Last week, I shared how you can tap into Morningstar’s investment research database to unearth investment ideas for free. In this post, I’ll show you how I use Morningstar to quickly check a company’s financial numbers before spending hours researching a company. And definitely before buying a stock. Because finding a company with an economic moat and a great CEO is only part of the equation. Eventually, the numbers have to prove the company isn’t all hype. Learning how to re

Let’s return to the topic of stock investing, shall we? We previously covered how to uncover great companies by identifying those with economic moats and fantastic leaders. Many of these companies are behind the products and services you love. But finding these companies can feel overwhelming, especially if you're a beginner investor. When I first started researching stocks, I had absolutely no idea where to begin. Sometimes I would randomly come across ticker symbols online

After putting together our FIRE plan in 2009, my wife and I adopted several frugal habits—not because we enjoyed deprivation, but because we wanted to spend more intentionally. Those habits helped us reach financial independence in 2019 and eventually retire early in 2025. What surprised me is that even after FIRE, we never stopped doing them. Some habits stick around long after reaching FIRE. Sure, we occasionally splurge on business-class airplane seats or a ridiculously ex

Last week, I shared what our first year of early retirement looked like financially. Going from a paycheck and employer-subsidized health insurance to being fully self-sufficient was a big shift. At the six-month mark, I wrote about some of the early adjustments and surprises we were already experiencing. But money is only one part of the equation. Leaving my job also meant losing structure, schedules, social connections, purpose, and identity. This post is about what the ear