FISH | Financial Independence Seeking Happiness: Critical Thinking

The Optimist, Realist and Pessimist

Contender 0 #financialindependence, Critical Thinking, financial independence, Happiness, Risk, Saving 22:10

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Once upon a time there was an OPTiMiST he went about his day with a smile on his face and the wind in his back. He was off to see his friend the PeSSiMiST.  
 
Mr PeSSiMiST was having his usual grumble about his day and life in general, why doesn't anything work and I am stuck with this life? Just listen to the news a meteor is going to hit the earth any time now Doomed, Doomed I say! 
 
Naturally Mr OPTiMiST shrugged his shoulders (whatever next he thought) - and moved onto his joke of the day to cheer up the poor old chap unfortunately to no avail. 
 
Then along came Mr ReaLiST he was going about his business, walking past the local lottery machine shaking his head on his way to deposit some savings at the bank...Hi guys see you in the pub after work for a beer. 
 
Who are We? 
 
We can all probably place ourselves in each of these classifications depending on our circumstances and mood. 
 
Perhaps whole countries could be generalized in one of the classifications - in the UK we always complain about the weather and always look at the other side of the coin. Not everything is rosy but it ain't bad. So we are probably more of a plan for tomorrow realist bunch.... Whenever I have worked in America I consider them as optimistic go-getters, very driven and optimistic about almost everything. These are generalisations for sure and completely off the mark depending on your point of view. 
 
Exploiting the moment 
 
These traits can be the financial independence worst adversary or even weakness. The world is setup to prey on these traits so that you squander your money. 
 
The optimistic young adult starting out in the real world looking for an identity is quickly lured into the world of Sex. You must buy this brand of clothes, listen to this music drive that car. While you are at it buy this perfume / deodorant it is all you need to have scantly clad members of the opposite sex running after you. Feeling more optimistic about your chances? 
 
On the flip side we have the DOOMERS! BEWARE THE DOOMERS! The end of the world is neigh, load up on food, guns and ammo - you can't eat it but you can use it and trade it. A trade in death - nice..... Hunker down, save cash under their pillow don't speculate don't get rich. 
 
What about those weird realists - stuck in the middle - middle class? A nerd - you must have this games console, this most awesome powerful PC. A striver - buy these books to make you rich attend this course and buy these stocks. Save for your pension work hard until you retire at 70. Spend the rest and get the biggest mortgage possible. Bahh Humbug! 
 
Now after recognising some of the weakness and what does the #financialindependence #downshifter do?

The Optimist, Realist and Pessimist

Once upon a time there was an OPTiMiST he went about his day with a smile on his face and the wind in his back. He was off to see his fri...

The Digital Hypocrite

Contender 0 #financialindependence, Blog, Critical Thinking, Finance, financial independence, Happiness, stock screen 19:17

The Digital Hypocrite

Useful Technology? I started out in life fascinated by new tech. I adored the BBC computer in school, learning a little bit of programmi...

Phi, Hero and Forecast

Contender 2 Black Swan, Critical Thinking, downshifting, Early Retirement, financial freedom, financial independence, Investing 19:50

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's THE.FuTuRe Forecast?</td></tr>
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THE.FuTuRe: "I took you to the cleaners last year. I ran circles around you, give up, give in. It's a slaves life for you my lad. Live for today your past is gone and forget about tomorrow." THE.PReSeNT "Just let me look after you!" 
 
THE.CoNTeNDeR: "You're a happy bunch aren't you? Bog off! I can learn from the past to prevent mistakes in the future. I actually know of a few useful guys that can help me out." 
 
Forecasting is an inherently difficult and thankless task. Accepting that you will be wrong to a degree is the first step. Secondly you need to refer to the past to help to predict the future. Finally add in knowledge you know today and plans for THE.FuTuRe. 
 
Being partially right is better than being completely wrong. 
 
THE.CoNTeNDeR had a go at product sales #forecasting and can attest to the fact, through the use of clever mathematics and experience you can gain superior results. We want to think bigger though - what could happen in real life? Thankfully there are some people out there that specialise in the big picture in particular investment cycles and geopolitical events. 
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Plan too far ahead and nature will seem to resist.” - Ancient Chinese proverb  </blockquote>
We live in a mind boggling, complex, constantly changing world and our understanding of it is still in its infancy. In this post we are going to look at  
<ul>
<li>How we humans are using patterns and cycles to forecast THE.FuTuRe. In particular Martin Armstrong's Confidence, Model, Nicolai Krondratieff's inter-generational cycles and Gerald Celente's Trend Journal.</li>
<li>Contemplate inter-generational impacts for the Boomer, Nomad, Hero and Artist generations. </li>
<li>A look at an investing approach, for the aspiring Financial Independent Person that is built to ride the waves of time....Harry Brownes Permanent Portfolio. </li>
</ul>
Phi, Cycles and the Nano Second Investing World we Live in 
 
Phi is represented throughout nature and is very evident in the cycle of time, plant structures and even human nature. Number patterns are everywhere have a look at the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/190426347X/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=190426347X&linkCode=as2&tag=thecontfinain-21" id="static_txt_preview" target="_blank">Golden Section</a> for instance. We cannot ultimately fight nature - fundamentals win out eventually. We still believe we can geo-engineer our climate yet we cannot even get a weather forecast right! 
 
If nature does not have enough on its plate here comes MAN. We have introduced our logic to the real world which has huge implications on how we interact with the world. 
 
Just have a look at technical trading and the adornment of <a href="http://moneyweek.com/spread-betting-video-tutorial-elliott-wave-theory-13701/" target="_blank">Fibonacci levels Tramline analysis and Elliot Wave Theory</a>. With so many people using these "tools" the herd follow numerical trends against all reality for the underlining investment. Wall street has the power to wipe out entire industries. Often shipping them abroad where human rights and environmental controls are less strict. These beliefs are powerful forces that cannot be overlooked. 
 
We now have added HFT algorithms into the mix. Computers bash the price up or down based on more man logic to make huge profits on the smallest differences in price. MAN LOGIC is prone to herd mentality and emotions so these HFT can all feed on each other and cause ridiculous price distortions. 
 
How long until we introduce artificial intelligence to the computers to make the situation even worse. What common sense we do have will be removed. Perhaps we will have a Terminator Esq Financial Judgement Day. Computers deciding that destroying the entire financial system will lead to the most profit taking the real world with it? It is very strange that HFT is allowed......

Phi, Hero and Forecast

What's THE.FuTuRe Forecast? THE.FuTuRe: " I took you to the cleaners last year. I ran circles around you, give up, give in. It...

Learning from THE.PaST

Contender 0 Black Swan, Critical Thinking, Dividends, downshifting, Early Retirement, frugality, Gold, health, Oil, Silver, stock screen, Wheat 19:37

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cold start to the year?</td></tr>
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THE.FuTuRe: "CHUMP you still there? Learn from me and THE.NoW forget THE.PaST he is a has been, now look forward he can't teach you anything. THE.FuTuRe is mine all mine and it WILL be different than THE.PaST" 
 
CoNTeNDeR: "You are preaching to the converted, mate, but you forget one thing THE.FuTuRE may be different but it rhymes with THE.PaST and.....we are not having you mess up our enjoyment in THE.NoW" 
*CHUMP - Fool, loser, muppet, victim of THE.FuTuRe, loner, weirdo, odd, strange, picked on OR WINNER - Happy, healthy and challenged. 
 
TRiBe 2013 - Happiness and Investing...! 
 
We understand that money isn't everything but it alows us to do things that we want that give us..... happiness. It is damn nice but what is it how do we know? 
To help appreciate it (happiness) don't you need to experience its opposite as well? Can being rich in money mask real happiness by shielding you from real life
 experiences. 
 
So did the TRiBE have a rounded year.....with rich experiences both good and bad - even if we did not set out on that course - lets take a look:  
 
We really did have a roller coaster of a year. The sadness of a bereavement in the family. Lots of family illness 
in the form of all kinds of nasty bugs. Scarlet Fever, Schingles, 
Bronchitis, Chicken Pox and topped off with a nice bout of Gastro. That sure made us un-happy. Can we just mark that one down as couldn't do anything about due to the joys of having young kids and living in a large city. 
 
MRS.C
 left work followed with the normal withdrawal symptoms. From personal 
experience I actually think it is nicer to be sacked / made redundant than resign. It 
gets rid of the what in the hell am I resigning for / doing question. 
 
Bang! Suddenly the lack of work 
(job) = an empty void that you feel the need to fill back up OR was it too filled in the first place? 
 
We 
were very fortunate to be able to make these choices. At least our 
actions left a job behind for someone else to take up the financial 
independence mantra. 
 
So we packed up our belongings and 
gave away the rest then moved to another country. Fun, exciting and 
exhausting. 
 
This place is so different. How do you settle into a completely different culture as well as adapting to a complete change to family life (both parents at home and we have managed not to divorce yet). 
 
Yes family life. No more "shift 
family member from A to B refill on the way then into bed to recharge the 
batteries". THE.FuTuRe: "Fill the void! Do it now you must be busy all that free time together would drive you mad" 
 
Is he right what are we doing to fill the void - please read on for an investment review and some key learning's around our downshifting move to France from the year that was 2013

Learning from THE.PaST

A cold start to the year? THE.FuTuRe : "CHUMP you still there? Learn from me and THE.NoW forget THE.PaST he is a has been, now l...

The Ride of a Lifetime

Contender 0 Black Swan, Critical Thinking, Dividends, Gold, Inflation, Oil, Saving 18:10

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Fire - A warm fuzzy feeling what about 2013?</td></tr>
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*CHUMP - Fool, loser, muppet, victim of THE.FuTuRe, loner, weirdo, odd, strange, picked on. 
 
*WINNER - Happy, healthy and challenged. 
 
THE.FuTuRe: "Hey CoNTeNDeR you CHUMP, Did 2013 work out as you planned it? Of course it did not. Why did you even try? You know I have lots of unpredictable surprises for you so don't try to hide. Come out of the woodwork and GetInTheRingWithMe!" 
 
CoNTeNDeR: "You fight dirty! Sure I am up for it just like every year. Our TRiBe has a plan for you.... we know you will mess some of it up just look at some of last years silliness. Some people WON" 
 
Everyone has his/her own agenda. The rich want to stay rich, the poor want to get ahead, the politicians want to stay in power, the greens want to save the planet.... Every butterfly flap of a wing could cause a hurricane. 
 
There is no knowing what THE.FuTuRe holds, let alone the complexities of an individual in a specific place at a specific time - ain't it great! 
 
Rich and lose it all, poor and win the lottery, a survivalist without a match, a capitalist going long in a bear market, the gift of a new borne child. 
 
Today a brief look at 2013 which will have a follow up post on what, if anything, THE.TRiBe has learnt from it. 
 
Unique, unfathomable, awesome 2013 
 
Well, what a year 2013 was, just like THE.PaST. Unpredictable. Perhaps more unpredictable than ever. 
 
Great gains in US stocks with modest gains in the UK and Europe. Why amazing well company earnings are not exactly up 28% like the stock market. I wish I could have a business that gains 28% a year. 
 
Energy did ok - if you were invested in the US shale oil boom. As for how long the drilling of vast acres of the US will yield results is another question? Be pessimistic for 2020 or oil forever see <a href="http://srsroccoreport.com/" target="_blank">SRSrocco.com</a> for some analysis. 
 
Defensive stocks in the UK were on a blinder at the start of the year and lost out to risk on stocks later. Twitter, Facebook, Bitcoin get on the free money gravy train of the cyber economy. dot.com boom and prosperity is coming back. 
 
In the mean time we thought staying at home on the computer was a safe place to be. Yet this year we are told we are being watched and they have software to turn on your web camera to see what you are up to. Orwellian indeed.

The Ride of a Lifetime

Our Fire - A warm fuzzy feeling what about 2013? *CHUMP - Fool, loser, muppet, victim of THE.FuTuRe, loner, weirdo, odd, strange, picked...

Maintaining Wealth II - We are all Investors Now

Contender 0 Black Swan, Critical Thinking, Dividends, Finance, Financial Armageddon, Gold, Inflation, Investing, Saving 16:03

<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bG9sVWwZteo/UpsEz-bQlNI/AAAAAAAADDc/swNrFYBwmhY/s1600/InvestmentChoice.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bG9sVWwZteo/UpsEz-bQlNI/AAAAAAAADDc/swNrFYBwmhY/s320/InvestmentChoice.png" width="320"></a> 
TiMe: "Dring, Dring, TiMe to wake up sheeple" 
 
THE.FuTuRE: "Shussssh! They are sleep walking towards a cliff. We are providing wonderful <strike>distractions</strike> entertainment for them. Just look at all of their happy faces. Everything is great. There is no need to think just enjoy! Until I am ready to claim my pound of flesh MurrrGH HA HA HA" 
 
CoNTeNDeR: "Oi you evil B****** we the people will not stand for your bull****. We are waking up in our droves, turning off the entertainment and thinking about what you are up to. Financial freedom from your tyranny.  We are  lemmings no more and are turning away from the cliff - watch out below FuTuRE" 
 
In <a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.com/2013/12/maintaining-wealth-i-bitcoins-and-real.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a> of this post we had a look at Paper Money, E-currency, Commodities, Real Estate and bonds. Today we are looking at Stocks, Land and investing in oneself as additional wealth preservation options worth considering. 
 
Stocks - Growing Profits? 
 
What
 value can you give to a company, let alone picking the winners in the 
stock market? This issue has flummoxed investors for years. 
 
Owning
 part of a company gives you an interest in that company's profits. 
Provided the profits keep rolling in due to a competitive advantage, the
 company should have some longevity. 
 
Perhaps looking 
for companies that have a distinct brand, product or advantage such as 
extremely difficult barrier to entry are the place to be. Those 
companies will grow in value along with their sales and / or return some
 of that profit back to shareholders through buybacks or dividends. 
 
Companies generate wealth - can you pick the right ones? THE.ConTeNDeR is trying see the <a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.fr/2013/11/screener-for-value-and-dividend-stocks.html">Screener for Value and Dividend Stocks Here</a> 
 
For a seasoned professionals take on stocks for the long term, check out some articles by <a href="http://www.investmentu.com/2013/October/a-near-perfect-portfolio.html" target="_blank">Alex green from InvestmentU</a> and I am a fan of his book <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0470598204/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0470598204&linkCode=as2&tag=thecontfinain-21" id="static_txt_preview" target="_blank">The Secret of Shelter Island: Money and What Matters</a> 
Warren Buffet even has a <a href="http://www.ivillage.com/warren-buffett-teaches-money-lessons-kids-cartoon/6-a-533797" target="_blank">cartoon series for kids on investing</a>. 
 
Tribe's opinion - Stocks allow the building of a diversified set of businesses. If stocks were not available it would probably be difficult to invest in diverse ideas such as graphene, new drugs and technology companies such as Google. Core holding. 
 
Arable Land 
 
An interesting investment class in THE.CoNTeNDeR's
 opinion. Precious renewable resources can be harvested from arable land
 year after year making it a very profitable investment class.  
 
Invest
 in woodland and you get free winter fuel and can sell the excess. 
Farmland can be planted for delicious fresh vegetables to be sold down 
the market. 
 
THE.ConTeNDeR likes the idea of some
 arable land next to his house. From a purely financial independence 
perspective 'free' heating, vegetables and eggs would reduce our living 
costs substantially. 
 
The <a href="http://www.transitionnetwork.org/" target="_blank">Transition network</a>
 are keen on this concept to help preserve the planet and combat 
resource depletion. They do a good bit on supporting communities as 
well. 
 
Tribe's opinion - We really think owing a bit of land even if it is used by someone else is a good idea and something we are looking at for THE.FuTuRe

Maintaining Wealth II - We are all Investors Now

TiMe : "Dring, Dring, TiMe to wake up sheeple" THE.FuTuRE : "Shussssh! They are sleep walking towards a cliff. We are pro...

Maintaining Wealth I - Bitcoins and Real Estate

Contender 2 Black Swan, Critical Thinking, Dividends, Finance, Financial Armageddon, Gold, Inflation, Investing, Saving 20:18

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THE.FuTuRE: "Contender you wuss, what is all this talk about income, growth and protection investments. I will take it all from you eventually. I have time on my side" 
 
TiMe: "Tick Tock, Tick Tock" 
 
CoNTeNDeR: "Precisely FuTuRe I have no idea what you are really up to. Heck I had a guess at the outlook for the year and how did that come out.....so I need a bit of diversification because of all of your conniving, plotting and outright corruption!" 
 
We are living in very interesting times especially with regards building and maintaining wealth. 
 
In this post we cover the TRiBe's options for investments in currency, commodities real estate and bonds with examples and opinions on some of the pro's and con's? 
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
 "You have much more opportunity 
to earn money than you do to 'not spend' money, and yet most people spend hours 
upon hours clipping coupons and perusing daily deal sites instead of 
brainstorming how to earn more money and solve 
people's problems." - Susan Fujii</blockquote>
In the second post we will be looking at other investment classes such as stocks and yourself followed by the TRiBe is current thinking. 
 
Paper Money Supply - Blind Faith? 
 
Since 1970 when Nixon took the world off the gold standard there has been no anchor to excessive money / currency creation. Governments have control over the supply of their currencies and they can determine the ultimate value of the currency in circulation depending on the amount in circulation. 
 
Previously if people wanted to save their labour and future buying power through the means of a currency, they could chose a checking account. It earned interest that was enough to offset any excessive increase in the currency supply. This is certainly not the case at the moment, interest rates are artificially low and people are being 'guided' to riskier investments for a return. 
 
One may ask but why is the currency supply increasing above the increase in productive capacity of the economy. Unfortunately this is easy to attribute to governments' fiscal irresponsibility. Excessive overspending is used to buy votes from the electorate. 
 
Alternatively if a country has strong institutions, low spending and fiscal responsibility - holding that countries currency is less of a concern. 
 
Fiat Money is covered by <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005GSYZRA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B005GSYZRA&linkCode=as2&tag=thecontfinain-21" id="static_txt_preview" target="_blank">Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis</a> by James Rickards, and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0718192141/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0718192141&linkCode=as2&tag=thecontfinain-21" id="static_txt_preview" target="_blank">Paper Promises: Money, Debt and the New World Order</a> by Phillip Coggan. There is also a good video to watch by Warren Buffet highlights how <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DvuyvuHmJI" target="_blank">countries get into trouble in the first place</a>. 
 
See the video series <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyV0OfU3-FU" target="_blank">Hidden Secrets of Money</a> by Mike Maloney 
 
Tribes opinion - it is so easy to transact in paper money and in the governments interest to keep them in place we will always keep some in our portfolio. 
 
Electronic Currencies - How Many? 
 
We now have alternative currencies such as Bitcoin and Litecoin hitting the news wires for their massive gain in relative value to reference currencies such as the US dollar. 
 
Firstly there are many people in favour to the inbuilt scarcity of the digital coins. Secondly they are not issued by any government and they are scattered globally that make them uniquely difficult to manipulate. 
 
One thing that is a red flag to THE.ConTENdER is what stops an unlimited amount of new versions of electronic currencies being created? 
 
Will the herd just jump from e-currency to e-currency chasing gains - see a list of them <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptocurrencies" target="_blank">here (10 listed)</a>? THE.CoNTeNDeR thinks this is highly likely until the number of e-currency options goes to infinity or faith in them is destroyed. Their value will go the same way as fiat currencies trending towards their intrinsic production value of close to zero. 
 
What may save them is if the herd all commit to ONE e-currency. 
 
One thing preventing this e-currency utopia is ... human nature. We are opportunistic and after an easy meal / fast buck. Our prehistoric past moulded us that way. When we were being chased by sabre toothed tigers whilst eeking out an existence coming across a free lunch in the form of a dead Mammoth. 
 
Will everyone commit to one e-currency? I would like to think it could happen but who can tame  human nature. Will we have to live in a dystopian future where we all take the happy pill to keep us controlled? 
 
Zero hedge recently <a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-27/presenting-bitkillers-these-are-richest-holders-bitcoin" target="_blank">reported that 100 people hold 20% </a>of the bitcoin currency - a new type of Ponzi scheme in the making? Create a new e-currency holding a large percentage of the issue then cash in and move on as the perceived value burns. Who is left holding the proverbial handbag - the new entrants - good luck or what a good SUCKER!- THE.FuTuRe would be impressed! 
 
See this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_hBhymFfm8" target="_blank">utube documentary on bitcoin</a> 
 
Tribes opinion - Speculative and almost impossible to value - mine some coins by all means* but only purchase if you have some spare gambling money :) 
 
* THE.CoNTeNDeR has had a go at mining. The setup is a pain, it is geeky, based on lots of technical know how. To mine alot of coins and to really exceed requires specialise mining rigs - a currency for the people - you must be joking! 
 
Next up commodities

Maintaining Wealth I - Bitcoins and Real Estate

THE.FuTuRE : "Contender you wuss, what is all this talk about income, growth and protection investments. I will take it all from you ...

Fighting Fear - Part 2

Contender 0 Black Swan, community, Critical Thinking, fear, financial independence, Freedom, health, stress, survival 14:51

<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKPOoFuA0i0/UlZxUHcDxZI/AAAAAAAAC54/sHCc0aieD6M/s1600/FeaR.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKPOoFuA0i0/UlZxUHcDxZI/AAAAAAAAC54/sHCc0aieD6M/s1600/FeaR.jpg"></a>THE.PasT: "FeaR! I gave THE.CoNTeNDeR a few cure balls in THE.PasT for you. I told him what to do and where to do it. Since then he has gone off the rails a bit. He is not with the system. His choice to stop working - how dare he!  
 
He needs a bit of re-educating don't you think? I need to re-introduce him to THE.FuTuRe. He has lots of ideas on how to mess things up, surprise and misdirect this misfit. 
 
<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
THE.FeaR: "He sure can't cross THE.FuTuRe. It is about time THE.CoNTeNDeR realised this and feels THE.FeaR. He needs reminding of what is on the road in front of him. I will rough him up a bit, I like doing that, I am just the man for the job! "</div>
 
 
<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This is the follow up post post to<a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.fr/2013/10/feeling-fear-part-1.html"> Feeling Fear - Part 1</a> which covered FeaR's rampage in THE.CoNTeNDeRs past. Now it is is all about THE.CoNTeNDeRS top 3 FEAR's in THE.FuTuRe and 
what the TRiBe is doing about them on our road to financial independence
 and hopefully a contented life.</div>
 
<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Fear 1 - fear of lack of purpose 
 
What is the point in gaining very early retirement? Just look at Jacob from ERE (Early Retirement Extreme) he went back to work for a challenge, not because he needed the money. Our TRiBE want to be useful to society not just sit in the sun in the French countryside - how sad. 
 
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41z1VU67aAL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_SX385_SY500_CR,0,0,385,500_SH20_OU02_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41z1VU67aAL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_SX385_SY500_CR,0,0,385,500_SH20_OU02_.jpg" width="153"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Praise-Slow-Worldwide-Movement-Challenging/dp/0752864149/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381995073&sr=1-1&keywords=in+praise+of+slow" target="_blank">Go Slow</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First off sometimes some idleness /
a sabbatical / being bored / having time for reflection and to think is a REALLY GOOD THING. 
 
We are still de-toxing from the city, its noise, bright lights, pollution and overall speed of everyday life. Time is a great healer and in the last four weeks we needed the time to slow down. </div>
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We only used to get 5 weeks
holiday a year. Typically this would be split into one two week
holiday preferably abroad followed by two one week holidays somewhere in
the UK. Our spare five days were taken as odd days off. NONE of these
holidays was long enough to completely recuperate / switch off / relax. Is that the point on only allowing five weeks holiday a year? 
 
What really speaks volumes is that in the UK if you are ill whilst on holiday you can
actually claim the time back from work. Perhaps it has become so common
for people to get ill in the first week off as the body
tries to let down the stress defences the government had to do do something about it?</div>
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In the CoNTeNDeRs opinion we
should all have the ability to have 3 months + off each and every
year. Time to reflect, think, re-charge our batteries and de-stress ourselves. 
 
Will this ever be allowed - all that time to actually think deeply about want is going on around us. It is 
well documented how the mainstream media and education system is dumbing
 us down. Forbid us free time to think and read as adults in case we don't get with the system right? Would literacy 
rates jump and the system change because the public at large would demand it? 
 
Fortunately for the TRiBe we have time no what are we going to do with it.  Here are some current activities: 
<ul>
<li>Thinking and reading time is still be very important for us</li>
<li>This blog and the tools associated with it can be very time consuming and very enjoyable. </li>
<li>The children are getting lots of attention. We are able to be idle outside walking and playing with them in the garden, fields, hedgerows and local play dates and groups.</li>
<li>We are making lots of new friends. Such a diverse group all working hard to get ahead in their own little ways. The number of people with practical skills around us has multiplied ten fold. although they have similar problems with making ends meet they seem un-stressed and have time to talk. Going slow.</li>
<li>We are looking for somewhere to call home. Something ours to do with as we wish. We are finding that the housing market here is expensive as the area is highly desirable due to the local picturesque town and its facilities. </li>
</ul>
FeaR: "Ah but CoNTeNDeR you will soon be bored! What a waste of your training, your conditioning, you are a corporate greyhound - fast, nimble and loyal. Don't waste it! If you stay out of the workforce too long and you will be toast. Won't it be a shame R.I.P CoNTeNDeR that guy who really didn't do much." 
 
CoNTeNDeR: "What a lack of imagination old bloke! Yes we have skills to be put to use but on other pursuits. Corporate skills are transferable don't you know. Look at this blog would it ever have existed if it it was not for my work?"  
 
So should this FeaR - a lack of purpose put us off? We have been given the gift of time to find our real passion, our contribution to society, we must not waste it. It may take some time to land on our feet but we believe it will happen. 
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"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little - death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." - Frank Herbert</div>
</blockquote>
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THE.FeaR wins this round with a clip around the ear - what are you doing CoNTeNDeR  
FeaR 1 TRiBe 0 </div>
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Fear 2 - fear of lack of income / high inflation destroying our savings </div>
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“The outcome (of all of this) will be more
 debt, more printed money, and more misery for the masses.  Remember 
that US debt was $10 trillion in 2008 when the crisis began and now it’s
 $17 trillion.  And the Fed’s balance sheet was $900 billion in 2008 -- 
it’s now at $3.6 trillion....On top of that, 
personal credit (in the form of) car loans and student loans is growing 
exponentially.  Every year now the US debt is going up by at least $1 
trillion.  In addition to that the Fed is expanding its balance sheet by
 another $1 trillion each year.  This means that the US government is 
currently printing $2 trillion per year. " - <a href="http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/KWN_DailyWeb/Entries/2013/10/9_Governments_Will_Start_Panicking_As_Chaos_%26_Crisis_Accelerates.html" target="_blank">Egon von Greyerz - KWN Oct 2013</a> 
 
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://atomictoasters.com/wp-content/gallery/random-information/1trillion.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://atomictoasters.com/wp-content/gallery/random-information/1trillion.png" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://atomictoasters.com/2012/04/trillion/" target="_blank">AtomicToasters</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Incredible debt numbers are being talked about almost daily. Whether it be company, personal or government the numbers are hard to comprehend as the above graphic tries to portray. 
 
What is debt? Just paper promises, electrons on a computer. The problem is that governments and central banks are very good at creating it (currency) and paying for it by typing some numbers into a computer. The result is more inflation in everyday goods. Here is a video on the process from Mike Maloney: 
 
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In the past money used to be tied to a hard asset such as a tradeable commodity. What we do know is that paper money has been <a href="http://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/hanke-krus-hyperinflation-table-may-2013.pdf" target="_blank">destroyed several times in the past</a> due to the abuse of the ruling class. 
 
In the current era debt has generally been serviced and living standards have risen but <a href="http://srsroccoreport.com/guest-post-bad-advice-why-the-future-will-be-like-the-past/guest-post-bad-advice-why-the-future-will-be-like-the-past/" target="_blank">what if THE.FuTuRe is not like THE.PAST</a> what if the can cannot be kicked any further any longer? What may hold its real value in THE.FuTuRe? 
</div>

Fighting Fear - Part 2

THE.PasT : " FeaR ! I gave THE.CoNTeNDeR a few cure balls in THE.PasT for you. I told him what to do and where to do it. Since then h...

Feeling Fear - Part 1

Contender 0 Black Swan, community, Critical Thinking, fear, financial independence, Freedom, health, stress, survival 08:16

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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKPOoFuA0i0/UlZxUHcDxZI/AAAAAAAAC54/sHCc0aieD6M/s1600/FeaR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKPOoFuA0i0/UlZxUHcDxZI/AAAAAAAAC54/sHCc0aieD6M/s200/FeaR.jpg" width="183"></a></div>
THE.FuTuRe: "Hey
FeaR! Get over here we need to talk. Contender
is getting ahead of himself he needs to feel THE.FeaR! Spar with him
for a few rounds – probe his weaknesses. Get under his skin and
into his psyche"
 
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THE.FeaR: "Anything
for an old buddy of mine. Doubt – I'm your guy, Hesitation – got
it covered, Hope – destroyed, Confidence – history bring it on!"</div>
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In this post we are going to have a look at how FeaR has impacted THE.CoNTeNDeR in THE.PAST, what has been done about him and what he has learnt.   
 
As for THE.FuTuRe? What are the top 3 FeaR's the TRiBe has for financial independence and  downshifting and hopefully leading a contented life and what are we doing about them now - all to come in part two. 
<ol>
</ol>
<ol>
</ol>
THE.CoNTeNDeR's Introduction to FeaR</div>
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I penned a post in April called <a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.fr/2013/04/10-happiness-guidelines.html">10 Happiness Guidelines</a> in the post I covered the premise of learn from THE.PaST enjoying
THE.NOW but planning for THE.FuTuRe. All three have been followed by THE.FeaR starting at a young age.</div>
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Being Welsh I come from a
Protestant work ethic background. You must sow the seeds of success today (advertised as hard work
until 65...) and then you can reap the rewards (retirement / scrap heap) in the future. Make sure you save enough though and to get a state pension you must work for at least 25 years. 
 
In the
west we have given ample bread (government funded backstops) and circuses
(TV and media) to keep
us happy, entertained, docile, conformist and obedient. </div>
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All is sweet as long as we go with the system right? Don't think about any real world problems out there work hard for your pension and watch TV! 
 
Was this FeaR talking? Work hard or else. Shut up learn to get with the system. We have everything in hand. So CoNTeDeR got on with the system and buckled down for the long haul...OR ELSE! </div>
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Feeling THE.FeaR - not so nice </div>
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THE.CoNTeNDeR is a little older and a tiny bit wiser and now realises that one cannot live in FeaR of
THE.FuTuRe. He will always be there. 
 
In the past THE.CoNTeNDeR hunkered down and let FeaR into his life. Mainly driven by too much News and Newspapers! This had some very bad consequences physical stress and mentally holding CoNTeNDeR back :</div>
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Stress - FeaR's were allowed to sit there festering. In particular - 'I must buy a house or I will be left behind, I must work really hard or I will never get a promotion, I must look good and buy designer labels or I will never find a wife'. 
 
This a nagging voice in the background contributed to unhappiness that was being remedied by a high consumption lifestyle of partying and holidays. Admittedly this is not all bad...why was I dong it though. Everyone around me was as well. It must be normal. Keep with the system. Keep with the system. 
 
The partying kept me docile in a semi happy / drunken state preventing me from really getting on with life - fighting the FeaR's the main problem was work. 
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://filmnerds.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/superman3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://filmnerds.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/superman3.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://filmnerds.com/2012/01/13/the-great-scenes-clark-kent-vs-superman-from-superman-iii/" target="_blank">Click here for source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
 
Overwork, under appreciation, no rapid career progress caused insomnia, weight gain. THE.CoNTeNDeR was one of these people: 
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“There are thousands 
and thousands of people out there leading lives of quiet, screaming desperation, 
where they work long, hard hours at jobs they hate to enable them to buy things 
they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.”<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; display: inline !important; float: none; font: 12px/16px helvetica, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: -4px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0.3em 0px 0px; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: -4px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">— 
Nigel Marsh</blockquote>
 
The cure to this? Tackling the problem straight on. Accepting that the situation was my own doing. Knowing that I could do something about it. Building up the guts to do something about it. Working out a plan to get out of the wage slavery, be financially free, be different. 
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Please
 Read on for more impacts of feeling THE.FeaR in THE.PaST </div>
</div>

Feeling Fear - Part 1

THE.FuTuRe : "Hey FeaR ! Get over here we need to talk. Contender is getting ahead of himself he needs to feel THE.FeaR! Spar with hi...

Do the Right Thing

Contender 4 Blog, Conformity, Critical Thinking, downshifting, Early Retirement, early-retirement, financial freedom, financial independence, Inflation, Investing, Life, Mid Life Crisis, Naive 23:17

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wikimedia.com</td></tr>
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Is the Pursuit of Financial Independence Doing the Right Thing? 
 
THE PaST: "Go to school then study a degree that makes a difference to the world" 
 
THE.PReSeNT: "Go to school and study a degree to make you rich, all that touchy feely stuff won't pay, get a corporate job, go work in finance" 
 
THE.FUTURE: "sell your soul to me Muuugh Ha Ha Ha - OK a bit carried away just get into debt up to your eyeballs. I love a good debt slave, mine all mine." 
 
Has the world become more individualistic and materialistic? If you are not part of the system are you weird? Come on get with it, work hard, climb the ladder and load up on debt until you drop. 
 
Is this really the pursuit of happiness - stuff and job status or just a marketeers dream of control over the masses? 
 
Is getting with the system the way to go? if so why the F**** does this blog "chase" financial freedom?  
 
Why isn't THE.CoNtENDeR blogging about working, making a difference in BIG business?  
 
Perhaps the CoNTEnDER has got it all wrong. Perhaps he needs a good look at himself and get (back) with the system? 
 
Known, Know, NO's 
 
<div style="text-align: center;">
Let's start off with a few challenges THE.CONtENDER believes exist in the world, have shaped some of the thinking in this blog and yet we do very little about:</div>
 
We know burning fossil fuels is not 100% good. Particulate pollution and rising gases in the atmosphere come with some known and unknown consequences. On the other hand we have realised  the BIGGEST improvement in living standards mankind has ever seen. Life expectancies have increased dramatically. 
 
The group think it is now "normal" to burn fossil fuels, we are unsure of the consequences but are enjoying the ride while it lasts. 
 
We know that we live on a planet of finite resources but we still continue to consume them at increasingly faster rates. They will deplete - what do we do then? 
 
Someone will have to go without in THE.FUTuRE - be rich and buy our way out of it! 
 
We know work is good for us but too much work can be bad. We know that some stress (eustress) helps us fulfil our potential. At the same time a eustress 9-5 job is now becoming a stressed 8-9 job. 
 
Work adds meaning to life and stress is good for you as well as having money to exchange for some material comforts. You will have a career to look back on. You will have achieved something special in life - just make sure you are able to get the right job that pays well, letting you get ahead in life. 
 
We know that debt is bad so why do it? We know saving is good but the majority thinks saving 3-4% of their take home pay is very very good.  Invest it? Who are you kidding you cannot beat the professionals on Wall Street - pay them big fees to loose your money instead. 
 
Why save when we have a state and work pension. Inflation will erode the value of any debt we take on and our house will go up in price. My pay goes up over time so I will be able to pay for inflating goods and housing. I am told I need lots of shiny gadgets and lots of designer clothes. I need to be on the work bandwagon to afford it all. 
 
We know money doesn't grow on trees - it is made from them! On top of that more recently it is actually typed into existence on a computer - not the one I am typing on I am sad to say. Can fiat money really be a store of wealth when it can be created out of fresh air so easily? Go figure. 
 
The government is in control of inflation. Inflation = good and Deflation = bad because they say so. Just accept that it is good that your cash savings loose value each year and you have to pay more for goods and services. It is all OK as Inflation = good. 
 
The family structure is challenged by he reduced amount of time at home. On the flip side it has more money to spend than ever. 
 
The government is providing lots of tax incentives to help pay for child care at a creche. I need to be in work to accrue the state pension entitlement. Instead of the parent staying at home messing up their career their child can be happy with lots of other kids.

Do the Right Thing

wikimedia.com Is the Pursuit of Financial Independence Doing the Right Thing? THE PaST : "Go to school then study a degree that ...

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...

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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<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. ...

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>
 
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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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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. 
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<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...

Risk Versus Reward

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

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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: 
 
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 <a href="http://jlcollinsnh.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">jlcollinsnh</a> </div>
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<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> 
 
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<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>
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(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...

Four Key Planning Rules

Contender 0 Compound Interest, Critical Thinking, Planning, Risk, Rules, Saving 21:44

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Pulling himself off the floor and onto the ropes - Learning to fight back</h2>
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THE.CONTENDER has always had a go at work and life challenges and took some knocks along the way. THE.CONTENDER never liked failure and generally took failure to heart (still the case). Perhaps that was because THE.CONTENDER was never really taught that failure was actually a really good thing. Learning from mistakes is a gift and structured feedback is invaluable (but don't repeat the mistake again!). 
 
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THE.CONTENDER has learned a some very important lessons and skills from my failure in work that are invaluable in my personal life. </div>
 
Interestingly, in my corporate career, having a go was not really encouraged. Generally it was do as your are told and cover your back. THE.CONTENDER found that having a go in work came at a cost to my career. Steady as she goes and take you time to set expectations. Expectations were everything. 
 
THE.CONTENDER may have been late on a few projects but why the demonisation of the late delivery? The new process THE.CONTENDER had devised off his own back was saving significant time and money. It was all politics, egos and control tactics. As a result the majority of people kept their heads down and just wanted to go home each day. Is this true in other workplaces? 
 
Failure at a young age should be embraced and encouraged. With extra coaching expectations can be managed while problem solving and common sense nurtured. THE.CONTENDER's mistakes in the work environment could have been "learnt" earlier. Here are some of them: 
 
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<li>Keep it simple stupid -  being well educated I expected other people to be able to understand complex issues as well.</li>
<li>Setting expectations and planning ahead - being over optimistic can cause problems come up with a plan make sure it is realistic (criticize it) make sure if it is going wrong you are open and address the issues early.</li>
<li>Falling for the latest gimmick - this can being sold some thing you don't need at great cost and time to making bad choices (where to live, choice of job, latest investment mania)</li>
<li>Is there another way to get this done faster what are the risks if we go down this route and how do we manage them?</li>
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This blog is my attempt to take some of the "work" tools and skills and adapt them to life in general. Here are the 4 core principles of this blog which may well expand with time. 
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Four Key Planning Rules

Pulling himself off the floor and onto the ropes - Learning to fight back THE.CONTENDER has always had a go at work and life ...

Awakening

Contender 0 Critical Thinking, Freedom, Happiness, Naive 13:46

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Round 3 - He hits the deck and is
seeing stars - the power of the world wide web</div>
 
Looking for Financial Freedom and Life Skills on the World Wide Web? Where to start? The internet is a  wonderful freedom tool but you can easily be affected by information overload! How do you quickly find the right websites \ blogs where ideas are expressed without censorship and hidden agendas so you can take informed action (Otherwise the website is just for fun and entertainment;). 
 
THE.CONTENDER has come across a large number of very clever people provide this concise, relevant information on key life topics for free. This took a lot of research and actually cost me some money: 
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<li>THE.CONTENDER was drawn into one paid news letter on penny stocks. BIG mistake. We lost at least £10K on its recommendations. </li>
<li>Whilst browsing THE.CONTENDER inevitably saw all of the glitzy consumer goods and fell for temptation on numerous occasions.</li>
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THE.CONTENDER would like to point out a few of the blogs listed on the left hand side of the screen as a starting point in my humble opinion. 
Due to the vast amount of information, what do you need to know, how do you find it and is it unbiased? Often knowing what to look for is the hardest part. Maybe this site has intrigued you about early retirement. Now it is easy to run a Google search to get all the information you would ever need. About 10,900,000 results according to Google on early retirement!!!! 
 
How can this vast amount of information be filtered and condensed into a usable format? This is critical in today's world where people are bombarded with "information" - surfing the web implies browsing, in one ear out the other and generally a lot of advertising. The web can actually be a distraction tool where you can just loose 
yourself like a soap or a good film. In order to find out what you are looking for how do you slow down, absorb the information and pick the best bits? Lets have a go at defining what to look for: 
 
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What is worthwhile investigating for a happiness goal?</h3>
 
Trying not to be distracted in life is an endless task due to the bombardment of advertising and other types of media on every street corner. So unless you live in a box and stay there, how do you know what information or good is of use and what is not? 
 
Sometimes it is worthwhile standing back and pausing for a while. What do we really need to live happy? Is happiness in life, a gadget, exotic holiday, big house..... I am advertised these items daily as something that will give me happiness. 
 
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I have been to Africa a few times and the people there are smiling, chatting, cooking, playing, singing and dancing. I recently took part in some charity work in a rural part of Africa and their idea of happiness I would argue is very different that the average westerner. School followed by games a good meal and singing is an amazing sight. Their community happiness is truly evident. Yes they could do with better healthcare other than that would excessive material things in life (a huge wardrobe of clothes for example) really make them happier? 
 
<h3>

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs</h3>
 
I came across a review of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs" target="_blank">Maslow's Hierarchy</a> of needs presented by Chris Duane* of the u tube channel <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x_qPPTRR80&feature=BFa&list=PLD31E34390C5017E8" target="_blank">The Greatest Truth Never Told</a>. I used this to really place the needs of life in perspective: 
 
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Awakening

Round 3 - He hits the deck and is seeing stars - the power of the world wide web Looking for Financial Freedom and Life Skills on the W...

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)

FISH | Financial Independence Seeking Happiness