time to be doing this? Was I missing out on other opportunities?
Read MoreSeptember 2021 Portfolio Update
Friday, 1st October 2021
Last month I gave my presentation titled "Early Retirement Made Possible". I love presenting and I always find I learn so much about my own journey when I need to prepare for a presentation. Up until recently I've been frustrated with FIRE because I felt that to follow the 4% rule was so difficult in Ireland, largely due to the high tax rates. Yes, we can push everything into our pension, but that then rules out early retirement, with no option to retire in our 30's or 40's. It wasn't until I dug a little deeper, that I realised that perhaps we don't need to apply the 4% rule so strictly in Ireland.
Read MoreAugust 2021 Portfolio Update
Wednesday, 1st September 2021
I have reflected a lot since recording my final episode on the podcast. Many of you have commented that there was a good bit of emotion in the episode, and you would be right. I was frustrated. Having worked hard for 3.5 years to build an investment portfolio, I was still so far away from hitting FI. I’ve spent the last few weeks researching alternative FIRE approaches. Some form of early retirement had to be possible in Ireland - surely early retirement isn’t just reserved for those who live in the US. When I reflect, I tend to go into deep thought about certain things, and this was one of those times. How can it be possible to retire early in the US with no decent state pension scheme and free health care, yet here in Ireland, with access to so much state support, early retirement didn’t seem possible.
Read MoreProperty Route VS Pension Route - Lets put the debate to bed!
Wednesday, 4th August 2021
This debate is somewhat unique to Ireland. We are a country with 50% tax rates that kick in pretty early on in one’s personal income, but we also have exceptionally generous pension schemes - especially if you are self employed. In this article, I explore the concept of investing in property personally VS investing in a pension, to work out the fastest way to become FI in Ireland.
Read MoreJuly 2021 Portfolio Update
Monday, 2nd August 2021
I often look back on my early investing mistakes with regret. Yes, I have learned from so many mistakes and I am now in a far better investor mindset, but the cost of the lesson has been significant. In 2018 I invested around €36,000. Of that, €6,000 went into my pension and €30,000 went into high risk investments. Had the full €36,000 been invested in my pension in a US Indexed Fund, I would be a long way ahead today than I currently am - highlighting the cost of my mistakes in the past.
Read MoreJune 2021 Portfolio Update
Sunday, 4th July 2021
One of the reasons that I love to share my own FI journey, is that I get feedback from you guys - those who are following my story! Last month was a great example of this. I made the comment that I thought I was going to need a portfolio of around €1 million in today’s money to retire comfortably and it didn’t take long to get feedback that this was likely too high!
Read MoreMay 2021 Portfolio Update
Monday, 7th June 2021
I recently podcasted about The Barista FIRE approach. Being self employed and being able to utilise a Director’s Pensions (where I can put over half my salary into it each year), means that this approach is likely the fastest way for me to become FI in Ireland. While this is great in principle, there are a couple of considerations I didn’t fully factor in, until I sat down and tried to forecast how that would look in 18 years time.
Read MoreApril 2021 Portfolio Update
Monday, 3rd May 2021
April marks three years since we made our first major investment and assuming we continue to put in €4,500 a month, we are on track to be financially independent within 5 and a half years (and assuming a 7% annual return).
Read MoreMarch 2021 Portfolio Update
Sunday, 11th April 2021
I mentioned last month that the passive income for February was likely an outlier, and this has proven to be true. I learned first hand that passive income isn't something that can truly be relied on long term. March was a month of changes, and in the end, it was a good month overall.
Read MoreFebruary 2021 Portfolio Update
Thursday, 4th March 2021
February saw a record month for my passive income and I technically was FI from my portfolio + passive into in February. While this is obviously great news, I'm not getting the party hats out just yet - as passive income can also be quiet volatile, and I think February was a bit of an outlier.
Read MoreJanuary 2021 Portfolio Update
Thursday, 4th February 2021
From 2021 I will be providing monthly updates on the portfolio and passive income. Get a full update on my portfolio and passive income for January 2021.
Read MoreA Guide to Getting the Support You Need as a Solopreneur
Tuesday, 26th November 2019
Solopreneurship is one of the most attractive ways of achieving financial independence and work-life balance. You get to choose your own hours and be your own boss, with your success and income limited only by what you can achieve. However, going at it alone means taking on a huge amount of work. What they don’t often tell you is that most successful solopreneurs know how to look for support, whether it be in the form of tech or other people, in order to focus their efforts on what they do best.
Read MoreTailoring your FIRE journey to your lifestyle
Saturday, 19th October 2019
There’s no denying that the FIRE movement is gaining popularity around the world, but it’s important to keep in mind that what works in one country, may not work for them all. Here are a few tips to apply your FIRE journey in Ireland to your lifestyle.
Read MoreHow you can teach your kids about finances
Wednesday, 10th July 2019
As an entrepreneur and a father of three, I’m always thinking about how I can teach my kids how money and the business world works. At ages two, five, and eight, some might say that it’s too early to teach kids about money, but it’s actually never too early to plant seeds which will help them be more financially savvy than their peers. This article highlights a few ways to help your kids learn about financial independence.
Read MoreHow to take your first step into the investing world
Tuesday, 25th June 2019
Taking your first step into the investing world isn’t going to be as difficult as you might think. I would definitely recommend the peer to peer investing world as a great place to start.
Read MoreThink with your head, not your heart: taking the emotion out of home ownership
Tuesday, 18th June 2019
Buying a house can be such an emotional decision. Too often, we forget to see the bigger picture – that this is actually going to cost money each month for a very, very long time. Too often we’re quick to make decisions about property for emotional reasons and we don't always factor in those financial reasons. If you’re going to achieve financial independence, the type of house that you’re living in will have a major impact on that. So if you’re looking for housing or trying to get on the property ladder, or if you’re on the ladder and considering an upgrade, then try and think with your head, as well as your heart.
Read MoreMy Financial Independence Interview with Paddy Delaney
Friday, 10th May 2019
I was fortunate enough recently to appear on a podcast interview with Paddy Delaney from Informed Decisions - Ireland’s #1 personal financial blog. I’ve been a long time follower of Paddy’s advise, so it was a real privilege to appear on his show.
Read MoreReview of my first full year of investing - 2018
Thursday, 25th April 2019
This article is going to look back on the last 12 months and share my investing experience. Investing should be simple, but when it's your first time around it seems so much more complicated.
Read MoreStop trying to pay your mortgage off faster
Tuesday, 20th November 2018
Recently, I spoke to a friend who had been to an event focusing on tips to help pay off your mortgage earlier. The first thing I thought was, why would you want to worry about paying off your mortgage faster? Read about why I think your better to invest the extra cash.
Read MoreWhat's so scary about investing?
Sunday, 4th November 2018
Are you afraid to start investing? This article takes a look at what it takes to make that initial investment and take the leap to become an investor.
Read MoreHow to start off on the financial independence journey?
Sunday, 21st October 2018
It might sound like a crazy idea to think that you could stop working for money (e.g having a job) in a few years. But the truth is, it isn't as hard as you might think! Being financially independent is all about controlling your monthly cash flow – how much passive income you have coming in verses the expenses you have going out.
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