It was 2013. We had just come back from two and a half years in Europe – graduate school in Sweden, a stint in Lisbon, an adventure with very little money and even less certainty about what came next. We were leaner than we had ever been. We knew how to live on almost nothing….
Going All-In on VTSAX and VBTLX Admiral Shares
How a family of five simplified years of investing into just two funds and why we’re staying the course. A quick note before we dive in: this post is not financial advice. Everything here reflects the personal experience and investment decisions of our own family. All images and content were created exclusively by A Compact…
Where I’m From: A Love Letter to Aerodrom
Skopje, Macedonia — Through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It A Note From Me I’ve received quite a few messages over the past months asking the same question in different ways: “Where are you really from?” and “What was it like growing up there?” I’ve been meaning to answer that properly for a long…
We Sold The RV And Bought VTSAX
The End of the Road (For Now) The Dutch Star is gone. After nearly five years, tens of thousands of miles, countless campsites, border crossings, breakdowns, sunsets, snowstorms, national parks, Canadian backroads, glaciers and long conversations over vinyl dinettes, we sold it. The house-on-wheels that carried us across the United States and Canada – our…
The Three Pillars Of Human Condition
On this blog we talk about money, family, travel and lifestyle. On that note, I want to touch on a topic that is rather psychological in nature, relating to mental strength and the way I’ve dealt with some of the circumstances throughout my personal and professional life. We live in an age of shortcuts, one-click…
P2P Lending With Honeycomb
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a joyful and well deserved holiday season with family, friends and loved ones. As we kick off 2025, I wanted to share little something I have been experimenting with. I’ve decided to sink cash in Honeycomb this year because I like the simplicity of the platform and the…
Texas Size 4-Bedroom Townhouse (Houston)
After a year of casual deliberation we have extended our stay in Texas, moving into a new and much larger townhouse in the process. Last year, we made a pit stop in Texas to visit family and friends as we worked our way back to the East Coast to ultimately trade in RV life for…