March was a pretty crazy month.
The US stock market has hit unprecedented levels of volatility after the outbreak of COVID-19 went global. Making matters worse, an oil price war broke out.
I’ve never experienced anything like this in my 10 years of investing. Even Warren Buffett recently remarked that he’s never seen anything like it – and he’s been at it much longer than any of us. It’s a black swan event at global scale.
The market value of the FIRE Fund has dropped significantly as a result of all of this.
Of course, as I’ve written about hundreds of times now, it’s the passive dividend income that the Fund generates on my behalf that matters most. It’s the wellspring from which my financial freedom flows.
Well, that passive dividend income has been insignificantly impacted thus far.
March represents the largest single month of passive income I’ve ever recorded. I also notched my largest ever positive delta between passive income and expenses in a month. It’s during turbulent times like these that it’s particularly nice to be a dividend growth investor.
The US dollar has also considerably strengthened against the Thai baht. In terms of my local purchasing power, I’m probably ahead thus far in the crisis. Plus, there’s the fact that I’m spending much less as a result of the lockdown, further reducing stress on my cash flow.
We’ll have to see how things play out, though. Many companies, even those that are high quality, are struggling right now. No business is built for zero (or near-zero) revenue. I’m optimistic about the long term, however.
March was certainly extraordinary in the markets.
But March was even more extraordinary for personal reasons.
I celebrated the 10-year anniversary since starting the journey to FIRE (financial independence/retiring early). And I commemorated that anniversary by announcing that Oh and I are getting married. We’re happily settling down in Thailand for the foreseeable future.
Moreover, it’s now been nine years since I started writing about my journey to and through FIRE. My, how the time flies. I picked up the “virtual pen” and started blogging in March 2011, which was one of the best choices I’ve ever made.
Writing has been cathartic. It’s also held me accountable. Being so public with my choices – financial and otherwise – has kept me focused on the mission. I’ve also become much more deliberate and thoughtful. The last thing I’d want to do is make a very poor choice, write about it, and be embarrassed.
Mostly, though, I’m proud of the fact that the writing has inspired so many other people out there to set out for and achieve their own versions of FIRE. This makes me incredibly happy.
With these personal and professional milestones reached, I’ve been more reflective than usual.
And I realized that I’ve now achieved the life I endeavored to create back in March 2011.
I’ve attained financial independence, early retirement, physical fitness, emotional stability, and a great partnership with a wonderful woman. I have everything I’ve ever wanted, including love, health, and time. Life is good. And I’m grateful.
Nine years into writing about FIRE, I’ve published thousands of articles. I also put together two best-selling books along the way: The Dividend Mantra Way and 5 Steps To Retire In 5 Years.
Furthermore, much of the FIRE-related content I’ve published over the years is fairly evergreen. These articles are timeless in terms of the information and inspiration.
I’m honestly not sure there’s too much more I can say about FIRE. Much of the broader insight I can provide as it relates to achieving and enjoying FIRE has already been given.
One of the big reasons I started writing in the first place was because I wanted to show a journey from $0 to FIRE as it transpired in the real world. Many of the books I’d come across about and/or by successful and wealthy people were a recounting of what they’d done to get there. It seemed far more interesting, worthwhile, and relatable to show a middle-class Joe marching to FIRE in real-time with all of the challenges that came with that.
I wrote about what I thought would work. I said I was going to take actions. Then I took those actions and reported on the results. I ate my own cooking, proved out the strategy, and reaped the rewards of consistency, patience, and perseverance.
I’m now in fantastic physical, emotional, and financial condition. I openly shared the journey to and through FIRE over almost a decade of my life, all while sharing real-life financial updates. I’ve thrived since quitting my job six years ago. There’s nothing left for me to prove.
Thus, I think this is a great juncture to conclude the FIRE-related content.
The subtitle of this blog is: Save, Invest, Retire Early, Move Abroad.
I have, at various times throughout the last nine years, concentrated on different elements of that subtitle. The writing changed and grew as I changed and grew. Allowing the creativity to naturally flow kept things interesting for me and you readers.
The first year of my writing was dedicated quite a bit to frugality and saving, as I had to come up with capital to invest. Then the writing transitioned largely into investment content from 2012-2014 because I had to aggressively invest all of the savings. I then delved much more into tactical strategies to retire early around 2015. And I’ve spent the last two years heavily discussing geographic arbitrage and moving abroad after personally experiencing the benefits of living in Thailand.
I’m now going to circle back around and concentrate more on investing content moving forward.
I believe that’s an area where I can add the most value on a forward-looking basis. The content I produce in that arena is less evergreen and more time-sensitive in nature compared to FIRE topics.
After all, stocks are changing in price and value every day. Business is constantly evolving and growing. Every quarter reveals a different set of circumstances for a company. There’s M&A. Dividend increases. New products. Management changes. On and on it goes.
With this in mind, I plan to continue to helm the Undervalued Dividend Growth Stock of the Week series. This series highlights a high-quality dividend growth stock that appears to be undervalued at the time of publication. I perform a thorough analysis and valuation process, even including valuation opinions from professional equity analysts for additional weight and perspective. These articles go up every Sunday at Daily Trade Alert, and I share an excerpt here after they’re live.
I also have a weekly reader mailbag column that I head up for DTA and share on social media every Saturday.
Then there’s the quarterly updates on Warren Buffett’s investment moves. Those lengthy special reports (often in the range of 5,000 words) are exhausting and thrilling for me to put together.
In addition, I plan on regularly publishing works here at Mr. Free At 33 as the ideas strike. They could be broad investment themes, dividend-focused pieces, or even specific stock articles.
Of course, I’ll remain transparent in the interest of full disclosure and continue updating the FIRE Fund portfolio spreadsheet as I’ve been consistently doing since early 2011.
I’ll still be very productive for someone who’s been blogging for nine years. That’s ancient in the blogging world. And it’s thanks to you readers that I’m still at it all these years later.
This is the end of a chapter that I started writing in earnest many years ago. It’s the end of the beginning and on to a totally new chapter in life. New adventures and challenges await.
The candid shot I’m including with this article is my favorite picture of Oh and I. It was taken shortly after we first met. This moment perfectly encapsulates our relationship. We’re laughing most of the time we’re together.
This life I’m living now started off extremely rough for my first 30 years on this planet. It was not easy to get from a welfare childhood in Detroit to an early retirement abroad. But here I am. And how amazing it is. Every action I’ve taken has led me here. The journey to and through FIRE has culminated in enjoying an idyllic, fairy tale life in Thailand with a terrific partner.
It thus seems right to conclude this chapter in the way most fairy tales conclude.
…And they lived happily ever after.
Thank you for all of the support over the last nine years.
I hope you continue to enjoy the content, find inspiration, and take action toward achieving your dreams.
What do you think? Are you facing a new chapter in your life? Have you achieved FIRE? Living happily ever after?
Thanks for reading.
P.S. If you’d like to achieve financial freedom, check out some amazing resources I personally used on my way to becoming financially free at only 33!
Hi Jason,
Starting a family also means using your finances differently. You will surely gain a lot of new experiences that can be an interesting insperation for us readers.
I myself have not yet completed my dividend investing trip. But now a family. My perspective on finance has changed. Because I’m responsible for more people.
All the best Thomas
Tom,
We’re super excited to be family, but we’re not having kids. Just the two of us. And Oh’s great with her finances. Better than a lot of Americans I’ve run across.
Thanks for the support! 🙂
Best regards.
We learnt a lot from you over the last couple of years. There are so many of us started our freedom journey because of you. Your journey is very inspirational.
Thank you so much Jason & Wish you all the best for the new chapter of your life 🙂
Best Regards,
FJ,
Thank you very much!
I’ve done my best, and will continue to do my best, to inspire. 🙂
Cheers.
Hey Jason, Congratulations on your marriage and thanks for all the years of wonderful content! I have a question on the Undervalued Dividend Growth Stock articles: How many of the Champions, Contenders and Challengers do you usually evaluate before finding one that seems undervalued? Do you have some kind of screener set up to give you good candidates before you dig into them, or do you just randomly pick a company from the CCCs and start evaluating? Or do you just so aware of stocks in general that you always have some on your radar as being potentially undervalued? One more comment: the geographic arbitrage and Thai experience content is also really interesting -I hope you’ll occasionally give us more of that!
Take care,
andrew
Andrew,
Thank you very much. I think I’ve got over 2,000 articles under my belt now. More to come for sure, but at a reduced rate and with a more singular focus.
As for your question, it’s along the lines of that last possible answer. Being at this for 10 years and having over 100 stocks in my own portfolio, I usually have a pretty good idea of what’s going on. However, I do cross-reference every idea against M* and CFRA just to make sure the numbers fit. If I think a stock is undervalued, but they’ve got it fairly valued or overvalued, it’s usually not a good candidate. I prefer some kind of consensus to give the reader maximum value and perspective.
Best wishes.
Gogogogogogogo!
fv,
Been going. Will continue to go. 🙂
Cheers.
Congrats on your success. I quite enjoy reading your thoughts and insights.
Do you have any concern with Oil companies cutting/suspending their dividends during this oil pricing war?
Brian,
Thanks so much. It’s hard-fought success, but I owe much of it to the readers that supported me over the years. 🙂
As for the oil patch, it’s rough out there. I think the supermajors and larger, more high-quality companies stand to come out even better (by virtue of lesser companies going out of business, reducing competition) when all is said and done. It’s tough to say how long this will go on, but there’s that old saying about the cure for low oil prices being low oil prices. It’s simply not sustainable.
Best regards.
I feel like Ben Affleck’s character when he finally gets what he knew would eventually come… Good Will Hunting is no longer going to be going to his janitorial job because a bigger / badder / more expansive life is waiting for him on the west coast, and in the arms / heart of a woman who has shown him he is so much more than what he ever thought / dreamed was possible.
The best part of this story is that in the theater, when a movie ends, we no longer know what happens to the character that we develop a ‘relationship’ with, but in this case, we get update after update after update on the main characters life. I will take 2 tickets to that show any day.
Again, many congrats on so much more than just meeting Oh / settling down / evolving your writing endeavors. Anyone who is even remotely in touch with the journey of ones heart & soul knows that those things live on the surface, and you have chosen to take a really deep dive in life. I officially declare you Dr. Fieber, for I think you just got your PhD in life. L’Chaim!
Andrew,
Thanks so much, man. You’ve always been too kind to me. 🙂
It’s been a hell of a journey. The lowest lows and now the highest highs. I’m so grateful to be in this spot. Feels too good to be true at times. Even if I lost everything tomorrow, the last six years was worth the fight.
Fortunately, I think there’s more to come. The best is yet ahead for all of us. And I’m looking forward to all of those tomorrows. I’ve never been afraid of change, and it’s exciting to see the writing transition/focus in this manner. I just hope that I can continue to add value and inspire. As long as I’m helping others and making the world a better place in my own small way, I’m in the right place.
Best wishes.
So happy for your and Oh Jason, I hope you guys do live happily ever after…and on a more selfish note, I’m happy you’re not totally hanging up the digital pen as I enjoy your writing style and insights.
Congrats again!!
Sundeep
Sundeep,
Appreciate that!
Yeah, I’m very excited to put out the investment content. I’m honestly just as motivated as ever to work on projects and write. It’s simply a situation where I don’t want to repeat myself or be one of those bloggers writing just to keep up pageviews. I think I’ve covered FIRE about as well as I can over the last nine years, showing the journey from $0 to this dream life abroad.
Stay tuned for more. 🙂
Best regards.
Been a pleasure brotha, your FIRE journey is a hell of a rough outline for many. Now looking forward to the more nitty gritty nuts and Bolts posts. Cheers
Ron,
The pleasure has been all mine. 🙂
Looking forward to producing the more focused content moving forward. Investing remains a big passion of mine. Hope you enjoy what’s to come.
Cheers.
Jason, a very big thank you! I found your blog two years ago and I can honestly say that it has improved my life. Not just the financial stuff but also the deeper ideas that you share in your articles. You simply make the world a better place, and that’s something that we all should strive to do.
Best wishes, Ekorren
Ekorren,
Thank you. I really appreciate the kind words. Means the world to me. 🙂
I’ve only ever wished to inspire people with my journey and writing. If being so open has helped others out there and made the world a slightly better place, it’s all worth it for me.
It’s been an honor to be able to show the journey unfold over the last decade. And I hope the ongoing investment content continues to motivate and add value.
Best regards.
Hi Mr. Jason, always find value on your writings. Haven’t miss your undervalued recommendations every Sunday morning having my cup of Joe (yes fresh home brewed Starbucks coffee of course) for a long time. Your great ideas are always welcomed. Again, cheers and best wishes in your decision to get married with Oh. She looks like a great choice. Take care my friend and keep them coming!
Omar,
Appreciate the support and readership very much. The writing wouldn’t be worth very much if nobody read any of it.
A lot more to come. Stay tuned. 🙂
Best wishes.
Hi Jason.
Its been great to read your articles and watch your journey as we follow the FIRE path. Our plan is similar to yours in that we want to move to Asia once we retire and also had highlighted Chiang Mai as a great option, so finding a FIRE blogger who lived there already was great, and your blog has been an inspiration to us.
Its a sad feeling to know that things are changing but you need to write articles on what excites you. I was checking the date to see if it was April 1 already half way through though!
Hopefully you will keep us updated on whats happening with your life in Thailand even with the change in focus.
Good luck with everything.
Cheers, Adam & Ting
Adam,
Hey, that’s awesome. I hope you and Ting are able to make good on the plan. Sounds exciting. Chiang Mai is an awesome place to live. It’s not perfect, nor is anywhere else, but the value for money and overall quality of life are pretty exceptional. However, with the deteriorating immigration/visa situation, I think a lot of other places are more attractive for long-term living. Thailand is still really nice for a short-term stop.
Hope you enjoy the upcoming/ongoing content. I’ve always loved to write about FIRE. And I’m actually just as thrilled about writing as I’ve ever been. I simply think I’ve covered it all. On to the next chapter. 🙂
Cheers.
Phenomenal, and I’m glad to see that the journey continues, albeit in a different form. I remember the curiosity I had when you went from DM to MrFreeAt33, and when you went abroad, didn’t care for it, reflected on it and them MOVED abroad.
I’m glad to have been along for the ride for this long, and to have seen your journey follow that of the market – trending up (with small downward blips).
There are actually times I go back and look at your old DM posts for the memories. While I don’t share my journey publicly, your posts still trigger the memories of where I was at the time and how far I’ve come.
In a weird way, it’s like we’ve done this journey together. Uhh. THAT sounds a little fanboy creepy, but I assure you that I don’t intend it that way.
I suspect there are other people who has followed your journey while undertaking their own and might think similarly. At least I hope so, or I might be creepy! yikes.
Alas, it gives me joy to see you hit the milestones. Keep milestoning and we’ll keep cheering.
//RD
RD,
Really glad to hear that the content has had an impact on you. Means the world to me. Truly. I never in my wildest dreams thought anyone would read my stuff. I figured I’d put it out there, keep myself accountable, and hope that maybe it’d resonate with someone. The way it became what it became is a huge gift. I’m blessed and grateful. 🙂
I look back on it all with a smile. Every article and comment I’ve ever written means something to me. There’s a real person with genuine intentions behind it.
Knowing that so many others have taken on their own journeys and achieved amazing things is what I take great pride in. Inspiring others is my legacy. And I hope that I can continue to add to that legacy and inspire even more people with the investment content.
Best regards.
Hi robdiesel,
definitely not creepy! I feel the same! Searching for answers, searching for a “how to”, I discovered DM in 2015. Suddenly there it was, the “how to”! I read everything from start to finish, later found Jason in this new place and haven’t left since, feeling like having a tutor from afar while eagerly building my own Freedom Fund.
Hi Jason,
happy anniversaries! And a big “Thank you” for being so incredibly inspirational! Because in real time, on a month to month basis, we were able to see and feel your strong determination, starting from scratch, educating yourself, dealing with life’s blows and succeeding! You really are a role model, thanks for opening my eyes – and kicking my butt… 😉
Congratulations on your upcoming mariage! Whishing you both all the best! And hoping for more inspirational writing over the next nine years!
Cheers!
Debbie
Debbie,
Appreciate that. Thank you. The support has meant, and continues to mean, the world to me. 🙂
I did my best to climb the mountain and show the climb in real-time. Wasn’t perfect. But I’m very happy with how everything turned out. I’m blessed.
I still feel just as inspired and energetic as ever, but I’m not sure there’s too much more I can write about my journey to and through FIRE. So I just have to let things take me where they will and make sure I’m working on projects that are enjoyable and add value.
Best regards.
Lovely read Jason, I’m only just getting the chance to read it now. I love the idea of your next chapter and I thoroughly enjoyed all your writing on geographical arbitrage 🙂 I’m very excited.
I’m still in the accumulation stage so I’m always looking for great ideas – while I’m trying to save up more ammunition.
I wish you and Oh the very best of health, wealth & happiness.
P.S. you have really inspired me on this DGI path since I discovered your material around 2015. I continue to be inspired by all your material so keep up the great work and know that you have made a difference to AT LEAST ONE person’s life ha, ha 😉
Regan,
Thank you very much!
Making a difference is all I can ask for. If I’ve helped you in some way, then it’s all been worth it.
Much more to come, though. I’m as motivated as I’ve ever been to write. If I thought I could add a lot more insight on FIRE, I would have kept going. Alas, nine years and thousands of articles later means it’s time to hang it up on that subject and focus more on the ever-changing investment content. Hope you enjoy all that’s to come. 🙂
Cheers.
Congratulations. Best wishes to you and Oh.
It’s been a long tough journey for you. I’m glad things are going very well now. Nice job.
Joe,
Thank you. Very kind of you. 🙂
Definitely been a trip. But I wouldn’t have traded any of it for the world. Gotta know the lows to fully appreciate the highs. I’ve seen both. And I’m grateful for the life I have now.
Hope all is well in PDX!
Best regards.
Hi Jason,
I know these are crazy uncertain times right now but there is no doubt in my mind that the American economy will roar back eventually. With that being said, from 2008 to 2014 there was a 40 percent turnover in the dividend aristocrat family. There were 59 names in 2008 and then 23 less in 2014. Maybe you have written on this in the past but do you have a plan B should your dividend income become significantly impacted?
I know the odds are probably pretty low of that happening but was just curious if you’re like me where I always have a Plan B.
Sean,
Yeah, we’ll see. I’m highly optimistic over the long term, but I think the short term could be really bumpy. However, it’d have to be a lot bumpier than it’s been for me to be particularly concerned about anything relating to my own financial situation.
Just isolating passive income, it’d have to drop more than $3,000/year just to get back to where it was when I moved to Thailand. I felt comfortable coming here in 2017 with a lot less passive income. With my rent lower, more local experience, a Thai wife to help me in a pinch, and a strong dollar at my back, I’m certainly not concerned now. Then there’s the active income to fall back on, which is quite significant. I’m not having any trouble sleeping. And as I’ve written about extensively, I don’t think 100% FI is necessary anyway. I’m over 100%, but it wouldn’t bother me all that much to see it dip below that – especially if it’s on a temporary basis. I’ll continue to stay busy and make money for many years to come.
Cheers.
Dude you shouldnt have sold dividend mantra that site is really bad now. In any case congrats on your goal and marriage. Sounds like you are doing a-ok. Please be careful of dollar denominated dividends however, certainly the fed is going bonkers with money printing!!
dzogen,
It’s really unfortunate what happened with DM. A lot of people are still confused about what went down, even though I’ve openly discussed it ad nauseam. Oh, well. It’s been five years and I’ve moved on. But it’s sad. Could have been something amazing.
Appreciate the support. Life is great for me. I’m truly blessed and grateful. It’s honestly too good to be true sometimes. 🙂
Cheers.
I’ll be sorry to see you go, Jason. I followed you both at D.M. and here and enjoyed all the posts. Congrats, and I hope you enjoy the next phase!!
Entrepreneur,
Well, I’m not really going anywhere. Just shifting the focus and reducing the productivity a bit. I’m still here. Hope you stick around and enjoy the upcoming/ongoing content! 🙂
Best wishes.
Congratulations on your 10 years – what an incredible journey and I do love a happy ending, although it’s not really the end! Interested to read your analysis of stocks in the current climate.
weenie,
Thanks so much!
You’re absolutely right. It’s not the end. Just ending one chapter of life/writing and starting another. It’s change, which is something I’ve always embraced.
Hope you continue to stop by and enjoy the content. 🙂
Best regards.
Congrats! Does this mean she and her family get green cards? I think the Florida beaches are calling…..
Jeff,
Automatic green cards? Not in this world. That would be a lengthy and expensive process. But we’re happy in Thailand and have no plans to move anywhere at this point. 🙂
Cheers.
Hey Jason,
first time leaving a comment here. Just wanted to say thanks for all the great work about FIRE you did!
Over the last few years it’s been a great inspiration for me going on my own FIRE journey and gained me a lot of valuable ideas and perspectives about this topic and life in general.
Looking forward to reading your upcoming articles, stock insights and all of the other content you’re gonna put out!
Stay safe and most importantly healthy in these times. Keep doing the good stuff and living your best life!
Best wishes,
Chris
Chris,
Thanks for the kind words and support. It’s very much appreciated. Truly. 🙂
I’ve never been one to shy away from change. This is just the latest example of that. I think I’ve taken the FIRE writing as far as I could take it. It’s time to focus more time and energy elsewhere.
Hope you enjoy all that’s to come!
Best regards.
Congrats on everything! It’s been a pleasure watching you grow through the years. You’ve helped my life in so many more ways than DGI. My life decision making is based on a lot of your teachings…. what gives me more time not money, what is my perfect day, etc etc etc.
Are you going to be doing the fire fund updates with dividend increases? I understand giving up on some of the “monthly” consistent but man will I be sad to see the fire fund update go away. I love reading the increases.
Best of luck!
Rob,
Thanks so much. Really appreciate it! 🙂
It’s wonderful to hear that I’ve had a positive impact on you. That’s amazing. I’ve only ever aimed to help and inspire people. If I’ve succeeded at that in some small way, I feel great about the writing and message.
I don’t have any plans to do the updates on my personal finances anymore. They were framed around my own journey to and through FIRE. However, my friends over at DTA contacted me just a few days ago about potentially working on a YouTube channel together. If we go through with that, then I’ll probably put some of the updates out there again on a regular basis as a tool to continue helping and inspiring people. If we can’t make the YT channel work, then it’ll be the content I described above.
Best wishes.
Jason!!!! Congrats brother wow ten years and going strong. Proud of all your work.
The best test of an investment philosophy is when storms Arise. That fact that it has zero bearing on ur everyday life means you have a great method!!!
So proud and love reading ur blog don’t stop!
Blanco,
Thank you very much. Very kind of you! 🙂
I’m very fortunate. This COVID-19 lockdown stuff isn’t fun for any of us, but I hope we’re back to regular life again soon.
It’s been a hell of a ride over the last decade. I’m still excited to put more stuff out there and continue inspiring, so we’ll see what’s yet to come.
Cheers.