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Welcome to another edition of #AusFIWeekly. It’s Michelle here from FrugalityandFreedom.com, bringing you this regular selection of great financial independence links, news, and events from Australia and beyond.
Got some news or a milestone to share on your FI journey in Australia? Share your January highlights via this survey to be featured in an end-of-month post!
I’m taking it easy this week, having just returned to Auckland after a fun weekend mini-break in Christchurch. If you’d like to follow along, I share New Zealand travel updates, frugal tips and regular silliness on Instagram and Facebook. Looking forward to connecting with you!
Recent activity for FrugalityandFreedom.com:
- NEW POST: Check out this roundup of annual reviews and spending reports as Australian FI Bloggers Say Goodbye to 2019
- GUEST POST: I enjoyed being interviewed recently for Semiretire Plan’s blog, resulting in this Thrifty Travel Semi-Retirement – Sitting Poolside with Michelle from Frugality and Freedom
- POPULAR POST: I cashed in some serious AUD$ rewards last week from my favourite side hustle app. Read more about it at Job Spotter app review: Earn money taking photos of “help wanted” signs
Australian Links
The shockingly complex math behind early retirement – Aussie HIFIRE
“This is an extremely simple and appealing idea for everyone right? You come up with 3 figures and badda bing badda boom, you get to find out that you can retire in 9.513 years or whatever your magic number is… Unfortunately however life is not so simple and is instead pretty complex.”
Best Ethical ETF in Australia for 2020 – The ETF Bloke
“Maybe you have been inspired by the words of Greta Thunberg. Or perhaps you’re quite sympathetic to the cries of the Extinction Rebellion protestors. Or maybe you just have a conscience! Whatever the reason, you are looking to invest in companies that go that one step further than just printing money no matter the costs.”
Two years into early(ish) retirement – Interview – Burning Desire for FIRE
“So many of us in this space are still working our way towards the time when we can strap on our socks and sandals and skip off towards the sunset, so it gives me great motivation to hear from people who have reached the goal and can let us know what it’s like to live the dream. Today I have a post from my best friend Blogless Sandy. She and her husband retired a couple of years ago, long enough to settle into it, so I thought it’d be interesting to hear her perspective on this whole retirement thing.”
What retirees say they would have done differently – Super Guide
“You need to be careful fees and expenses don’t eat away at your nest egg. Some funds outperform others and looking after your retirement savings isn’t something you should just set and forget. If I had my time again, I would put more money away sooner and invest less in things we didn’t really need.”
Australian Events
Adelaide: Keepin’ It Frugal – Potluck Lunch & FIRE Chats – Sat 1 Feb 12pm, Largs Bay
Brisbane: Mustachians Australia – South Brisbane’s First MMM Meetup of 2020 – Sun 2 Feb 1pm, Holland Park
Melbourne: Kickstart your 2020 Financial Goals @ GA Assembly – Wed 29 Jan 6pm, CBD
Melbourne: FI Meetup Melbourne – Melbourne FI Weekend Meetup! – Sun 2 Feb 2pm, Royal Botanic Gardens
Perth: Choose FI Perth – February 2020 Meetup – Sun 2 Feb 11am, Kings Park
Sydney: Mr Money Mustache Sydney Tribe – Sydney Mustachian Meetup – Sat 1 Feb 12.30pm, Neutral Bay
International Links
How Living Abroad Helps You Develop a Clearer Sense of Self – HBR (US)
“Social science studies have shown that international experiences can enhance creativity, reduce intergroup bias, and promote career success.”
How We Took a 6-Month Hawaii Honeymoon for $0 – Trip of a Lifestyle (US)
“That’s when we had a bit of an unusual idea for our honeymoon: What if we quit our jobs and bought one-way tickets to Hawaii? In the summer of 2015, that’s exactly what we did. Six months later, we came back home with a lifetime’s worth of experiences…and about the same amount of money we started out with — we didn’t end up depleting our savings at all.”
Financial Independence Let Me Walk Away From Harassment at Work – Financial Mechanic (US)
“The signs were all there. I was being pushed out because I had the audacity to complain about being harassed… This situation illustrated the power of financial independence, and now I want to shout it from the rooftops: financial independence gives you the power to fight back.”
Short On Time? 7 Ways To Create More Time Before Financial Independence – Reverse The Crush (Canada)
“Recently I worked a 4 day stretch in a row which left me feeling exhausted. I realize it was only 4 days, but it seemed like a never-ending cycle of waking up, bathing, force feeding, commuting, working, eating, then going back to sleep. Even the downtime is work in the form of preparation for work. Being short on time is one of the main reasons I am pursuing financial independence.”
Hope you enjoyed this week’s links. Don’t forget to fill in this survey with your FI highlights this month to be featured in the January roundup post.
Do you fancy yourself as a guest curator? Got some other Australian events or favourite blogs to include? Get in touch.
Yours in pursuit of FI,
Michelle @ Frugality and Freedom
PS. Subscribe to get Australian FI Weekly in your inbox each Monday.
5 comments
Love how the retirees’ advice matches good habits — focus on cash not just assets, compound interest is powerful, take care of emotions. love the story of 2.5 years into retirement — hearing how people stay active and love where they are is always inspiring. Thanks for sharing the variety of topics!
Thanks for the comment, Caroline. Glad you liked reading these picks and got value from them.
I enjoyed hearing you on the Joney Talks podcast recently, by the way.
Thanks for listening to the podcast — I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Michelle, thanks again for putting this together and for the shout out! There are some great articles indeed that are offering some unique perspectives. It’s cool that you share local and international links. Look forward to more roundups in the future. Keep up the great work! 🙂
Thanks, RTC! I enjoyed that article of yours. There are many ways to build more freedom into your life en route to FI. There isn’t only one way to do it. Semi-retirement has worked for me so far, now transitioning from seasonal full-time work to part-time remote freelancing. Great to read your roundup of other ways to do it.