The Ultimate Guide to Retirement and Financial Freedom
The FIRE Ladder
The FIRE Ladder is our step-by-step guide that walks you through the eight rungs that have led us on our own journey to freedom FIRE. This guide helps you own yourself, not just your stuff. We walk you through each rung on our get started on your journey to financial independence page.
Join our free budgeting group and click on Files in the main navigation menu under the header to download the free guide.
Free Money Management Worksheets & Tools for Personal Finance
Mortgage Spreadsheet
Our mortgage loan calculator and amortization spreadsheet can help you see clearly how much you are going to pay in interest over the life of your loan, including how much you can save in interest if you pay extra towards the principal. Learn more in the deep dive we did on paying off your mortgage early.
Join The Budget Brigade Facebook group and click on Files in the main navigation menu under the header to download.
Free Printable House Hunting & Selling Checklists
Real Estate Agent Interview Questionnaire
Selling a home is one of the top 10 most stressful things we’ve done, especially in an economy with higher interest rates than what people have come to expect. We wanted to work with an agent who knew the market well and could not only get us a fair market price, but had connections in the area to sell it fast.
Join our budgeting and personal finances Facebook group to access the free downloadable real estate agent interview questionnaire PDF.
Best Books about Money, Mindset, Finance & Retirement
For all the non-bibliophiles, this is our To Be Read recommended reading list for the different topics we cover here at The Budget Brigade. While we love sharing our wealth of personal finance and investing knowledge, we’ll admit there are people out there smarter than us, specially on given topics. Here are some of the books that have helped educate us along the way that could be a great resource for you as well.
Recommended Books for Personal Growth & Contentment
Lagom: Not Too Little, Not Too Much: The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life by Niki Brantmark
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secret of America’s Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking
Best Book for Beginner Investors
Best One:
A Random Walk Down Wall Street, 12th Edition by Burton G. Malkiel
Most Important One:
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share by John C. Bogle
Also Consider:
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
One Up on Wall Street: How To Use What You Already Know To Make Money In the Market by Peter Lynch
A Random Walk Down Wall Street, 12th Edition by Burton G. Malkiel