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There Is No Spoon – A Lesson From The Matrix 25 Years Later

Image Sourcing: The Matrix What does “The Matrix” and a spoon have to do with a blog centered around financial independence you ask? Stay with me, and I will see if I can connect the dots. In the movie “The Matrix”, there is an iconic scene that has always stuck with me and has taken on a deeper meaning over time. It’s the moment when a young boy, a potential prodigy within the matrix, demonstrates his ability to bend a spoon with his mind. He says to Neo, “Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead, only try […]

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HTF 10 Step Financial Planning Framework

When it comes to my financial life, every year I sit down and work through a financial planning framework that I have developed over time. This framework allows me to review the past year, evaluate where I am relative to my goals, develop additional goals and planning for the upcoming year, and then execute.  Execution can often seem like one of the more difficult steps in financial planning. However, I think this is likely due to a lack of clarity. Execution becomes easy if you have a plan. Planning becomes easy if you evaluate and define/refine your goals. Evaluating and

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A New Paradigm

507 days… …1 year, 4 months, and 22 days… It is hard to fathom it has been that long since my last post. It seems like a lifetime ago while just yesterday at the same time. Regardless, it is feels great to be writing again! So where have I been you may be asking… Since my last blog post in November 2021, a LOT has happened. I am sure I will write much more about it in the future, but here are just a few highlights as I begin to put pen to paper again. Pressing Pause: We started –

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The Parable of the Businessman and the Fisherman

The Henry household decided to take another trip to our happy place, the beach, for Thanksgiving week. Unlike trips centered around site-seeing, our beach trips always provide a great opportunity to slow down and take a break from our normal routine by doing a whole lot of NOTHING. Well — not nothing I suppose. Reading, watching movies, playing games, poolside with the kids, sunsets at the beach, and generally enjoying time as a family. I even manage to get in an occasional blog post every now and then.  On several occasions this trip, I have been reminded of a parable

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The Death of My All Index Fund Portfolio

Disclaimer: The information published in this post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and does not constitute accounting, tax, investing, or other professional advice. It was written solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security or financial instrument or to participate in any transaction or trading activity. Accordingly, any decision in connection with funds, instruments, or transactions described or mentioned herein must be made solely on the information contained in a prospectus and no reliance is to be placed

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Is DecaMillionaire the New Millionaire

I have run across numerous articles, blog posts, and podcasts lately that discussed the significance — or lack thereof — of the $1 million milestone in 2020/2021. Since I have seen the topic discussed in several places lately, I figured I would take a deeper dive today and give my take. Is decamillionaire the new millionaire? What is a Decamillionaire: According to Investopedia, a decamillionaire is a term used for someone with a net worth of over $10 million of a given currency, most often US dollars, euros, or pounds sterling. [1] Conversely, a millionaire can be defined as someone

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Understanding The Rule of 72

Have you heard of the “Rule of 72”? If you consume FI and FIRE content including blogs or podcasts then chances are you have. Nevertheless, I thought it would be helpful to cover this rule today since many have never heard of it, and it has practical use for everyone — especially HENRYs in the pursuit of FI. What is the Rule of 72: The Rule of 72 is a very simple way to calculate the number of years it will take to double your money based upon a specific investment return. The formula is quite simply: Number of Years

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What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

It’s hard to believe it has been more than five months since my last post. I have sat down multiple times over this time period with the intent to write an update post. For numerous reasons, I just couldn’t seem to make it happen. To be honest, the timing just didn’t feel right, and I didn’t want to force it. Today — the timing finally feels right — so here goes. The intent of today’s post is to provide readers with a quick update on where I have been, what I have been up to, and why I think I

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Vanguard Total Stock Market Index (VTSAX)

It has been a busy few weeks in the Henry household since my last post in March. I will get into more detail here soon, but today I wanted to discuss index fund investing again. Specifically, I thought I would take a deeper dive into one index fund, the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index (VTSAX), that is a favorite of the FI and FIRE communities as well as myself. VTSAX is one of the largest mutual funds in the world, and there is good reason why. What is VTSAX? The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index (VTSAX) is a stock index

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It’s Time to Burn the Boats

“If you want to take the island, burn the boats.” – Julius Caesar I have heard the quote above cited many times over the years, noting Anthony Robbins uses it frequently in his programs and speeches. Its origin dates back more than 2,000 years ago when Julius Caesar was seeking to conquer lands outside of Rome. In short, Caesar had his soldiers burn their ships upon arrival. In doing so, he sent a clear message to his men as well as the enemy. There was no plan B. There was no option for his men other than to give all

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