If you're new here, this blog will give you the tools to become financially independent in 5 years on a median salary. The wiki page gives a good summary of the principles of the strategy. The key to success is to run your personal finances much like a business, thinking about assets and inventory and focusing on efficiency and value for money. Not just any business but a business that's flexible, agile, and adaptable. Conversely most consumers run their personal finances like an inflexible money-losing anti-business always in danger of losing their jobs.
Here's almost a thousand online journals from people, who are following the ERE strategy tailored to their particular situation (age, children, location, education, goals, ...). Increasing their savings from the usual 5-15% of their income to tens of thousands of dollars each year or typically 40-80% of their income, many accumulate six-figure net-worths within a few years.
Since everybody's situation is different (age, education, location, children, goals, ...) I suggest only spending a brief moment on this blog, which can be thought of as my personal journal, before looking for the crowd's wisdom for your particular situation in the forum journals.
If you enjoy the blog, also consider the book which is much better organized and more complete. You can read the first chapter for free, listen to the preamble, or see the reviews (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,Z). Subscribe to the blog via email or RSS. Get updates on the facebook page, join the forums, and look for tactics on the ERE wiki. Here's a list of all the ERE blog posts.
I read a very good description of the development of the INTJ personality type somewhere. According to that description, after the intellectualizing and systems building matures, the INTJ will take to developing the sensory side.
Maybe that’s where I’m at. After neglecting my body for many years, seeing it as a vessel for freighting my all powerful—yeah sure—brain around, I became somewhat of a sports nerd. This is also called a jock. This year I have been selling off books, DVDs, and CDs; and replacing them with tools. My Stellar Structure and Evolution book has been replaced with Park’s Big Blue Book and the laptop now sits next to a toolbox—I notice I’m still learning from books though—and I find myself thoroughly enjoying the so-called “blue collar work” that some go to college to avoid(*).
Maybe I have entered the second half of flowers for algernon, maybe I’m just mellowing out, or maybe I’m pushing the next frontier of personal development. According to the aforementioned document, this is just a phase, and once it’s over, I’ll start exploring my emotional side, yikes! 😉
(*) I think at that time, when I was 18, I was somewhat of an academic snob myself. Academic studies were “better” than non-academic studies, and some sciences were clearly more “manly” than others. It is really quite sad to look back on.
Anyway, no further laboring today: I’m going sailing.
