Back in 2020, I had an idea for an innovative travel app. I was so energized by this new business idea that I was seriously contemplating dropping $30K of my savings into paying developers to build it. Then a friend recommended that I go through an incubator, which is a program that helps entrepreneurs "incubate" their idea. Most people will never complete these programs because they don't have a viable idea that will make money. I dropped out 1/3 of the way through for mental health reasons, fully intending to restart at a later date. But after reflecting on everything I had learned, I took away the most important lesson possible....

Since discovering the FIRE movement I've been intensely studying the myth and cult of homeownership. This concept is also tied up in societal noise that if you are renting then you are throwing your money away. Or that you haven't reached adulthood if you are still renting. I wanted to find out in a case study if renting could give you the financial upper hand over buying. I took 7.5 years of records owning my house and renting it out once it was no longer my primary residence. Read on to see the numbers.

If you move money between certain (most) EU countries and the US, then this blog is for you and could save you big bucks. Wise (formerly TransferWise) dominates the blogosphere and Facebook groups for expats as the standard for moving money cheaply. Wise is, deservedly, a wonderful and transparent service. However, it isn't the cheapest! I show you here how over a period of 4 years I have spent a grand total of $370 in fees using Revolut (or a combination of Revolut+Wise). If I had used Wise only, I would have spent $1,023. If I had used Bank->Bank ("direct") transfers it would have cost me a whopping $1,494. I've layed out the values transferred here, read on to learn how you can setup the Revolut+Wise method and start saving $$$.