Solo mum shoots for semi-FI at 50

This week’s article is a reader story.
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Tina is a 45-year-old solo mum from Queensland who’s well on her way to semi-retiring at 50.
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She’s made fantastic progress in the last 5 years after taking risks and doubling down on her finances. She’s also made some tough tradeoffs and been willing to think outside the box.
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In the article, Tina shares how she built her position starting from nothing, the choices she’s made, her upbringinYou just can’t g and mindset, and where property, super and shares all fit in.
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Oh, and most importantly, it’s a great example of not needing to be a high-earning couple without kids to make this stuff work!
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​Read: Solo Mum Shoots for Semi FI at 50​​

STRONG MONEY PODCAST

If there’s thing that annoys me, it’s this idea that buying a home has become basically impossible for young people.
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Either you give up forever, or you chain yourself to a massive seven figure mortgage. But it’s still possible to buy a place, and build wealth and freedom over time. You just can’t do it while expecting to make zero compromises of any kind.
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In my latest podcast, I explore TEN strategies you can use to make housing more affordable and avoid becoming a mortgage slave.
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​Listen here on Spotify, Apple, or on the website​
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Read the article version here​

​AUSSIE FIRE PODCAST

Interest rates change a lot of things.
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One of those is how appealing it is to park cash in different places.
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In the latest podcast, Hayden and I discuss investing, borrowing, offset accounts and paying down debt when interest rates are at 6% versus 2%.
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I also talk about what it was like having millions of dollars in debt, and how much risk I was really taking (even though things turned out fine).
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Listen now on Spotify, Apple or watch on YouTube​​

​​THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK​​
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​People crave certainty in life. But imagine the next 50 years were 100% predictable. Every single day mapped out in advance. How boring would that be? Whether you realise it or not, uncertainty is actually the best part.

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I’ve been work optional for about 9 years now. I’ve had periods – like at the start – where I did zero work and thought that was perfect (for a while). Other times I did 25-30 hours a week (like when writing a book) which felt like way too much. These days it’s about 15 – that seems to be the sweet spot for me.

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Trying to buy a 3-4 bedroom house on one income in a popular area of a rich country is choosing to play the game on hard mode. Instead, think of your home ownership journey in terms of the next few decades, rather than just the next few years. There’s no rule that says you can’t upgrade later when your financial situation allows.