FISH | Financial Independence Seeking Happiness

10 blogging mistakes - Contender styleee!

Contender 5 Blog, Early Retirement, Finance, frugality, Happiness, Naive, Planning, Writing 08:52

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bansky - Graffiti Creative Brilliance</td></tr>
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THE.CONTENDER is writing this post about the respect and humility THE.CONTENDER has for the challenge of writing a readable, engaging and hopefully entertaining blog. 
 
What makes a blog attractive? Is it funny, short, arty or just contain as much content as possible. What has THE.CONTENDER done and considered to create this blog (the plan is at the end of the post)? 
 
Importantly what CGBEB (Contender Great Big Enormous Blunders) have been made so far. Will it \ does it meets the needs of the readership? 
 
THE.CONTENDER has been a scientist all his life and worked primarily in large corporations. He had been turned into the proverbial robot happy in herds. THE.CONTENDER wanted to write a blog which is a personal pursuit. 
 
The main problem was that THE.CONTENDER has been a corporate employee trained to give up individuality and not to peruse risks. THE.CONTENDER asked himself how in the hell does one write a blog? Never excelled in English whilst only having expertise at corporate memos and PowerPoint presentations... 
 
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How does THE.CONTENDER write something readable in a sphere where professional writers can knock me out for the count????</div>
 
To start the blog I needed a subject and a theme. The content was to be on financial and life planning - putting goals into a plan and making sure they happen. For a theme - boxing and the choice of the website url "www.GetInTheRingWithMe.blogspot.com". Life is a fight so the duel of boxing
 to win seemed to be a good fit. 
 
Secondly an alias name was 
required. MUFF was borne to convey the message  "My 
Unconventional Freedom Fight" secondly the word MUFF is quite silly and can mean several different things and used in several ways. This did not work out and was subsequently dumped. 
 
Next was to get started. I had just stopped work in Feb 2012 to look after the kids. A couple of months were required to get accustomed to looking after the little ones full time. Exhausting to start with and my wife was just getting back into work mode. So I got started on this blog in June July and turned it on in August.........Is anyone going to read it? 
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flop on my hands after all that work - time to change?</td></tr>
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The first couple of months saw very modest traffic. This told me that there was a lot I was doing wrong (as usual) can THE.CONTENDER learn from his mistakes? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Please read on for the CGBEB (Contender Great Big Enormous Blunders) I have had to correct (so far):

10 blogging mistakes - Contender styleee!

Bansky - Graffiti Creative Brilliance THE.CONTENDER is writing this post about the respect and humility THE.CONTENDER has for the challe...

Early Retirement at 36 - Charity Time?

Contender 0 charity, Early Retirement, financial independence, frugality, Planning 16:00

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Evening fight fans your host for the evening is the THE FUTURE here on FREEDOM FIGHT NIGHT. This evening we are interviewing THE.CONTENDER on his extraordinary decision to Retire Early. THE FUTURE wants to know is THE.CONTENDER going to fade into the distance or stay in the spotlight? 
 
Our champion glides into view floating like a butterfly onto the comfortable leather reclining chair. A hush comes across the audience all eyes are on THE.CONTENDER . 
 
INTERVIEWER: THE.CONTENDER , so kind of you to take time out from your busy schedule looking after the kids:). Your retirement came out of the blue and has shocked a large number of people. Surely is is too early to hang up the gloves? 
 
THE.CONTENDER : Taking early retirement from the ring is a blessing, I have taken some hard knocks down the years. I want to see the kids grow up and secondly I think it is time to "give back" to the the community. 
 
INTERVIEWER: Give back to the community..... THE.CONTENDER you are recognized all over the world are you going to use your ugly mug for the Halloween? 
 
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE.CONTENDER helped to put on a school sports day for this special bunch</td></tr>
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Audience laughs 
 
THE.CONTENDER : Freddie's (Kruger) stunt double doesn't have to worry.  I want to be active in the community in a different way! I have been inspired by an orphanage charity project I was fortunate to participate in. As my face is well traveled and the kids were not scared easily....... 
 
THE.CONTENDER has seen poverty first hand. He doesn't think it has a place in the modern world. He has visited rural Africa on two occasions; Zambia and Zimbabwe followed by South Africa. THE.CONTENDER has also seen poverty in Poland, Czech Republic, Thailand and good old Blighty itself in some London housing estates. It's not pretty and really in this day and age should not be there. 
 
It is the Trip to South Africa THE.CONTENDER would like to talk about today. The team that THE.CONTENDER traveled with raised money for and worked on a much needed orphanage for 150 children (1/3 infected with HIV). It is a fabulous example of charity, learning and independence. It was a heart warming, sad, inspirational and joyful experience all at the same time. Is this what all early retirees could dedicate some of their time to? 
 
Charity, Early Retirement and Poverty 
 
THE.CONTENDER did not really understand poverty properly until he saw it first hand. Yes THE.CONTENDER had seen Live Aid and all of the daily horrific news stories on the BBC. THE.CONTENDER had sympathy for them and donated to charity but never actively with his own time. Was this really making a difference? 
 
Thinking back to my upbringing I was dead fortunate. I was brought up in a one parent loving family. Living in a declining coal mining area in South Wales. THE.CONTENDER was happy. He ran free in the beautiful Welsh Valleys with his mates and kicked rugby balls around the playing fields. Even though as a family, we had little money, we did not go without. THE.CONTENDER had access to a very good education system. He was heavily subsidised and had a sponsor to go to an exceptionally good University in Manchester studying engineering. 
 
THE.CONTENDER has benefited from resources a large part of the world population would bend
 over backwards for. THE.CONTENDER has been given it all on a plate - he has been
 very, very, very (yes three times!) fortunate. Did THE.CONTENDER know this at the time - perhaps - definitely now though. 
 
A good education resulted in a good job and the amazing opportunity to be financially free by the ripe old age of 36. Our little tribe has a very comfortable life that is easy to take for granted. We have running water, electricity, rent a nice property, can go to the store and buy Alaskan salmon, French saussion, Italian Chianti heck our local market sells fish from New Zealand! (We think this is completely silly by the way and buy local as much as possible.) Lucky indeed. 
 
Why has THE.CONTENDER been fortunate enough to thrive like this? THE.CONTENDER worked hard but was helped due to the specific advantages of a developed country. So what can THE.CONTENDER do more of to give back to society which has helped him all these years? Can we be charitable and help where it is needed? 
 
THE.CONTENDER 's first real experience of poverty, and how a little charity goes a long way, was his first trip to Africa. My sister was teaching in Zambia at the time. It is an amazing place - even more so if you are a foreign tourist! My sister took us to some places that were completely off the beaten track. This is where poverty first really became real for me. From the funeral parade of at LEAST 50 COFFINS each day out of Lusaka to the bush where they probably never see a white man. It was in a small isolated hamlet THE.CONTENDER inadvertently scared a bunch of kids with a balloon - completely alien to them. Ooops! 
 
These people had a roof over their heads, some small necessary possessions for cooking and gardening and that was it. No schools, no health care, no idea of money really - poverty to a westerner but THE.CONTENDER only saw happiness in the eyes of this vibrant group. Sadly THE.CONTENDER was sure their life expectancy was low. They they probably did not really know what health care was or what a hospital looks like and all the benefits it brings. 
 
My sister is back in the UK and regularly provides donations of clothes and fills her suitcase up with essentials each time she travels back to Africa. Good one sis! 
 
This brings me on to the main part of this post; how the skills THE.CONTENDER has learnt were put to use in a charitable manner and how a modest amount of money can make a huge difference to so many (150 orphans in this case). Please read on about this exceptional project!

Early Retirement at 36 - Charity Time?

Evening fight fans your host for the evening is the THE FUTURE here on FREEDOM FIGHT NIGHT. This evening we are interviewing THE.CONTENDE...

Early Retirement, Lean and Maslow what do they have in common?

Contender 1 Early Retirement, Education, Ethical, Freedom, frugality, Happiness, health, Investing, Life, Planning, Saving, Toolkit 09:27

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Hello Fight Fans, welcome to Fight Night on channel CONTENDER! Let's get ready to RUMBLE! Introducing in the red corner weighing in at 13st 2lb THE.CONTENDER! In the blue corner weighing in an impressive 16st 9lb is THE FUTURE.  
Tonight's fight is over 12 rounds. The prize is for the UFF (Undisputed Freedom Fight) Belt  
 
THE.CONTENDER has been training for the future for some time. Since he was born actually; just like everyone else. THE.CONTENDERhas been fighting to achieve his goals and desires; funnily enough just like everyone else. THE.CONTENDERhas searched for the key to making them happen; just like everyone else, where is it damn it! 
 
So this post is about THE.CONTENDER's personal thoughts on what this key could look like. In particular could it unlock the secret to an effective Early Retirement and Life Planning approach? THE.CONTENDER's approach is based on three key parts: 1) Maslow's hierarchy of needs, 2) a concept called LEAN and 3) Monthly Planning process. This is what it looks like in THE.CONTENDER's world: 
 
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6QEj-mPPFjc/UGyWvS4_T9I/AAAAAAAAB2k/akM4hlRgZFE/s1600/Maslow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6QEj-mPPFjc/UGyWvS4_T9I/AAAAAAAAB2k/akM4hlRgZFE/s320/Maslow.jpg" title="Maslow's Pyramid of Needs" width="320"></a>1) MASLOW 
 
Maslow placed the most important aspects of life at the bottom of a PYRAMID. Water, food and shelter at the bottom as they are essential through to self-actualization at the top. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--jJqJ6b2XN4/UGyW8K4qa_I/AAAAAAAAB2s/Ul_nhiiRV1g/s1600/Lean+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>2) LEAN 
 
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THE.CONTENDERwould like to introduce Tachi Ohno of Toyota. He is considered the father of  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing" target="_blank">LEAN</a> in the manufacturing world. LEAN is all about removing waste (Japanese for waste is "muda") and making the products as close to the point of  delivery as possible (JIT - just in time). 
 
What is interesting is that LEAN principles have been simply represented as a house. You need strong foundations, build the walls and top off with the roof while regular maintenance will keep it in tip top condition. 
 
3) PLANNING (Making it Happen): 
 
Project management has lots of models and different approaches depending on what the project is. It can can be very complex such as building a skyscraper or simple in the case of planning a journey to the Zoo. 
 
Over complication and missing steps, have put THE.CONTENDERin hot water in the past. THE.CONTENDERhad to learn how to mange projects and people effectively to make sure he could not see the wood from the trees.  
 
THE.CONTENDEReventually learnt that planning really is a simple process wits for key repeating steps PLAN - DO - CHECK - ACT. When carrying out these steps a list of checks and skills must be used. Below is a list of the key aspects of planning, leading and execution that THE.CONTENDERhas been rigorously trained on. In THE.CONTENDER's opinion consider all of them, in a robust review process, and you won't go too far wrong: 
<ul>
<li>What is your VISION - what do you want- your end goal - Early Retirement and Happiness?</li>
<li>Do you have a PLAN to get there - this can be on the back of a biz card or a spreadsheet? </li>
<li>Are you keeping everything SIMPLE?</li>
<li>Be prepared to ADAPT your plan and goals, make sure you have regular checks </li>
<li>Do you have the right ATTITUDE - are you really committed to being frugal for early retirement?</li>
<li>Do you see the PROBLEM clearly? is it that you have to pay your debts first or get a new job close to home?</li>
<li>Have you DISCUSSED this with your close family / friends and do you have everyone on board?</li>
<li>Who is in CONTROL - tracking progress and spotting deviations, obstacles and opportunities and getting back on track if you fall behind.</li>
<li>ASSERTIVENESS - get on with it, have a go, back up your convictions</li>
<li>INVOLVE everyone in the decision making progress - THE.CONTENDER and his tribe are moving to France, the reason is that the living standard is higher, decent warm weather and it has good schools for the kids; so THE.CONTENDER turned to the grandparents: "what do you think?"</li>
</ul>
So what if we try combining the life (Maslow) with the continuous Improvement and removal of waste of Lean (Tachi Ohno), with the principles of planning and financial freedom? Here is THE.CONTENDER's interpretation, please read on ;)

Early Retirement, Lean and Maslow what do they have in common?

PERL Hello Fight Fans, welcome to Fight Night on channel CONTENDER! Let's get ready to RUMBLE! Introducing in the red corner weig...

10 Career Skills for Early Retirement

Contender 1 Critical Thinking, Early Retirement, financial freedom, financial independence, Planning, Work 10:51

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Sears Tower Chicago - BIG Business</td></tr>
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THE.CONTENDER 's career has been short and sweet. He is now officially semi retired* after only 13 years on the job - lucky B******. So it is hard to call it a career really. 
 
As a graduate THE.CONTENDER went straight into a process improvement role (adding new computer planning systems, training, creating reports and interactive tools) and actually enjoyed 90% of the experience and learnt a few tricks along the way. 
 
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This post is about some of the amazing skills learnt on the job. Specifically how THE.CONTENDER has since applied them in his quest for early retirement and how THE.CONTENDER will use the skills in the future.</div>
 
First here is a list of 10 business skills that THE.CONTENDER learnt from work and considers highly beneficial in his personal life. This will be followed by a section on how they can be used in respect to financial freedom / early retirement: 
<ol>
<li>Discipline -  THE.CONTENDER had to act like an adult from now on. Work had to be completed on time and correctly. Mistakes cost money and made THE.CONTENDER loose face let alone slowed down my career advancement.  </li>
<li>Project management - THE.CONTENDER was meant to deliver projects on time and get everyone involved......at lest that was the idea, this really took some practice! It was one hell of a learning ride on the way. From the indemnity of being pulled up in front of senior management for a delay to being proud of oneself in delivering a valuable time saving tool to my colleagues. The project management skills eventually set THE.CONTENDER up to succeed. THE.CONTENDER considers project management as one of the hardest skills to learn and actually excel at. If you are good at it you will build significant trust making you the go to guy to get something done.  </li>
<li>Learning business interpersonal skills - simple communication, adjusting your style to the person you are dealing with, listening attentively to that person and addressing their concerns (Or in THE.CONTENDER 's early career telling them they were wrong because they were.... so there! Opps! I was right 80% of the time, sort of :)  </li>
<li>Independence and Responsibility - booking business travel to go to different countries, planning your own workload, deciding on priorities (and what to ignore). Taking ultimate responsibility for your appraisals - without significant effort how will you get noticed. </li>
<li>Time management - work on what was really needed 80:20 rule (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle">80% of results come from 20% of the work</a>) - THE.CONTENDER is adamant that you work on the really important stuff, complete 80% of it and move on - but how many people work that way! So THE.CONTENDER learnt how to delegate it onto someone who will actually finish it o  </li>
<li>Critical thinking - Why do we want to do that? Is it worth the effort? What will other people think?  </li>
<li>Mentoring - Really this is all about networking. Two main benefits : 1. Learning who and how to influence to get your way 2. To get a promotion - Sorry THE.CONTENDER's opinion.! What THE.CONTENDER really got out of mentoring was crystalisation of my thoughts towards EARLY RETIREMENT through the interrogation \ questioning process - :)  </li>
<li>Computer skills - reporting, basic programming, websites, writing training documents. Computer allow you to get things done quickly and in our data overload world if you have the right skills analyse the data to get to the real problems and opportunities and present them in a way that conveys the importance of you message. Get noticed.  </li>
<li>Change management / influencing - possibly the hardest skill to learn and master and the biggest problem THE.CONTENDER had in this short career.  </li>
<li>Presentation skills - Professional training in this area is invaluable - watching a playback of a presentation you give followed by some professional coaching - the end result is astounding. Maybe one day THE.CONTENDER will post his video in the future...... </li>
</ol>
Not forgetting the need to be paid A reasonable salary for the work- more you earn the faster it is to retirement ;) 
 
THE.CONTENDER has no way mastered any of the skills but all are highly useful compared to some of the education THE.CONTENDER had in school <a href="http://www.getintheringwithme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/10-education-topics-for-financial.html" target="_blank">(please see </a><a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.com/2012/09/10-education-topics-for-financial.html" target="_blank">THE.CONTENDER's post on missing education skills)</a> 
 
So THE.CONTENDER has provided a list of "boring" but must have business skills lets have a chat how actually each skill can contribute to early retirement and a successful private life. Please read on.....

10 Career Skills for Early Retirement

View from the Sears Tower Chicago - BIG Business THE.CONTENDER 's career has been short and sweet. He is now officially semi retir...

Daddy Contender a Financial Frugality Case Study of Bringing Up Baby - Round 6 1m10s

Contender 1 Early Retirement, Finance, frugality, Life, Saving 22:26

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THE.CONTENDER recently quit his job to be a proud stay-at-home father. This post is about the benefits of having dad at home, the financial adjustments we had to make in particular how we reduced our spending by £269 per month with a surprising end result! </div>
 
Quitting work to look after the kids full time was quite a big step into the unknown for THE.CONTENDER . Work had dominated his life for the last 13 years. When the news leaked out that THE.CONTENDER was taking the new paternity leave for 6 months after Mrs C went back to work full time, it raised quite a few eyebrows, especially when THE.CONTENDER then quit his job at the end of his leave. Why was a top talent employee who works hard and has invested a significant amount of time in the company giving it all up? 
 
Here THE.CONTENDER wants to share the reasoning (financial and family), the benefits - CGBB (Contender Great Big Benefits) and detailed analysis of the change to our finances (including our significant cost saving exercise). 
 
The Reasoning 
 
As the grandparents live in different countries the childcare is up to us. Options we considered after child number two arrived were: 
<ol>
<li>One of us had to stop working - would this be detrimental to that persons career - was it really important to us? The kids would benefit greatly from parental care. </li>
<li>THE.CONTENDER gets a better job so his salary pays for the kids to go to nursery or nanny (current salary would NOT cover the child care costs (detailed analysis is in the second part of this post). The increase pay would probably mean increased work and travel - a worse situation for the family.</li>
<li>We both go part time and take turns - this would have reduced our ability to save for financial freedom and hence delayed our move to the French countryside. Positives are that the children benefit from both parents being part of the upbringing and we would probably be less stressed for example we would not have to worry about the rush hour commute home each night to pick them up. Would we get paid less but still work more than the allotted part time hours - probably.</li>
<li>We both stay in our current jobs and get a full time nanny / childminder or creche for five days - this would have reduced our saving rate as we would be subsidising THE.CONTENDER 's salary to the tune of around £500. Kids are brought up by someone else. THE.CONTENDER would have that cherished career though......</li>
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We chose option 1 - THE.CONTENDER quit - but why? Let's look at the family happiness and our perceived financial pain in more detail. 
 
The Benefits - CTH (Contender Tribe Happiness...in October) 
 
One parent at home has significant benefits in our opinion: 
<ul>
<li>The children have their fun loving daddy to look after them - no changes of child carer etc just consistency. </li>
<li>As parents we have peace of mind no rushing home from work to pick the kids up. No problems of juggling work when they are ill. </li>
<li><a href="http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/he137" target="_blank">Click here for a list of benefits in having an actively involved father in the children's upbringing</a> </li>
<li>THE.CONTENDER not spending (and risking) his life on the motorway going to work - avoiding work stress, tiredness and the always on call culture.</li>
<li>THE.CONTENDER has time to write this blog - cowabunga :) </li>
<li>THE.CONTENDER 's wife likes her work as it is constructive to society and is well paid (more than THE.CONTENDER ). As THE.CONTENDER wasn't enjoying himself at work, so it was obvious THE.CONTENDER should stay at home! </li>
<li>Our eldest child started nursery school which is mornings only - how do you juggle that with jobs and a one year old - lots do and hats off to them!</li>
<li>Seeing the girls grow up is PRICELESS.</li>
<li>THE.CONTENDER has time to invest wisely..... </li>
<li><a href="http://www.dadcando.com/" target="_blank">THE.CONTENDER learns new skills and has to step up to the plate quickly!</a></li>
<li>THE.CONTENDER was up for the challenge </li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Nothing I've ever done has given me more joys and rewards than being a father to my children. -  Bill Cosby 
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Please read on to find a detailed investigation into our financial considerations and impacts and how we reduced our spending by £269 per month. This leads to an interesting overall result.

Daddy Contender a Financial Frugality Case Study of Bringing Up Baby - Round 6 1m10s

THE.CONTENDER recently quit his job to be a proud stay-at-home father. This post is about the benefits of having dad at home, the financi...

10 Education Topics for Financial & Intellectual Freedom

Contender 0 Critical Thinking, Education, Freedom, Happiness, Life, Naive 20:36

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Archimedes in his Bath - UMIST</td></tr>
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Education, Education, Education! THE.CONTENDER and Mrs C were fortunate to have a very good education. THE.CONTENDER studied sciences and maths before obtaining a masters in Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology from UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology). Mrs C is qualified in both French and English law. Both of us had a passion for learning and this has opened significant doors for us in adult life. 
 
In this post THE.CONTENDER is going to cover what he considers are the 10 missing parts to his real world education which would have enabled very early retirement and how they fit into the CALP (Contender  Awesome Life Plan) 
 
To start this round off with some low blows, here is a critique of subjects THE.CONTENDER has studied: 
 
Reading, writing, grammar and languages: Core skills were taught, unfortunately not enough emphasis was placed on reading and communication skills (such as presenting to a large audience). 
 
"Listen very carefully I shall say this only once" <a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.co.uk/p/comedy-and-drama.html" target="_blank">Allo! Allo!</a> THE.CONTENDER was also taught French and German. Both are useful, unfortunately being brought up with the British mentality that "everyone else can learn English" languages did not really interest me at the time. Subsequently being married to my French wife and having worked extensively in France and Germany it really is a shame I did not put more effort in! Our three-year old understands more French than me - boy am I in trouble if I can't understand what she says it is bad enough with the wife! <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrebleu" target="_blank">Sacrébleu! </a> 
 
At this point of the blog, Mrs C took the keyboard from me and typed this:" after all these years, and with the dream of moving to France everyday on our mind, THE.CONTENDER still makes NO effort whatsoever to speak French (the French method book by the bedside table does not count, it is not even open and has never been read)". Then THE.CONTENDER has managed to get the keyboard back from his adorable but persistent French wife.   
 
Maths and Sciences: What can I say THE.CONTENDER is a scientist and has an Engineering Degree so I really like these subjects. 
 
Maths - regardless of personal interest, you must be good at simple APPLIED maths. How to budget, compound interest (the key to financial freedom) measure up a table. I have used a bit of advanced maths down the years but that is limited to algebra - other than that only teach advanced maths if needed at a later date (college \ degree). 
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest” - Albert Einstein </blockquote>
Chemistry - a simple overview is very useful to understand when people talk about acids (bad for the skin) what is added to foods and baby bottles. It is useful to know how to make common useful compounds such a vinegar - at the very least you want to understand the chemistry of alcohol and potassium in water is cool! 
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Biology -  learn about your body what is good for it and how it changes with age - hopefully you will learn how to control some of those urges to have kids too soon in life with your new found knowledge :) Good place to chat girls up though.... 
 
Physics - learn about the universe and why when you jump off a cliff you fall - interesting inspiring.... 
 
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Timbuktu_Mosque_Sankore.jpg/250px-Timbuktu_Mosque_Sankore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Timbuktu_Mosque_Sankore.jpg/250px-Timbuktu_Mosque_Sankore.jpg" width="200"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Timbuktu Mosque</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IBCHul_L7as/UFrfNUb2rtI/AAAAAAAAByE/kvrvr3oMDPk/s1600/Exams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Geography surely you should know where Timbuktu, London, Texas and the North Pole are. You should also know a bit about terrain and the impact of weather, other than that we know volcanoes pour out hot stuff isn't that enough? 
 
Religious Education - The tribe considers a spiritual education is important but believes this should be given outside of the education system. We take our eldest to Sunday School each week and our youngest will start as soon as she is ready.  
 
Home economics - Parents should cook with their kids at home! Unfortunately a lot of parents are too busy to cook healthy meals from scratch and kids need to learn good eating habits from their parents. Besides if you cannot have fun with flour and eggs in school making <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lemondrizzlemuffins_10460" target="_blank">lemon drizzle muffins</a> what is wrong with this world? Even worse have you heard about <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2208795/One-university-students-boil-egg-quite-happily-set-broadband.html" target="_blank">British students starting uni this September</a> and not even knowing how to boil an egg, let alone make their bed or anything remotely practical? 
 
History - we do not learn from past mistakes such as the Weimar hyper-inflation in Germany leading to the rise of the nazis. 
 
Sport - one of the little joys in life - get muddy, have a scuffle on a Rugby pitch - build character teamwork and camaraderie. 
 
Information Technology - a bit of a given nowadays - THE.CONTENDER hopes everyone can actually use a spreadsheet and finish an assignment without being distracted by surfing ;o) Perhaps parents and schools could teach how to avoid online advertising (Firefox has a very <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock-plus/" target="_blank">effective free advertising blocker</a>) 
 
Please read on for the 10 missing parts to THE.CONTENDER 's education

10 Education Topics for Financial & Intellectual Freedom

Archimedes in his Bath - UMIST Education, Education, Education! THE.CONTENDER and Mrs C were fortunate to have a very good education. ...

FAC51 - 10 reasons while frugal is cool - why the f*** not!

Contender 0 Debt, Early Retirement, Ethical, Freedom, frugality, Happiness, Investing 14:03

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hacienda Nightclub - one of my old stomping grounds</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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Live frugally - what does this mean? THE.CONTENDER Tribe is frugal but we do not live in a caravan or a tent. We do not eat rice each day for every meal. We do not stay in all the time and play chess. We enjoy socialising even though it costs money. 
 
Frankly THE.CONTENDER struggles with the word frugal - does this not turn you off? Do you associate lots of un-cool negative connotations with the word. Frugal frugal frugal! Why is that? Let's start again. Let's define frugal as being intelligent with our resources. Let's talk about its benefits for investing, generating wealth and enjoying life. 
 
Early retirement is all about enjoying life to the max. Not giving up all of your best years working for an employer who does not give a shit about you, your well being or your family. They don't want to know, don't care (only if it gives them more control over you). They want for full unconditional obedience and commitment to some bogus corporate cause that benefits the few at your expense. 
 
So frugality is portrayed negatively in society - you are not part of the team / you are not a good consumer. Consumption is good for the economy - debt is productive. Get into debt now and reap the benefits (much) later (when it is time to pay inheritance tax - RIP). 
<blockquote>
"With
greater emphasis on working to live, not living to work, we are
creating awareness for simpler solutions, a more creative existence
with healthier, happier longevity, for those brave enough to accept the
challenge." ~Tracey Smith</blockquote>
<a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.co.uk/p/muff-tools-and-check-lists.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="161" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XS3uu0Cxdzg/UFjZ0dd1PhI/AAAAAAAABxs/R4HUgNcjQso/s200/Muff+Tool+Kit+v6.jpg" title="PLANNING TOOLS AND CHECKLISTS" width="200"></a>The THE.CONTENDER Tribe does not have the latest gadgets but we have gadgets. We are careful with our purchases, always making sure we get the best deal with any discounts. We go on holiday and rent a nice cottage or apartment so we do not have to eat out each night at great expense. We make ice cream cones at home before going to the park. We have a fairly expensive German car and enjoy French Wine. We have friends around and birthday celebrations.....we are NORMAL and are FRUGAL. 
 
Please read on for the 10 reasons why frugality is cool in my book. Would they benefit you? (post comments below :))

FAC51 - 10 reasons while frugal is cool - why the f*** not!

The Hacienda Nightclub - one of my old stomping grounds Live frugally - what does this mean? THE.CONTENDER Tribe is frugal but we do n...

4 Protections for Financial Armageddon?

Contender 0 Black Swan, Critical Thinking, Early Retirement, Financial Armageddon, frugality, Inflation, Investing, Risk 20:51

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Financial Armageddon talk is all across the alternative media. Lax lending that caused the crisis for the banks in 2008 has now been transferred to governments worldwide. Unlimited money printing in the US by the Federal reserve will continue until the economy improves. Commodity prices spiked on this news and will most likely continue to increase in value due to monthly injections of freshly printed money. Boy does it sound like we are screwed. 
 
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THE.CONTENDER is very concerned primarily about inflation. Central banks in Europe, US and Japan are printing money for fun while China is stimulating through a colossal infrastructure spend. Historical monetary events (of stealth default through money printing) does not fill THE.CONTENDER with confidence we are on the right path to. We do not seem to learn from past mistakes (a generation passes as does the wisdom) when it comes to excessive debt and sound money. In this post THE.CONTENDER is going to try to summarise  four key protection strategies that
 could work out very well regardless of a Financial Armageddon or severe inflation.</div>
 
<div style="text-align: center;">
For more information see the following books <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Money-Dies-Nightmare-Hyper-Inflation/dp/1906964440/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339230790&sr=1-3" target="_blank">When Money Dies (2010)</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paper-Promises-Money-World-Order/dp/0718192141/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347868634&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Paper Promises (2012)</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Financial-Armageddon-Protecting-Impending-Catastrophes/dp/141959608X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347869641&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Financial Armageddon(2007)</a> my
 previous posts cover how THE.CONTENDER is investing: <a href="http://www.getintheringwithme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/round-5-156s-investment-challenges.html" target="_blank">Investment challenges</a> and <a href="http://www.getintheringwithme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/risk-versus-reward-round-5-2m-59s.html" target="_blank">Risk Versus Reward</a>.</div>
 
In Europe under capitalised banks are basically lying about their assets value they are insolvent. Several PIIGS governments are being forced to pay ever increasing interest on their government bonds whilst bailing out the banks. The ECB is trying all options to bail out countries against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape. 
 
As the ECB cannot buy government bonds outright, get this, it is giving money to the banks, to buy the bonds, and then buying them back from the banks!!!! - complete fraud in my opinion. Supposedly this will be sterlised (printing no new money), who are they trying to fool - the debt is too large, the supposed assets over valued. The debt and interest cannot be fully paid back. The ECB will take significant paper losses equating to an increase in the money supply in the future. More money created dilutes existing money which is now worth considerably less. To whose benefit? 
 
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/images/British_Pound-fiat-currency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="207" src="http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/images/British_Pound-fiat-currency.jpg" title="Purchase Power of the Pound" width="320"></a></td></tr>
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Zero interest rates are screwing savers and retirees but fixed rate debt is paying off. I wonder who owns that....... 
 
Most "answers" so far have been to "kick the can down the road" - print money instead of dealing with the issue head on greed has created too much un-payable debt. Why does the west not copy Iceland - they defaulted on their debt, brought criminal charges against the people who abused the system and their countries goo will then started again from a new sustainable base. They are thriving again. The benefit of money printing is for debt holders (creditors). The young are enslaved with excess debt while struggling to find a decent job to pay off. The retired and savers are being stiffed by ultra low interest rates and <a href="http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts" target="_blank">high shadow inflation</a>. 
 
This does not bode well for the generations of the future who have to pay the bill. They also have the possibility of Financial Armageddon to deal with. By this THE.CONTENDER means hyperinflation leading to mass joblessness and massively reduced living standards. 
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wall-Street-Collectors-Michael-Douglas/dp/B00347A32G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348083077&sr=8-1" target="_blank">"Greed is good" - Gordon Gecko, Wall Street </a></blockquote>
 
 
Quantitative Easing (buying government debt using printed money) in the US, Europe, and Japan is all about currency debasement to reduce the value of the debt. They are paying the debt back with less valuable currency. The elite has done everything in its power to maintain this status quo. They ensure that they get their debt repayments instead loosing out as the debt is defaulted to allow society to starting on a new sure footing as in the case of Iceland. 
 
The elites are squeezing the productive middle class worker bee families with inflationary policies. The middle class is the productive class. A self perpetuating spiral of job losses due to destroyed demand and lower living standards. If the vampires that sucks the blood from the middle class victims continue who will be left to serve?  
    
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4 Protections for Financial Armageddon?

Financial Armageddon talk is all across the alternative media. Lax lending that caused the crisis for the banks in 2008 has now been t...

Keeping the Tribe Healthy

Contender 0 Early Retirement, Happiness, health, Life, Mid Life Crisis, Toolkit 09:42

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A key part of the <a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.co.uk/p/muff-tools-and-check-lists.html" target="_blank">CPT</a> (Contender Planning Toolkit) is CALP (Contender Awesome Life Plan). It includes a large section on health which is probably the most important part of the plan - invest in yourself. 
 
This post will cover putting a health plan into practice and some very interesting cheap effective alternative therapies that you may not have heard of - oxygen treatment and colloidal silver. 
 
THE.CONTENDER has been a very active person. I played competitive football and rugby every week in my youth. I generally walked to training which was always several miles. Each night I would be out with my mates kicking a ball around or playing run-outs. Even though I ate heartily I was never overweight. 
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Desk Job => Sitting for hours on end 
 
THE.CONTENDER then started down a less healthy route. On starting a corporate job the playing field was replaced with a desk and computer. Running to training has been replaced by a significant commute of up to 2 hours, sat behind the wheel of a car. 
 
Coffee was on tap and the occasional muffin for those long meetings. Then something new crept in, stress. Deadlines had to be met, planes caught on time and appraisals survived - but the corporate message was that stress helped my performance. Weekends were spent eating out and having a few too many beers. This was all quickly leading to CAD (Contender Assured Destruction) 
 
Nowadays THE.CONTENDER still enjoys a full English breakfast from time to time and a glass of wine. As a house husband my main exercise is running after the children. Takeaways have stopped we eat balanced, healthy home cooked meals together as a family each night. Generally we are looking after ourselves since the hell raising days of old. 
 
Man Made Pollutants - Why? 
 
The first prompt to be healthier started with a substance called BPA in baby bottles. We were horrified to find out, after the birth of our second daughter who was using the bottles that were inherited from her sister, that the plastic baby 
bottles were "changed" to
 remove BPA. We were advised that the substance "could" <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11843820" target="_blank">damage the babies longer term health</a>!
 We were astonished that a risk was known of but the product was not changed straight away. As a parent you do not want any risk at all and will pay
 more for a safe product. Incidentally the same topic is relevant to adults as well as: <a href="http://trusted.md/blog/vreni_gurd/2007/03/29/plastic_water_bottles#axzz24M0r9S4p" target="_blank">plastic bottles can "leak" contaminants. </a> 
 
THE.CONTENDER is definitely not an expert or guru on health. I 
decided to do some more research on the web. What things are unhealthy and 
what things should we embrace as a family? More "bad stuff" surfaced such as <a href="http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.aspx?Id=4399" target="_blank">fluoride in toothpaste</a> - bad for you.... The list of bad things rapidly grew. This list could have been endless if we considered the continual drip feed on the causes cancer \ heart disease etc. from the media Blah Blah Blah. What can THE.CONTENDER really believe? 
 
The modern world has moved on so much in the last 20 years. Lots of new technologies and man made substances have entered our daily lives. An example is food packaging, to "protect it" or convey a marketing message (Think milk used to be in glass bottles now plastic cartons or bottles). Lets consider some other "pollutants" introduced into our environment: 
<ol>
<li>Food packaging using man made materials</li>
<li>Addition of additives to food and water such as in the example of fluoride</li>
<li>Food containers and preservatives</li>
<li>Mobile phone radiation</li>
<li>WiFi Radiation from computers and routers</li>
<li>Mobile phone mast radiation</li>
<li>Power cable radiation</li>
<li>Over medication and injections</li>
</ol>
 What is causing huge increases in Autism? 
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_933058935" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcfxruPe01u1Xu7_z2JxfvPzrmRc9teqnsLreSEybPYDM8GuwViXmfNMWNXQpOdV52xAvQlArEe1j6mEgBOE202U-Jh-3nYQWynnQsDeNaRRm0q0la5bTVmwas-ylPw16wcpYL9F7F9U/s400/IDEAcurvesThoughtful.php.png" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.autismcauses.info/" target="_blank">source http://www.autismcauses.info/</a></td></tr>
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<ol>
</ol>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We all want good health. from a young age we strive to take our first steps to get mobile. Try the food that is given to us and want to actively engage with our environment with play. Later in life we want to look good to attract a mate.  Exercise is from playing a favorite sport at school \ college and generally walking \ cycling a lot due to limited access to your own car. So why does this healthy routine slow down in a lot of cases? 
 
As in THE.CONTENDER 's case above you could argue that work is more sedimentary now. Precious time is dedicated to work and a substantial commute. Free leisure and family time is <a href="http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/08/what-we-do/" target="_blank">being squeezed</a>. 
 
Active leisure is being supplanted by following TV coverage. The number of channels have exploded in the last few years. THE.CONTENDER was used to playing now that time was being used to go to the pub to unwind after a long stressful day in the office. Having a have a few beers or being a "couch potato" is replacing the active participation. We need to be active ourselves not just watch it. 
 
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/graph-of-the-day-obesity-rates-around-the-world.html" target="_blank">treehugger.com</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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Societies increasingly unhealthy lifestyle is being "treated" with expensive diet crazes. Ideally we need to prevent or curtail the unhealthy habit in the first place. Ultimately this will be healthy as well as cost effective in the long run. The need for the habits of  natural exercise and a good diet while suppressing temptations is something that needs to be reinforced throughout life. 
 
The rest of this post is about building prevention and healing into a daily routine - please read on!

Keeping the Tribe Healthy

A key part of the CPT ( C ontender P lanning T oolkit) is CALP ( C ontender A wesome L ife P lan). It includes a large section on health...

Risk Versus Reward

Contender 0 Black Swan, Compound Interest, Critical Thinking, Dividends, Finance, financial independence, Inflation, Investing, Risk 19:56

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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zPAN_dE-K44/URd0cVFyD6I/AAAAAAAACcE/quj2ZUwE_9o/s1600/AngelfishGlovesOff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zPAN_dE-K44/URd0cVFyD6I/AAAAAAAACcE/quj2ZUwE_9o/s200/AngelfishGlovesOff.jpg" width="200"></a> 
Is THE.CONTENDER risking a knockout blow? 
 
 
THE.CONTENDER thought he would write a post on perceived Risk versus Reward when investing. THE.CONTENDER compared the THE.CONTENDER strategy against a couple of very successful savvy bloggers. THE.CONTENDER 's investment plan can be summarised in one simple statement "save as much as possible, in stocks that have a high risk \ reward profile early in life then choose lower risk stocks later". That was the easy part. The next part was devising a strategy to max out the strategy for early financial freedom. The THE.CONTENDER approach is covered in more detail in "<a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/round-5-156s-investment-challenges.html" target="_blank">Investment Challenges</a>". Here are links to a few articles from the bloggers THE.CONTENDER was talking about earlier: 
 
<div class="pagetitle">
 <a href="http://jlcollinsnh.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">jlcollinsnh</a> </div>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://jlcollinsnh.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/stocks-part-vi-portfolio-ideas-to-build-and-keep-your-wealth/" target="_blank">Stocks part vi portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://jlcollinsnh.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/stocks-part-vi-portfolio-ideas-to-build-and-keep-your-wealth/" target="_blank">How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth</a></li>
</ol>
<a href="http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/" target="_blank">Mr Money Mustache</a> 
 
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/05/18/how-to-make-money-in-the-stock-market/" target="_blank">How to make money in the stock market</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/06/07/where-should-i-invest-my-short-term-stash/" target="_blank">Where should I invest my short term stash?</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/09/15/a-brief-history-of-the-stash-how-we-saved-from-zero-to-retirement-in-ten-years/" target="_blank">A Brief History of the ‘Stash: How we Saved from Zero to Retirement in Nine Year</a></li>
</ol>
(Other early financial freedom bloggers: <a href="http://gooddaytolive.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">A Good Day to Live</a>, <a href="http://www.bravenewlife.com/" target="_blank">Brave New Life</a> and <a href="http://earlyretirementextreme.com/" target="_blank">Early Retirement Extreme</a>) 
 
<a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.co.uk/p/muff-tools-and-check-lists.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="161" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XS3uu0Cxdzg/UFjZ0dd1PhI/AAAAAAAABxs/R4HUgNcjQso/s200/Muff+Tool+Kit+v6.jpg" title="PLANNING TOOLS AND CHECKLISTS" width="200"></a>First, both of these guys have made it, are financially free and are still able to save and invest each month. Both guys built significant savings through very hard work and dedication in their employment and investing decisions. Hats off to both of them. This blog highly recommends working through their sites for insights on finance and life. 
 
Next, let's start a comparison of the different strategies:

Risk Versus Reward

Is THE.CONTENDER risking a knockout blow? THE.CONTENDER thought he would write a post on perceived Risk versus Reward when investing...

Welcome to FISH !
You have come here looking for answers. How to get out of debt? How to save and invest? How to retire early and how you want to live in retirement.

Well this is the right place for you as out tribe has been through all of these steps. We no longer work for a corporate employer and have saved enough to retire early. How we did this is shared here on this site for you.

Our little tribe found out these secrets to financial independence in our late 20’s. Since then we have taken early retirement, in our late 30's, in just 7 years. We now live in the South West of France with our two young children.

Along the way I decided to share everything I learnt. My articles and tips on aggressive saving and compound investing are there to help you meet your financial goals fast. I discuss ways to help you decide what you want by building a life plan. This helps to work out how to get where you want to be whilst avoiding the pitfalls along the way.

My expertise was built up working in blue chip corporate jobs, extensive reading and putting it into practice. I have condensed this knowledge into simple strategies to help you meet your goals and not those of the bank or the place you work.

There are free planning tools on this site that help you make a life plan. A plan for your future. The tools calculate how to reach your financial goals in a timeline that suits you. The tools help set out your life goals, make them happen and how to exceed them.

There are tips on how to simplifying your life to remove day to day headaches. These include ways to pay off debt fast buy eliminating wasteful spending habits. How to reduce your monthly bills through choices that actually improve your health and wellbeing. Identifying things you don’t need that sap your time and wallet.

There are little sustainability projects to reduce your dependence on shops and utilities whilst saving money to spend on things you want.

All of these little steps will show you how save 50%+ of your salary so you can meet your goal whatever it is. This huge saving rate can be compounded for very early retirement. I am sure you will find something here for you.

Darren Lee (A.K.A the Contender as in my blog)