2024-04-17 17:44
Hindsight is 20/20, and as much as I like to share “wins” on this site, it is also my responsibility to share “losses” as well. I took out a HELOC (home equity… Read More
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Action Economics - Action Economics : Take Immedia Blog
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Action Economics: Concise information and action steps to drastically and immediately improve your financial life. Action Economics is a financial blog covering topics from budgets to taxes and retirement savings. Action Economics is written by John C, a median income earner with 4 kids working to achieve financial independence by age 45.
2024-04-03 10:03
If you haven’t saved much for retirement and are past 40, you aren’t alone. The median balance of 401K savings for people 35 to 44 is right around $24,000. It is best to start a… Read More
2024-03-03 09:03
We need to change the way we launch our kids into the world. The costs that are most associated with young people are the primary costs that have outpaced inflation and wages over the… Read More
2024-02-25 13:19
When it comes to retirement planning, the main litmus test that has been used since the late 1990s is called the 4% rule. This rule was based on a study done by 3 economists who looked at hi… Read More
2024-02-10 08:54
Mrs. C. and I own 10 rental properties, including a 6 unit building. 4 of the 6 units in that building are short term rentals while the rest of our properties are long term rentals.&nb&hell…Read More
2024-01-27 19:49
This past week Governor Gretchen Whitmer was in Benton Harbor talking about housing and further education. She is proposing for the State government to fully cover tuition for al… Read More
2024-01-19 21:42
I decided to have some fun with numbers here. I recently watched a Tiktok where this young doctor explained how she ended up with $600,000 of student loan debt. She broke it down with… Read More
2024-01-10 14:56
In July of 2023 my oldest son bought his first house. He had just turned 20 years old and had 2 years of work history at Walmart. This house is in our extended neighborhood, whic… Read More
2023-12-24 13:52
Mrs. C. and I reached Lean Financial Independence in mid 2020 at ages 34 and 38. Over the last 3 years we have increased our financial position substantially and are at full financial… Read More
2023-12-05 20:06
I bought my first home in 2006 when I was 20 years old. Mrs. C. and I started buying investment properties towards the end of 2018 in our local area and we currently own 10 investment… Read More
2023-11-01 09:04
10 years ago I started this blog. I was at the break table talking about Obamacare with a group of friends when one of them suggested I should do “this” for a living. … Read More
2023-09-12 20:03
5 years ago Mrs. C. and I owned 2 houses; our primary residence, and the house we previously lived in that we just couldn’t sell. In 2018 we had two drivers that came together to… Read More
2023-08-17 18:04
I recently wrote about how my oldest son bought a house 1 year out of high school. He was able to buy his home without a cosigner and without a down payment gift from his parents. &hell…Read More
2023-08-05 09:45
According to recent articles like this one and this one, $3 million is the number people feel they need to have for retirement. More than 7 in 10 investors stated they would need betwe… Read More
2023-07-24 16:24
Big news from the Feds: A Maximum of $35,000 in a 529 plan can now be converted to Roth IRAs by the account beneficiary as long as the account has existed for at least 15 years. … Read More
2023-07-14 20:43
First time home ownership is perhaps the largest financial struggle for most young people. It takes a lot of effort to save up for a down payment, maintain a decent credit rating, and… Read More
2023-07-07 09:20
Last month Mrs. C. and I went to look at a 5 unit building. This property had sat on the market for a month and recently had a price reduction. We decided to look at it, although at th… Read More
2023-06-25 06:42
The Section 8 program is the common term for the Hud Housing Choice Voucher program. Section 8 covers a large portion of a low income tenants rent, and the tenant pays a small income b… Read More
2023-06-11 21:03
In the last 5 years my wife and I have built a portfolio of 15 units across 10 properties. Our income from these properties is enough to completely replace all W2 income for us. … Read More
2023-06-05 18:54
Recently I’ve done a deep dive into the details of the Michigan Pension Plus 2 retirement plan for school employees in the state of Michigan. My oldest son recently needed to mak… Read More
2023-05-27 08:38
The BRRRR strategy in real estate investing stands for “Buy Rehab Rent Refinance Repeat” I’ve utilized this strategy as one of the major pillars of my small real esta… Read More
2023-05-14 12:18
At the end of quarter 1 of this year one of our major plans was to not buy any properties for the rest of the year. We have been non stop working on properties since March of last year… Read More
2023-04-22 19:33
As an “elder millennial” I grew up in the mid 90s and most all the kids I knew rode bikes. Between the ages of 6 and 12 we lived in the middle of nowhere and I typic… Read More
2023-04-11 18:10
My 14 year old has been wanting to get a real job for the last couple years. The amount of disposable income he would like to have just doesn’t match the cost of the things he wa… Read More
2023-03-20 07:56
American housing expenses are insane. I first wrote about this almost a decade ago back in 2014 when the median home sale price was $200,000 and the median interest rate was 4%. Today… Read More
2023-03-10 19:17
Last year I predicted Tom Brady would continue playing in the NFL…and he retired a week later. I was surprised to hear it of course, but much less surprised when Tom Brady annou… Read More
2023-02-16 13:05
I’m building an amazing arcade game room in the garage at our Airbnb apartment building! In March of 2022 we purchased a 6 unit apartment building. Currently 2 of the units… Read More
2023-01-07 13:39
Exhausted. This has been another year of tons of activity for us. I think I’m biting off more than I can chew and in 2023 I need to step back and say “No!” to more of… Read More
2022-12-20 10:42
It’s amazing how many people think real estate investing is super simple and stress free. Since Tiktok is an algorithm based on your interests I tend to get a lot of real estate… Read More
2022-11-28 23:22
In late February Mrs. C. and I closed on a 6 unit apartment building. This building had 1 2 bedroom unit, 2 1 bedroom units and 3 studios. This building had good bones and most o… Read More
2022-09-04 15:58
My favorite question to people is this: Would you take a 20% pay cut to have 20% of the year off? It’s a great question to see where someone’s priorities are, how they are… Read More
2022-08-19 19:48
This is the tightest housing market nationwide in decades. Supply is LOW. Everyone is complaining and you constantly hear about how the price of the average home is now unafforda… Read More
2022-07-30 18:12
My oldest son and my oldest nephew both just turned 19. They both entered the workforce in 2020/2021 and their experience has been vastly different from mine. The current labor market… Read More
2022-07-19 20:51
The worldwide population is falling and we are in for a major demographic collapse that will have far reaching consequences. Thinking about worldwide population requires long term thinking f… Read More
2022-07-04 08:27
Housing to purchase and to rent has increased dramatically over the last few years, and this is a major problem for the US. So what happened? How did housing become so expensive… Read More
2022-06-30 09:37
Some may question the sanity of a man who drives down to Universal Studios Florida with 4 children, his wife, and mother in law in the middle of the summer when heat and crowd levels are at… Read More
2022-06-18 18:11
My son graduated high school in June of this year and will be in a strong position to buy a house in our market within the next 12 months, despite the housing shortage and skyrocketing price… Read More
2022-06-07 06:47
I came across a Tiktok the other day about a guy who purchased a building that had an elderly male tenant who was paying $450/mo for a unit that should be rented out at $900/mo. The tenant h… Read More
2022-05-26 20:52
This is now the longest I have gone without posting an article since I started this blog, a full 2 months! This has been an incredibly busy year even by our standards. I wa… Read More
2022-03-27 10:09
We just closed on a 6 unit apartment building! For a while my wife and I have discussed getting into mutli-family properties and Airbnb properties, and this property can serve as both… Read More
2022-03-06 07:48
When Russia invaded Ukraine it took the world by surprise. Putin has a long history of showing his military strength, but rarely exercises it. Putin rolling tanks into Ukraine an… Read More
2022-02-13 12:25
The Number 1 rule of economics is that people respond to incentives. The problem is that short term incentives are MUCH clearer than long term incentives. I am challenging myself to st… Read More
2022-02-03 19:04
Over the past 2 months our family has started a small vending machine business! I love the idea of semi-passive income. This is the idea of businesses that require some work from the o… Read More
2022-01-22 14:00
Love him or hate him, Tom Brady has made his mark on the NFL. With 7 Super Bowl wins and virtually all the career high stats belonging to Brady he is of course among the top QBs of all… Read More
2022-01-12 12:26
What makes a semi-retired job great? There are a few factors. Primarily it should not last all year, because if it does, then you aren’t semi-retired. It should also… Read More
2022-01-11 13:49
I’ve been a big fan of Tesla for years. I first invested around $12,000 in Tesla between 2016 and 2017. Since that time there has been some dilution and I have also acquired more… Read More
2022-01-08 23:15
We are coming up on another pivotal election, and possibly I dare say a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. This may be the opening needed for 3rd party candidates to break thr… Read More
2022-01-08 14:51
2021 Wrap Up Every day I gotta ask myself am I doing enough? This year I think I hit 85%. In 2022 I’m gonna do more. I was frustrated with the real estate market this year… Read More
2022-01-08 10:42
We bought rental house number 7 at the tax auction back at the end of August. This house is a 4 bedroom 1.5 bath (the half bath is in the laundry room off the kitchen, Woo! main floor laundr… Read More
2022-01-07 17:30
Why I Turned Down a Six Figure Job Offer I turned down a six figure job recently that I was uniquely suited to be an excellent candidate for. Although no offer was officially given, I… Read More
2021-10-13 18:13
Whirlpool Corp, which is headquartered in Benton Township Michigan built an $85 million campus in Benton Harbor city back in 2013 to house over 1,000 employees. As part of this deal Whirlpoo… Read More
2021-09-20 18:59
Our politicians are at it again, trying to find any way they can to steal from the winners. A report came out recently detailing that Peter Theil has amassed a Roth IRA worth over $5 b… Read More
2021-09-04 10:12
I tell you what, I am glad I started selling on Amazon, the learning curve was steep, and honestly I probably only know 10% of what I should know, but I know enough to be functional!&n&hell…Read More
2021-08-22 23:21
Vanguard recently put out an article stating that those planning to retire early are putting themselves in a dangerous situation by applying the 4% rule, with an expected success for a 50 ye… Read More
2021-08-04 13:53
We ordered a pole barn in June of 2020 and it was finally constructed in December, however due to the Michigan winter we couldn’t get concrete until late March. A pole barn is gr… Read More
2021-07-21 21:04
We finished our 6th rental house! I’m so glad we got this one. This past year it has been next to impossible to buy a house. Houses for sale in my market have either been c… Read More
2021-07-09 15:21
If you want to build generational wealth, starting a Roth 401K for your children is a no brainer! I’ve written about employing your minor children in your business and open… Read More
2021-06-26 14:39
It’s not the strong who survive, its those who are most adaptable to change. There is a ton of ink being printed on “the labor shortage”. A common thread… Read More
2021-06-19 07:41
For the past 7 months we have been dabbling with an online Amazon FBA business. With school ending and my busy spring refueling outage season behind us now was the perfect time to hire… Read More
2021-06-07 20:57
Back in January I briefly thought about investing a few thousand dollars in Dogecoin as a flyer, just to see what would happen. Worst case scenario I lose $5,000, no big deal in the grand sc… Read More
2021-05-25 21:55
I watched a Tiktok video the other day that stated this phrase and I can’t agree more. “To be successful, take massive imperfect action!” @jamari_sprueil If you wait… Read More
2021-05-01 23:00
Our brains are hardwired to protect us from things that scare us. On an evolutionary level this fight of flight instinct exists to keep us from dying. In the modern world we have… Read More
2021-04-13 16:42
You can take action to make your child a millionaire, and it really isn’t that hard! It’s way easier to assist your child in getting to millionaire status than it is to get… Read More
2021-03-26 08:06
Last week at work I mentioned that I would consider buying a Tesla in a couple years because Elon Musk hinted that they would make a minivan in the future. A minivan is highly practical for… Read More
2021-03-13 10:03
Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the entity that owns the works of the late Dr. Seuss recently decided to pull 6 books from its publication. Most of these titles have been in publication for over 50 y… Read More
2021-02-27 18:16
A friend of mine has a household income north of $400,000 per year and lives in the highest tax state of California. Her and her husband are in a marginal tax rate of 44%. She is looki… Read More
2021-02-12 15:05
Investing early is important. Investing early inside of a tax advantaged account is even more important. A Roth IRA is an amazing wealth building tool. You pay taxes on you… Read More
2021-01-30 17:13
For years, Ok decades now I have believe that net worth is the most important financial factor. I’ve been tracking my net worth since 2004 when it was only 3 digits. I even… Read More
2021-01-12 23:50
For the past decade I have been focused on paying off my house. My home value is roughly $200,000 and I’m on the last $20,000! Things are going great right? I’m at the peak of th… Read More
2021-01-03 16:45
I’ve written about personal finance on this website for over 7 years. I’ve put a lot of effort into learning everything I can about managing money, investing, and building… Read More
2020-12-28 18:08
2020 has been an insane year for us, as well as for pretty much everyone. Here’s the scoop on our incredibly busy 2020. Covid: Stupid Covid. For a good chunk of the year we have… Read More
2020-12-18 14:05
A few months ago I joined TikTok and as part of that I started getting videos of different side hustles, one in particular hit home with me and that was reselling on Amazon FBA (fulfilled by… Read More
2020-12-10 15:51
In today’s COVID environment the world economy has been turned upside down. Many businesses are shut down, people are out of work, and financial problems exist for millions. &hell…Read More
2020-12-04 14:05
In 2006 Michigan Gas Utilities never sent us a final bill for our Apartment that we were renting. When Mrs. C. and I went to buy our first house we had to get the loan in just my name… Read More
2020-11-26 13:36
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of real estate investing. I currently own 6 houses and plan to keep buying at a rate of 2 to 4 per year. Investors and authors routinely… Read More
2020-11-20 15:57
One of the biggest questions someone approaching retirement may have is “should I take a pension or a lump sum?” I just came across this article on Marketwatch which is a great e… Read More
2020-11-09 13:15
Some of Joe Biden’s tax plan is helpful, other portions are downright scary. Keep in mind that the President of the United States doesn’t just get to enact his tax plan. Co… Read More
2020-10-30 12:40
I’ve always wanted to be financially independent. I remember talking about how I wanted to be a millionaire on long car rides to our grandparents houses when I was a little kid… Read More
2020-10-22 01:32
I was highly disappointed to come across this article in Inc. about how it has been a failure of Bill Gates to not give away more money. He signed the giving pledge in 2010 with… Read More
2020-10-13 14:12
Personal finance seems to be very complicated and there are mountains of books to read on it. Heck, I’ve written 384 articles on personal finance! Personal Finance is rarely taug… Read More
2020-09-22 12:58
I’ve been an advocate of index funds for the past, well ever. I bought into my first index fund while I was a college student at 18. I strongly believe that for the average 401K… Read More
2020-09-13 18:07
This summer our 9 year old nephew has become really interested in money. I’ve got him mowing lawns at our rental houses and he has become quite good at it. We’ve been brain… Read More
2020-08-28 12:26
This article will teach you why it may be a good idea to stop contributing to your 401K to build more wealth and be more tax efficient. For the past 20 years I’ve been enamored w… Read More
2020-08-14 12:50
Last year I wrote about the proposal for a 24 hour work week in Finland and that a 24 hour work week should become the norm worldwide. I briefly touched on an essay from John Maynard K… Read More
2020-08-06 23:13
I work for multiple employers as a contractor during nuclear power plant refueling outages. Like any job my job has pluses and minuses, but for the most part I like my job. I wor… Read More
2020-07-25 14:20
FI or financial independence is when your income from sources other than work can replace your expenses. In a way I have finally achieved this 11 years ahead of my initial goal. … Read More
2020-07-14 13:53
In 2016 I did my research and invested $12,000 into Tesla Stock in my retirement accounts. My average purchase price per share was right around $200. With Tesla today tradin… Read More
2020-07-10 14:00
Retirement Policy and Stock Market Participation To Address Racial Inequality: I’ve already mentioned this, but it bears repeating; marriage status, home ownership, and stock market pa… Read More
2020-07-09 15:31
Systemic Changes To Address Racial Inequality in Health Care One of saddest health statistics in our country is about infant mortality and race. For White Americans there are 4.9 death… Read More
2020-07-09 13:28
Access to Banking and Credit to Address Racial Inequality: According to the FDIC 16.9% of Blacks, 14% of Hispanics, and 3% of Whites are unbanked. Not having a normal bank account grea… Read More
2020-07-08 01:52
Housing is at the root of the systemic issues of racial inequality. A lack of wealth is the driving force, and the driving force of building wealth for most Americans is home ownership… Read More
2020-07-08 00:12
Our government does a lot of social engineering through the tax code and through our safety net programs. These programs and the tax code sometimes contain incentives that trap people… Read More
2020-07-08 00:06
Education and Employment go hand in hand. The best way to make gains in equality is to start at the beginning. Literacy rates and high school graduation rates are strong indicato… Read More
2020-07-07 23:55
Our criminal justice system has never been color blind. Even with an overall reduction in crime we have had a massive increase in our prison population, and that population is very dis… Read More
2020-07-07 23:53
This is part 1 in a 8 part series detailing the problems and some potential solutions to the racial inequities in America. Originally this was a single post, but the formatting for a 12,000+… Read More
2020-07-03 12:17
This is going to be the longest post I’ve ever written. This is another article where I will lose some libertarian street cred. Be forewarned, some of my proposals will frustrate… Read More
2020-06-25 13:52
I believe that the Boy Scouts of America program is in a death spiral and will end up either a much smaller program overall, or completely gone. My kids have been in scouting for the p… Read More
2020-06-08 14:55
A report issued last week shows that the US savings rate has skyrocketed to 33% for the month of April. This is an increase from the 13.1% it was in March and the roughly 7% to 8% thro… Read More
2020-05-21 10:23
I just successfully petitioned my local board of review to reduce the property tax assessments on 3 of my rental properties resulting in a yearly savings of $2,853 a year, every year, for as… Read More
2020-05-15 00:57
Once again, this article is rant style. And once again I will start with I believe that all people have a right to do with their resources as they choose. Whether its time, money… Read More
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