2018-04-13 09:07
In my last monthly update post I alluded to the fact that our less than stellar savings rate for the month was because we had to write the IRS a large check. Large enough to buy a car. A new… Read More
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Bayalis Is The Answer: Of Love, Laughter And Fire Ever After Blog
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A blog detailing our family journey to financial independence and early retirement. We document our plan, post monthly updates of our finances, the mistakes we've made and how we recover from them. We also cover basic financial how-tos (we share as we learn!) and how being an
immigrant affects how we think about financial independence.
2018-04-03 09:10
I started March off in far off lands. I visited India for my cousin’s wedding. It was my first visit to India in 5 years – the last time I was in India was for my own wedding. It… Read More
2018-03-18 09:07
In contrast with the tumult in the markets, February was a quiet month at the BITA household. In the aftermath of my newly acquired citizenship I continued my dealings with consulates and ot… Read More
2018-02-07 10:11
We started the new financial year with a bang, thanks to the crazy bull. January was our biggest month ever financially, but before we get to the juicy numbers, let’s talk about life a… Read More
2018-01-21 10:11
Thus far the BITA portfolio has been an unexciting place, more quiet suburb than Disney Land. The vast majority of our holdings are in diversified index funds (like good old VTSAX) with low… Read More
2018-01-15 10:11
Before 2017 fades into the past as a distant memory, I thought I might take a moment to review our financials for the year. We started tracking our money in September of 2016 so 2017 was the… Read More
2018-01-04 10:11
And just like that, 2017 is in our rear view. A Happy New Year to all of you! If all goes according to plan, we have now officially begun my last year of working a 9-5 corporate job… Read More
2017-12-17 10:11
I recently read the Global Wealth Report for 2017 published by Credit Suisse Research. This is the eighth annual wealth report and it is chock full of interesting stats. Before we delve into… Read More
2017-12-13 10:07
Until recently the BITA household were DIKs. Not to be confused with dicks that you would like to punch in the face for being such arseholes, but DIKs – a Double Income family with one… Read More
2017-12-06 10:11
Have you ever wandered into the subreddit called /r/dataisbeautiful? I recommend it. The contributors to that subreddit take all sorts of data sources and come up with ways to present the da… Read More
2017-12-03 10:07
Whooosh! Another month whizzed by at breakneck speed. November started off at a sedate enough pace. We spent the early part of the month visiting our local library. Toddler BITA enjoyed expl… Read More
2017-11-15 10:11
Regular readers of this site know that the BITA family is accelerating towards financial independence as fast as we possibly can. In 2017 we have saved and invested north of $260,000 and we… Read More
2017-11-12 10:11
Imagine. Imagine what you would do if you woke one morning and discovered that you were financially independent. After you fainted, and awoke, and whooped, and celebrated and jubiliated and… Read More
2017-11-09 10:04
Last week the House GOP finally unveiled the draft legislation of their long-awaited tax reform proposal: the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TCJA). There will be much arguing and many… Read More
2017-11-05 10:12
What a month! October whizzed past and left me breathless in its wake. I kicked off October with a trip to Orlando for a work-related conference: the Grace Hopper conference fo… Read More
2017-11-01 09:11
Discovering the concepts of financial independence and early retirement can be life changing. You hear the heavenly host, the clouds part and you are bathed in the light. One moment you are… Read More
2017-10-25 09:11
In my last post I talked about the various accounts we make use of that allowed us to stash away $95,750 tax advantaged dollars in 2017. We discussed 401ks, Roth IRAs (of the baby backdoor a… Read More
2017-10-22 09:07
From January to September 2017, we have saved $248,820.66. In today’s post we’re going to look at the kinds of accounts we put that money into and how as high income earners… Read More
2017-10-18 09:11
Two days ago I went to the dentist. This is a big fucking deal because the last time I graced a dentist’s office was in 2012. A Horror Story The first clue that there was someth… Read More
2017-10-15 09:11
Big news today! I am super excited to announce that I am pulling in my FIRE date, blog name be damned. I am thrilled and terrified, and so happy that I have you to share this with. A… Read More
2017-10-11 09:07
I am thrilled to bits that Bayalis Is The Answer has been chosen to be a Plutus Award Finalist. I am grateful to all my readers for making this possible. The Plutus Awards are the Oscar… Read More
2017-10-04 09:08
The BITAs spent most of September gallivanting around Europe. We visited Lisbon, Amsterdam and Split for a glorious nearly 3 week vacation. We were joined by my sister, brother-in-law and my… Read More
2017-10-01 09:11
The BITA family spent 3 glorious weeks in Europe in September. We kicked off our European adventure in Lisbon, Portugal. We spent 4 nights in Lisbon. In today’s post I’ll cover w… Read More
2017-09-27 09:11
You haven’t heard from me in a while because the BITA family was on vacation. We were in Lisbon, Amsterdam and Split for nearly three glorious weeks. Becoming a productive member of th… Read More
2017-09-10 09:11
In the first two parts of this series we have seen both the best of ESPPs (an ROI and risk profile that you would be hard pressed to beat), and the worst (the dark underbelly of ESPP taxatio… Read More
2017-09-06 09:11
In part 1 of the ESPP Bible we learned why ESPPs are such stellar investments, and why you should fall over yourself in your hurry to sign up for the plan should you be lucky enough to have… Read More
2017-09-03 09:14
2017 has started to accelerate at a pace that is leaving me breathless. It feels like just yesterday I was standing before you, giving you the lowdown on July. Between now and the end of the… Read More
2017-08-30 09:07
It will come as no surprise to regular readers of the monthly updates that I publish that a goodly chunk of BITA household income comes in the form of company stock grants from our employers… Read More
2017-08-27 09:11
If you are trudging along determinedly towards financial independence, and possible early retirement, it is safe to say that you have a target number in mind. It is also a pretty safe bet th… Read More
2017-08-23 09:07
I am a first generation immigrant to the U.S. I moved here from India when I was closing in on my 30th birthday. Immigration, even the cushy kind that I was lucky enough to experience, is ha… Read More
2017-08-20 09:10
Churn (verb): agitate or turn (milk or cream) in a machine in order to produce butter. procure credit cards and bank accounts for the express purpose of acquiring points and miles. In… Read More
2017-08-16 09:11
To declare yourself financially independent and go running jubilantly through the streets, you have to hit your target number in investments. How do you come up with your target number? You… Read More
2017-08-13 09:06
When the BITA family first meandered down the path to financial independence, we came up with a timeline and a rough plan. I’ve reproduced below an excerpt from our plan: “2022:… Read More
2017-08-09 09:11
If you choose to blow your hard earned cash on avocado toasts, soy lattes or monster trucks Australian billionaires will mock you and men with large mustaches are likely to offer to punch yo… Read More
2017-08-06 09:12
When you first run into the concept of financial independence, and realization dawns that it is not a pipe dream reserved for trust fund babies, you feel exhilarated. You plan, you dream, yo… Read More
2017-08-02 09:17
The BITA household perspired its way through a really warm July. Though sweat trickled down our backs on more than one occasion, our iron resolve did not waver and our thermostat stayed put… Read More
2017-07-30 10:01
Any long time reader of this blog will know that I came to the Church of Financial Literacy late in life. I was 37 when I finally decided that being a financial idiot was just, well, idiotic… Read More
2017-07-26 09:04
Last week Toddler BITA’s school had a superhero day. Toddler BITA owns no superhero costumes, but she went dressed as super(wo)man. How? She wore a cape borrowed from someone in our ne… Read More
2017-07-23 09:04
“The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is… Read More
2017-07-19 09:07
“What will you do about healthcare in early retirement?” “I’ll just move to a country that has it all figured out.” “Are you sure your nest egg is large e… Read More
2017-07-16 09:10
Ever wished that your purse contained a countdown clock to the date you will be financially independent? Ever asked yourself whether making the effort to save an additional $20/month is real… Read More
2017-07-12 09:07
When you commit to achieving financial independence, and possibly retiring early, you make a commitment to playing the long game. The journey to FIRE has three phases: The oh-my-god-is-this… Read More
2017-07-09 09:01
I don’t work in the salt mines. Far from it. I do interesting work. I get to solve hard problems. I work with smart people. My company treats me well and pays me handsomely. My wanting… Read More
2017-07-05 09:01
Another month has whooshed by bringing us that much closer to our FIRE date. For those of you trudging through the years of accumulation, wishing that you could make them go by faster, here… Read More
2017-07-02 09:01
When one first starts down the road to achieving financial independence, the goal seems simple enough. To go from this: to this: as fast as humanly possible. The prescription is simpl… Read More
2017-06-28 09:01
Attempting to achieve financial independence and/or retire early is an audacious goal. It takes grit. It takes gumption. It takes perseverance. It takes patience. It is an audacious goal, a… Read More
2017-06-25 09:01
If you are not a raging extrovert you are familiar with the uncomfortable feeling of arriving late to a party. If feels as if everyone turns to look at you and you quail under the weight of… Read More
2017-06-21 09:01
The BITA household is a simple place as far as taxes are concerned. We are a pair of W-2 employees. We generate no income outside of our jobs. We own one house and we live in it. We receive… Read More
2017-06-18 09:01
Immigrants on FIRE is an interview series on Bayalis Is The Answer. In this series I chat with first generation immigrants to the United States who are pursuing financial independence and/or… Read More
2017-06-14 09:01
“Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered” is an old Wall Street saying that has been on my mind lately. Why? Because more than once in the recent past I have fou… Read More
2017-06-11 09:01
In my previous post we covered how long term capital gains are calculated, and I made available an excel sheet that allows you to play with the numbers. In today’s post we are going to… Read More
2017-06-07 09:01
In early retirement we plan to live off of our investments. This means that our primary sources of income are going to be long term capital gains and, to a lesser extent, dividends. It there… Read More
2017-06-04 09:01
May was a tranquil month at the BITA household. For once our possessions did not demand repairs or replacements, nor did our dependents require medical attention to body, mind or tooth. Ther… Read More
2017-05-31 09:01
Being an immigrant, even one as pampered as I was, isn’t easy. I did not flee persecution. I did not run in the dead of the night, leaving behind my material possessions. I did not fea… Read More
2017-05-28 09:01
Immigrants on FIRE is a new interview series on Bayalis Is The Answer. In this series I chat with first generation immigrants to the United States who are pursuing financial independence and… Read More
2017-05-24 09:01
A user (/u/nope-nobody-ever) on the /r/financialindependence subreddit recently shared with the group excerpts from his grandmother’s budgeting journal dated 1946. I found what was sha… Read More
2017-05-21 09:01
The Health Savings Account (HSA) is the darling of the personal finance world. It struts and preens and shows off its triple tax advantages, much to the envy of the far less fancy IRAs and 4… Read More
2017-05-17 09:01
The Trinity Study and the 4 percent rule of safe withdrawal form the bedrock of the financial independence and early retirement movement. If we did not believe that there exists some safe wi… Read More
2017-05-14 09:01
My home country of India has had more than it’s fair share of truly crappy politicians. Corruption is rampant at both the state and national levels. Every politician seems hell bent on… Read More
2017-05-10 09:01
As the name of my blog constantly reminds both you and me, I plan to retire on the 1st of January 2021, at the ripe old age of 42. But (cue discordant music) Mr. BITA will not be retiring in… Read More
2017-05-07 09:07
A Step-by-Step Guide for the Determinedly Dense “I just don’t understand numbers”. “I want to invest, but I just don’t know where to begin!” &ldquo&hell…Read More
2017-05-03 09:10
Life threw us a curveball or two but on the whole April was a happy month at the BITA household. The weather was fantastic for most of the month and we picnicked outdoors twice. Both times w… Read More
2017-04-30 09:11
Last weekend, on a beautiful California day, the BITA backyard was overrun by a mob of toddlers. We hosted Toddler BITA’s birthday party. Forty guests were invited, fourteen of whom we… Read More
2017-04-20 09:06
Achieving financial independence and freeing yourself from the need to hold down a job is a pretty big goal. For a lot of us it may well be the most ambitious goal we have yet pursued. The s… Read More
2017-04-16 22:09
“Jim Bennett: I’ve been up two and a half million. Frank: What you got on you? Jim Bennett: Nothing. Frank: What you put away? Jim Bennett: Nothing. Frank: You get up two and a h… Read More
2017-04-12 09:03
Toddler BITA will be turning three soon. I got cozy on the couch with good old Amazon and started to browse through toys and books in search of a birthday gift for her. We don’t spend… Read More
2017-04-07 09:07
Siddhartha, the protagonist of Hermann Hesse’s 1922 classic, lays eyes on Kamala, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. In that moment he is filled with the determination to achie… Read More
2017-04-04 09:03
March was an eventful month at the BITA household. My father, who works in Botswana, decided to pay us a surprise visit (my mother had been with us since January). Mr. BITA conspired… Read More
2017-04-01 09:02
“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar i… Read More
2017-03-26 11:53
This blog post contains affiliate links. Click here to learn more.
Refresh Mint obsessively. Update Spreadsheet. Stalk Personal Capital.
Rinse and Repeat.
Are we there yet? Are we there yet… Read More
2017-03-22 11:11
My daughter’s third birthday is looming. I assure her that yes, of course there will be chocolate cake because nobody in their right mind would ever consider a birthday without cake, a… Read More
2017-03-19 21:20
The birth of Toddler BITA nearly three years ago left me with an umbilical hernia. On the 26th of January my hernia took issue with a section of my intestine and attempted to strangle it to… Read More
2017-03-12 10:17
Regular readers of this blog are aware that I am an immigrant from India. I moved to the U.S. just two months shy of my 30th birthday. At the age of 37 I discovered the twin ideas of financi… Read More
2017-03-08 10:17
The new administration has unveiled the American Health Care Act (AHCA. Really? Was it that hard to come up with a name that abbreviated to something significantly different than ACA? Make A… Read More
2017-03-05 10:17
As we plod down the path to financial independence and early retirement, we grow more financially savvy every day. We pore over our asset allocations and engage in lengthy debates about thin… Read More
2017-03-02 10:27
February started out slow and mellow. I was still recovering from the abdominal surgery that I had in January and I was on sick leave till the 4th of February. I went back to work on the 6th… Read More
2017-02-26 10:26
What is it that you fear the most? In the quiet, dark hours of the early morning, when sleep is elusive and the world is quiet, what scary thoughts creep forth from the depths of your soul?… Read More
2017-02-22 10:29
Mr. BITA and I are both software engineers. We each make a good living and our incomes are nearly equal. We got married in 2013, and at the time of our marriage we were the polar opposites o… Read More
2017-02-19 11:28
That long awaited vacation is finally here. You made it to the airport on time, despite the fact that your toddler insisted that she needed to poop after you had strapped her into her seat (… Read More
2017-02-16 04:57
This September the BITAs are going to gallivant around Europe. We’ve booked tickets from San Francisco to Lisbon, Lisbon to Amsterdam and Amsterdam back to San Francisco. For a family… Read More
2017-02-12 12:02
What is a backdoor Roth?
A Roth IRA is a retirement account that is funded using after-tax earned income. You earn $X annually. You pay your taxes on $X, leaving you with $Y. You can take up… Read More
2017-02-08 12:11
At its core succeeding at personal finance and achieving financial independence isn’t rocket surgery. All you have to do is spend less, save more and invest wisely. If you happen to ne… Read More
2017-02-05 12:15
And will you succeed?Yes! You will, indeed!(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed).
– Dr Seuss, Oh the Places You’ll Go
The first month of the year proved to be more exciting than we ex… Read More
2017-01-26 06:59
Where did we leave off? Ah yes. There I stood, poised to take flight, to migrate across the ocean blue.
Mrs. BITA crosses an Ocean
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,y… Read More
2017-01-23 02:23
When we last parted ways my startup had shut down, and I was making my way back to India, where I no longer had a job.
Mrs. BITA moves to Bangalore
While my startup was coughing and hacking… Read More
2017-01-19 05:23
At the end of part 2 I had made it through engineering college, and discovered that I liked and was good at computer science. What would corporate life be like?
Mrs. BITA enters the w… Read More
2017-01-16 01:40
We continue where we left off in Part 1, childhood fast becoming a memory, the specter of college looming.
Stumbling into my future
The Indian education system is big on exams. As students w… Read More
2017-01-11 12:21
This is the first in a series of exceedingly self-indulgent posts. There won’t be much in the way of numbers here, so if numbers are your thing, move right along and I won’t hold… Read More
2017-01-08 13:25
To buy, or not to buy, that is the question:Whether ‘tis Smarter for the pocket to buyThe House and hope for outrageous Fortune,Or to Rent and ne’er repair a Thing
Buying vs. ren… Read More
2017-01-05 05:57
You know that feeling of putting your hand in your jacket pocket and finding $5? Or the feeling of lifting up a sofa cushion to vacuum and discovering loose change? Finding forgotten money i… Read More
2017-01-01 19:37
“To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” – Anatole France
This quote goes to the heart of what we as a family acc… Read More
2016-12-28 17:42
We started planning for early retirement and financial independence in 2016, and published our plan to get there. In part, our plan included the following salient points:
Save $20,000 in the… Read More
2016-12-22 06:49
My blog is coming up on its three month birthday. The year is drawing to a close. There is something about the end of the year that makes one susceptible to reflection. I found myself reflec… Read More
2016-12-19 07:14
Once you get your financial house in order, and are consuming personal finance blogs and books at a rate that practically ensures that you are violating one of the seven deadly sins, it is o… Read More
2016-12-14 13:16
In part 1 of this post we covered some basics of cryptography. This post is going to make many references to part 1, so if you haven’t read part 1, proceed at your own peril. We’… Read More
2016-12-12 05:26
I see you now, eyes steely with determination, mouth set in a grim line. You march towards your finances, resolve in your soul. You will not take no for an answer. You will master those numb… Read More
2016-12-07 13:42
“For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—wh… Read More
2016-12-04 13:03
There is no path to happiness; Happiness is the Path – Buddha
The BITA household has had a stellar November, both financially and otherwise. As I write our monthly update on all things… Read More
2016-11-30 14:57
If you wandered in here hoping for an extreme frugality post, you are going to be very disappointed. Trust me, you should cut your losses and leave this page now.
For those of you who staye… Read More
2016-11-27 13:23
The BITAs moved into the house we currently live in in late 2012. Between then and now we’ve had over twenty sets of house guests (what can I say? we are just such fun people to be aro… Read More
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