Category: Reader Case Studies

Beth and Brad live north of Toronto, Ontario with their young daughter and old cat. With retirement 15 years away for Brad, the family wants to better prepare and get a handle on their approach to money. Brad and Beth were a money mismatch from the start, but after 14 years of marriage, they’ve been able to find a path forward together. Unrelated Update: I’m doing a Facebook Live thing tomorrow with Brad from ChooseFI....

Brenda, who works at a non-profit, and her husband Kyle, a firefighter and nurse, live in Tennessee with their two daughters and one dog. Brenda is from South Africa and their dream is to move abroad after Kyle’s retirement (in six years) from the fire department. Today, they’d like our help figuring out the financial and social/educational aspects of such a move. What’s a Reader Case Study? Case Studies address financial and life dilemmas that...

Em is a single mother by choice living in Iowa with her two-year-old daughter and 14-year-old basset hound. Em has crafted her ideal lifestyle and made excellent financial decisions to get to this point. Now, at age 38, she wants our help mapping out the next 40+ years to ensure she makes the best choices for her future and her daughter’s future. What’s a Reader Case Study? Case Studies address financial and life dilemmas that...

Alex is on leave from a Materials Engineering PhD program and, while on leave, happened to get a dream job and is now faced with choosing between the PhD program and the job. Alex recently left an abusive marriage and is thinking critically about the sort of future they’d like to create. While the most pressing issue is deciding whether to return to the PhD program or stay in the job, Alex is thinking broadly...

Veronica is a wildlife biologist for the state of North Carolina, where she lives on a farm with her two dogs, Porter and Stout. Veronica’s mother recently passed away and she is set to receive an inheritance from her mother’s estate. Veronica would like our help discerning how she should manage this inheritance, particularly in light of the fact that she’s participating in the twelve-step Debtors Anonymous program as well as receiving treatment for PTSD....

Ann and Leo are both tenured community college English teachers in Seattle, WA. They have a three-year-old daughter, a baby due in March, and an adorable Corgi keeping them busy. While Ann and Leo appreciate the life they’ve created, they feel they’re at a turning point and want our help determining what’s possible, and prudent, given their financial situation. Case Studies address financial and life dilemmas that readers of Frugalwoods send to me requesting advice....

Helen and Earl want to move to Japan! They currently live in Portland, Oregon with their two daughters and are planning to make the leap overseas in the spring of 2021. Helen would like our help thinking through the process of moving and wants to check her financial projections with us. Read my disclosures here. Case Studies are financial (and life) dilemmas that a reader of Frugalwoods sends to me requesting that Frugalwoods nation weigh in. Then, Frugalwoods nation...