Danny Lee 
I graduated from college in 2007 with just under $27,000 in student loans. Before I even got my diploma, I added another $12,000 in debt for a brand new car (2007 Hyundai Sonata, manual). I didn’t know much about personal finance back then. I just thought debt was a part of life. My first and second jobs out … Read more
Buying a home can be a daunting process. For first-time homebuyers, buying a home is typically the biggest financial decision they have ever made. My goal for this post is to provide a brief but clear picture of the homebuying process. I am a licensed realtor in Virginia. Some steps may be slightly different in other … Read more
It’s been 3 months since we set a goal of paying off the mortgage by 2020 and to have a net worth of at least $1M by 2025. This is the 3rd update on the progress of the goal. If you’re wondering why we set this goal, see here. Mortgage progress: This month, we paid a … Read more
We have a lot of stuff. In an effort to declutter our home, I often take to Craigslist, eBay, or Amazon.com to sell our stuff. On average, I’ll post about one item per week on Craigslist. Around here (DC/NoVA) and in most metropolitan areas, people will buy almost anything as long as the price is right. … Read more
Ever since I tried my first Chipotle burrito many years ago, I knew the company would be successful. They had a great concept that’s now been duplicated with myriad other cuisines, and they’re able to serve hundreds of customers per hour with that fast-casual concept. But even great companies will hit some hurdles. As you … Read more
“Should I rent or buy?” As a realtor, I get asked some form of this question often enough from people in my age group (late 20s / early 30s) that I thought I should address it in a blog post. Many people feel that renting is like throwing away money or paying someone else’s mortgage for them. … Read more
It’s been 2 months since we set a goal of paying off the mortgage by 2020 and to have a net worth of at least $1M by 2025. This is the 2nd update on the progress of the goal. If you’re wondering why we set this goal, see here. Mortgage progress: This month, we paid a … Read more
If you shop online and don’t have Ebates, you’re missing out on some easy cashback! Ebates was founded in 1998 and has paid out over $325 million since then. It’s free to use and easy to sign up. How does it work? Ebates has a relationship with over 1800 online stores. When you shop using Ebates, they … Read more
Why FI (Financial Independence)? People have different reasons for seeking financial independence. For some, it’s to buy big houses and fancy cars and live a life of luxury. For others, it may be to travel the world. Still for others, it may be to dedicate their time to a cause they feel passionate about. So … Read more
If you’re like most people, you probably have at least a small collection of DVDs that you don’t watch anymore. We had about 40 DVDs in our collection before we unloaded some of them on decluttr. I’m slowly trying to declutter our home, and decluttr was a great way to get rid of DVDs that we … Read more