Steps to Financial Independence: Step 5

Steps to Financial Independence: Step 5

Over a year ago, I wrote the fourth article in this series. I have been avoiding the fifth step, because there have been lots of other articles to write and I wanted to experience what it felt like to pay off the house early. I haven't reached this point yet, but we have done a lot in over a year. We have paid down over $25,000 in principal on our house and we are working towards paying off our house early.

One Year into Our Mortgage: How's it Going?

One Year into Our Mortgage: How's it Going?

Last year, I was celebrating the fact that we were debt free in early August. By the middle of August, we had officially purchased a house and were once again in debt. I don't necessarily believe that everybody needs to take out a mortgage to buy a house, but it is the one debt that I accept. It can be okay to take out a mortgage, because a house is an investment. Now, this doesn't mean that you should go and put yourself into 30 years of debt. I am personally a fan of the 15-year mortgage, because I prefer to get debt out of my life as fast as possible. Due to this belief, my wife and I took out a 15-year mortgage and have been making extra principal payments.

The Importance of College Choice

The Importance of College Choice

I continue to hear that America has a student loan crisis. In all reality, it is a crisis. The student loan debt, in America, has now reached $1.3 trillion dollars, with millions of students in default or behind with payments. Some suggest that a way to relieve the student loan crisis is to make college free. Others believe that it would be best to spread the loan payments out over longer terms.