The Cocoa Nomad Podcast

The 4th full month of investing marks the beginning of my “2nd semester” of trading. While I still feel like a freshman, I’ve learned some lessons and share some of those in this update.

This is an update in my series of income stream reports as I attempt to diversify my income, achieve a better balance, and accelerate my path to financial independence.

I’ve also updated the statistics that I’m tracking to help give me a better idea of how things are going.

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The 3rd full month of investing was chock full of more lessons (and losses). Find out what I learn and how I’m adjusting my investment strategy in my trading account.

This is an update in my series of income stream reports as I attempt to diversify my income, achieve a better balance and accelerate my path to financial independence.

I’ve also updated the statistics that I’m tracking to help give me a better idea of how things are going.

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In the latest retrospective, I prepare for my upcoming trip to Brazil, struggle with my daily guitar practice, wrestle with weight gain, and share my wild trading story that made me $1000 in a single day!!

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After a couple of years of staying (mostly) in one place, I’m making plans to explore the world in 2022. In this video, I share my plans for what I hope will be an epic year.

What are your travel plans for 2022?

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Within the span of 24 hours, I was asked twice what brought me to Mexico City and why I stay. I decided to share what I love about living here and why I keep coming back. No place is perfect, so I also talk about some of the things that aren’t so great.

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In the latest retrospective, I share my excitement for travel in 2022, challenge the notion of always doing bigger things and, recover from my bout with COVID

Despite the slow start, I’m still ready for an amazing new year!

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After 2 years of avoiding the virus, I caught COVID in the past week. I spent most of the past 3 days in bed. Since I'm feeling better, I decided to make a video and discuss where I think I caught it, how I'm doing and what I plan to do after I recover.

I also reiterate some advice for travelers that I gave in an older video that I think is important. Please take care of yourselves.

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For the 2nd month in a row, my FIRE report shows some real progress. The two most important metrics seem to be the savings rate, followed by the return rate. Yet, my investment portfolio is down quite a bit

In these videos, I'm sharing the metrics that I'm using to track my progress. If you find them useless, I encourage you to do the same. If you have other metrics that you've found useful on your own journey, please share them in the comments.

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The income streams are changing and I like the direction that things are headed. A major shift has happened in my income streams but it’s not without a downside

This is an update in my series of income stream reports as I attempt to diversify my income, achieve a better balance, and accelerate my path to financial independence.

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The 2nd full month of investing had even more surprises than the first. While I reached a new high, I found that all that glitters isn’t gold.

This is an update in my series of income stream reports as I attempt to diversify my income, achieve a better balance and accelerate my path to financial independence.

I’ve also updated the statistics that I’m tracking to help give me a better idea of how things are going.

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In the latest retrospective, I have an amazing time with family, take some big losses in the stock market, and still struggle with deciding on where to go next

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We often get stuck by negativity in two basic ways: focusing on what others will think about what we do or on what we don’t have. In order to combat that tendency, I share some tips on changing your focus to eliminate those distractions and keep you in a proactive frame of mind.

Despite the disappointing start, this year brought about many positive returns on my investments. In 2021, the single most important investment I made was in myself. In this video, I break down that investment portfolio and what gains I’ve made.

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For the 2nd month in a row, my FIRE report shows some real progress. The two most important metrics seem to be the savings rate, followed by the return rate.

In these videos, I'm sharing the metrics that I'm using to track my progress. If you find them useless, I encourage you to do the same. If you have other metrics that you've found useful on your own journey, please share them in the comments.

The income streams are rebalancing and I like the direction that things are headed. A major shift has happened in my income streams.

This is an update in my series of income stream reports as I attempt to diversify my income, achieve a better balance, and accelerate my path to financial independence.

Related Videos:

The 1st full month of investing brought a lot of surprises in terms of income. I set what I thought was a reasonable goal compared to my first month but even I was surprised by what happened!!

This is an update in my series of income stream reports as I attempt to diversify my income, achieve a better balance and accelerate my path to financial independence.

I’ve also updated the statistics that I’m tracking to help give me a better idea of how things are going.

Show Links

In the latest retrospective, I find the “zone” for my work-life, recover from my worst trading day (is far), and keep finding reasons to remain in Mexico City,   

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We are the summation of the experiences that we have. Many of them come from the jobs that we've worked. In each job, we are potentially exposed to new industries, skills, and styles of both working and running a business.

In this video, I continue the journey through the impactful jobs I’ve had in my career, how it has led to a return of sorts, and the influence on me being a digital nomad.

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Talk about your huge price swings!! What happens when your risky trade REALLy moves against you? Find out why the stock experienced a 70% drop overnight and what I did about it.

My journey to financial independence now includes options trading. Still, in my first month, I’m learning the ins and outs of making trades. In this video, I share my first experiences with trying to sell In The Money options.

You Ain’t Gonna Need It

I frequently advise people who ask about packing for living abroad to reduce the amount that they’re taking in half. I was once told that the advice wasn’t useful. Where I failed is in explaining the true value of the advice. In this talk, I unpack the underlying value and how it ties to the values we have in our lives.

We live in a sea of information and advice. It’s often hard to evaluate all of it. I’m often swimming in it and go down rabbit holes of articles and videos on various topics. Here, I share some of my own advice 😉 on how to make the most of the information you receive.

As I avoid the pressure to rush to FIRE, I keep my focus on the most important factors for success. The first of those is my savings rate. 

Find out how well I did in September

 In month 2 of my journey, I see a bit of progress and make a big decision that will serve me well in the future.

This series focuses on my own FIRE as a very late bloomer. Because I've already had 3 mini-retirements, I'm not feeling the pressure of the RE (Retire Early) component of FIRE and will just be focusing on the FI (Financial Independence).

In these videos, I'm sharing the metrics that I'm using to track my progress. If you find them useless, I encourage you to do the same. If you have other metrics that you've found useful on your own journey, please share them in the comments.

Related Links

This series focuses on my own FIRE as a very late bloomer. Because I've already had 3 mini-retirements, I'm not feeling the pressure of the RE (Retire Early) component of FIRE and will just be focusing on the FI (Financial Independence).

In this video, I'm cover the levels of FIRE that I’m using to track my progress, plus a few extra levels for those who have more ambitious goals.

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We are the summation of the experiences that we have. Many of them come from the jobs that we've worked. In each job, we are potentially exposed to new industries, skills, and styles of both working and running a business.

In this video, I review the early part of my work history and reminisce over when I discovered my voice, meeting the first of two Secretaries of State and why “Elevators” by Outkast is one of my favorite songs.

Hourly Era

1986 - Culbro Corp. - Nursery / Tobacco picker ($3.25 /hr → piecemeal work)

1987 - Pizza Hut - Busboy ($3.25 /hr) 

1988 - Arby's - Cashier/DriveThru ($3.65 /hr)

1990 - DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) - Analyst ($11K + benefits)

1992 - JC Penny Credit - Cust. Serv. Rep ($9.55/hr)

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In the latest retrospective, I discover another section of the park in my neighborhood, make a “risky” options trade, and struggle with whether or not I should stay in Mexico City.

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My journey to financial independence now includes options trading. In my first month, I’m learning the ins and outs of making trades. In this video, I share my first experiences with trying to sell In The Money options.

Related Videos:

I've turned a corner with an investment strategy that is raising my passive income. It's small, but it's validating my approach!!

This is an update in my series of income stream reports as I attempt to diversify my income, achieve a better balance, and accelerate my path to financial independence.

This is an update in my series of income stream reports as I attempt to diversify my income, achieve a better balance and accelerate my path to financial independence.

Related Videos:

As part of my strategy to reach financial independence, I’m becoming a bit more active in my investing (not day trading). In the latest video, I share my investment goals and the results of my first month.

One of the most important components for success is goal setting. On my journey to FIRE, I need a specific target to reach, my FIRE Number. In the latest video, I go over the different types of FIRE, why I’m choosing to pursue Coast FIRE., and what my FIRE Numbers are.

I’m a late bloomer and learned about the FIRE movement later in life. While my focus isn’t necessarily on early retirement, the benefits of financial independence are very appealing. In this video, I share the techniques that I’m implementing to accelerate my journey. While I recognize that "it’s a marathon and not a sprint", that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a half marathon.

Remote work relies very heavily on trust and communication. I've just returned to a remote-first culture, so while there was never a need to sell the idea, there is still the ongoing need to ensure that I maintain trust and open communication. Remember that, even in a job setting, you are in a community with others.

I share a simple framework for progressing in your remote work journey in a way that minimizes disruption to yourself and those you work with.

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In the latest retrospective, I reflect on my plunge into options trading, my friend’s crazy cab experiences in Mexico City and how I finally broke through with my recording backlog.

In this video, I wanted to address the downsides of framing things in terms of fear and how it is often counterproductive. I propose a more effective way of looking at the challenges we face on our journeys.

In the latest retrospective, I share my struggles with practicing guitar, my first hosted guest in Mexico City and why I love living here.

This is the first in my series of income stream reports as I attempt to diversify my income and achieve a better balance and accelerate my path to financial independence.  

Related Videos:  

In the latest retrospective, I talk about my renewed attempt to achieve FIRE, how I really wasn’t prepared for the cool weather and how being back in this amazing city has really helped me.

As I return to full-time employment, I've taken the opportunity to reflect on work, retirement and how how my many mini-retirements have affected my long-term view.

The 10% Rule is a 10 year path to replacing your full-time income, starting from scratch. I came across the rule in an article by Ben LeFort , on Making of A Millionaire (Medium)

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I’ve been using Wise for 5 years now but only recently took advantage of the benefits beyond bank transfers. With a new card, in hand, I was able to experience some additional features and share them in this video

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In the latest retrospective, I share my insights after a much needed break and reset prior to new beginnings. FFrom the new nephew, to the new job to the new laptop, things are really changing.

In this week's retrospective, I’m all about the return, including a return to Playa Del Carmen, a chill weekend in Cozumel, and a return to my old company!

You’ve probably heard various stories about people who have left the US to start a new life abroad. Some of them planned their exit for years while others made a quick decision.

What should YOU do?

In this video, I share my journey and how it wasn’t actually planned and that things just happened. Whether you’re a planner or prefer to take a chance, I hope you can find something helpful in my story. I also share a destination that may be the perfect place to get started

You did all the research.

You narrowed your choices down

You picked a new country/city

You packed your bags and take off.

You settle in and explore your new home/

Annnnnnd, you don't like it.

What Now?

Before you beat yourself up about your decision, take some time to reflect on it.

In this week's retrospective, I spend the day in a Hobbit village in Antigua and debate my choices for the next destination.

If you’re living the digital nomad lifestyle or are planning to, you may be looking for a full-time job and concerned about whether prospective employers will be OK with location independence. 

I talk about some of the issues that they may have with you working abroad and share my experiences with companies that both allowed and prohibited remote work outside of my home country.

In this week's retrospective, I take an ATV tour of Antigua, dunk a basketball, vow to eat healthier (again) and try to make sense of my machine learning predictive model.