Welcome to FI Fighter! My name is Jay, and I’m so glad that you decided to stop by!

This blog started in 2012, and over the years I’ve written many posts… Unfortunately, for anyone new to the site, it can feel kind of like a scavenger hunt trying to look for and pinpoint some of the more useful articles…

So, let’s try and save you some time!

Here you will find a collection of what I feel are the most important posts that I’ve published on this blog.

Enjoy!

*Highlighted in BOLD are the articles that I would highly recommend you start with, or focus on the most…

Last Updated: July 24, 2018

Start Here

• My Most Important Post Ever; 8/1/17

• Dear Diary – I Dare You to Be You; 6/29/16

 

• Mining Stocks – Rules of the Game; 2/3/17

• Mining Stocks – Why You Should NOT Fixate on the OTC Markets; 6/15/16

 

• Real Estate Investing – Why I Hate Class C Properties; 10/23/17

• Real Estate Investing – Identifying and Searching for Future Class A/Tier 1 Properties; 7/24/18

• Real Estate Investing – Learning from My Mistakes; 7/23/18

• Second Life – Picking Up the Pieces and Starting Over (Again); 7/20/18

• Moving On – New Beginnings (Good Riddance to Junk Properties)!; 7/18/18

 

• Conviction Ideas – Bonifacio Global City (BGC); 11/10/18

• People Are People; 11/9/18

 

• Blind Dart Investing (June 03, 2016); 6/3/16

• How I Walked Away From A $200,000/Year “Dream Job” At 31 To Live My Life; 3/27/16

• Real Estate Investing: My Golden Ticket to Early Financial Freedom; 3/9/16

• No Regrets – Walking Away from $200,000/year; 3/7/16

• I Quit My Job – The Next Chapter Begins NOW; 3/5/16

• Greed – The Most Addicting Drug Out There!; 1/22/16

• Precious Metals: Staying the Course (January 19, 2016); 1/19/16

• Want to Become a Millionaire? Think like a Geologist; 1/3/16

 

• Real Estate Investing: Principal Paydown (The Most Unappreciated Pillar); 12/10/15

• Precious Metals: Nitpicking the Bottom; 12/7/15

• Precious Metals: My Bear Market Strategy; 12/5/15

• Commodities Make For Terrible Long-Term Investments; 12/3/15

• House Hacking: The ABSOLUTE Key to Early FI; 12/1/15

• Precious Metals Are Dirt Cheap; 11/27/15

• Bottom of the Market Investor Psychology; 11/24/15

• Seeing the BIG Picture; 10/7/15

• Deep Value Investing: Turning to Gold and Silver (September 20, 2015); 9/15/15

• Early FI: Be a Fan of Opportunity; 8/13/15

• Converting Net Worth into Cash Flow; 8/10/15

• Market Cycles: How to Build Wealth Quickly; 7/30/15

• Winning With Class A Properties; 3/31/15

 

• How I Got Started in Real Estate Investing; 5/27/14

• Real Estate Investing: Buy and Hold Strategy (Residential Properties); 4/24/14

• REITs vs. Rental Property (Comparing Apples to Oranges); 4/8/14

• Real Estate Investing: How to Read a Pro Forma Statement; 2/17/14

• Financial Independence: Visualize the End Game (Then Work Backwards); 2/4/14

 

• Financial Independence: Two Years Ago (November 27, 2011); 11/27/13

• You Only Live Once (YOLO) Every 7 Years; 11/25/13

• Leverage: The Key to Amassing Massive Wealth; 7/7/13

• Portfolio Update: New Subtraction (CMI, APD, EXC, and EMR; January 17, 2013); 1/17/13

 

• When is Enough…Enough?; 11/27/12

• Where Do You See Yourself in the Next 4 years?; 11/10/12

• Real Estate Rental Property #2 Search (November 6, 2012); 11/6/12

• Real Estate Rental Property Update (August 02, 2012); 8/2/12

• Spend the Day at the Lake; 2/8/12

 

Early FI

• *Repeat* People Are People; 11/9/18

• Early FI – Forge Your Own Path; 8/7/16

• My Simple (Beautiful) Life; 7/26/16

• *Repeat* Dear Diary – I Dare You to Be You; 6/29/16

• *Repeat* How I Walked Away From A $200,000/Year “Dream Job” At 31 To Live My Life; 3/27/16

• Don’t Sell Yourself Short… Ever; 3/25/16

• *Repeat* No Regrets – Walking Away from $200,000/year; 3/7/16

• *Repeat* I Quit My Job – The Next Chapter Begins NOW; 3/5/16

 

• *Repeat* House Hacking: The ABSOLUTE Key to Early FI; 12/1/15

• Part 4: How I Became a Millionaire at Age 30 (2012); 8/5/15

• Part 3: How I Became a Millionaire at Age 30 (The Red Pill); 7/28/15

• Part 2: How I Became a Millionaire at Age 30 (Early Career); 7/12/15

• Part 1: How I Became a Millionaire at Age 30; 7/10/15

• June 2015 Net Worth Update; 7/3/15

 

• My Awesomely Pitiful Performance Review (March 28, 2014); 3/27/14

• The Demise of My Engineering Career: From Inception to Burnout; 3/14/14

• Financial Independence: You May Need Less Than You Realize; 2/27/14

• Year 3: The Conservator (2014); 2/6/14

• *Repeat* Financial Independence: Visualize the End Game (Then Work Backwards); 2/4/14

 

• *Repeat* Financial Independence: Two Years Ago (November 27, 2011); 11/27/13

• *Repeat* You Only Live Once (YOLO) Every 7 Years; 11/25/13

• Year 2: The Grind (2013); 1/29/13

 

• *Repeat* When is Enough…Enough?; 11/27/12

• *Repeat* Where Do You See Yourself in the Next 4 years?; 11/10/12

• *Repeat* Spend the Day at the Lake; 2/8/12

 

Contrarian Mindset

• *Repeat* Conviction Ideas – Bonifacio Global City (BGC); 11/10/18

 

• Selling at All-Time Highs Is Now Considered Contrarian!; 9/24/16

• Starving for Yield – The Passive Income and Cash Flow Trap; 9/19/16

• Market Manipulation – It Happens All the Time (Get Used to It); 8/17/16

• Saying What Needs to Be Said; 7/30/16

• Setting Goals… What’s That? (July 29, 2016); 7/29/16

• Buying Real Devastation – Forget the “Dividends”; 2/5/16

• Portfolio Update: It’s Beet Red These Days! (January 12, 2016); 1/12/16

 

• Not All Haircuts Are the Same; 12/15/15

• The Retail Crowds…; 12/9/15

• Taking Advantage of a STRONG US DOLLAR; 12/3/15

• *Repeat* Bottom of the Market Investor Psychology; 11/24/15

• Portfolio Update: It’s Beet Red These Days! (November 12, 2015); 11/12/15

• Deflation: Who Would Have Thought?; 7/22/15

• Moving On…; 5/29/15

• Purchasing Precious Metals (Hope for the Best…Plan for the Worst); 5/27/15

• Overheated Markets (I’m Confused); 5/23/15

• Why Cash Is King; 5/19/15

• Shift In Strategy: How I’m Preparing For a Market Crash; 5/12/15

• Walking Away From A Deal: Even When the Numbers Make Sense; 4/13/15

• Greed and the Fear Of Missing Out; 4/10/15

 

Humble Pie (My Worst Ideas…)

• Pure Energy Minerals – Avoid This Stock for Now (May 10, 2016); 5/10/16

 

• Rubicon (RBY/RMX.TO) Update (October 05, 2015); 12/5/15

• Dividend Growth Trading; 5/22/15

• Time In the Market Is What Matters Most: “Overpaying” For Quality Investments; 4/30/15

• Portfolio Update: New Subtraction and Addition (EMR and CELG; April 06, 2015); 4/6/15

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (AMGN; April 01, 2015); 4/1/15

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (TD and T; March 10, 2015); 3/10/15

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (KO and EMR; March 06, 2015); 3/6/15

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (GILD; February 27, 2015); 2/27/15

• My Portfolio: I Hope This Works Fund (2015); 2/23/15

• Investing in Individual Stocks (Why I Do It); 2/20/15

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (AXP; February 17, 2015); 2/17/15

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (CVX and CAT; January 29, 2015); 1/29/15

 

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (CVX; December 15, 2014); 12/15/14

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (BABA; November 17, 2014); 11/17/14

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (BABA; November 12, 2014); 11/12/14

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (BABA; September 19, 2014); 9/19/14

 

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (LNCO; December 31, 2012); 12/31/12

• Portfolio Update: New Subtraction (RIG and SDRL; November 5, 2012); 12/5/12

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (LNCO; November 1, 2012); 12/1/12

• Portfolio Update: New Addition (EXC; September 5, 2012); 9/5/12

 

Precious Metals

General Education

• Mining Stocks – The Importance of Diversification; 2/6/17

• *Repeat* Mining Stocks – Rules of the Game; 2/3/17

 

• The Next Big Rush – Getting Properly Educated in Mining Stocks; 9/2/16

• How to Make Money with Mining Stocks (A Simple Chart); 8/30/16

• When to Sell Gold and Silver Mining Stocks?; 8/1/16

• Market Timing – Waiting for That Fat Pitch; 9/28/16

• Precious Metals – A Store of Value (Real Money); 6/21/16

• *Repeat* Mining Stocks – Why You Should NOT Fixate on the OTC Markets; 6/15/16

• Don’t Fall in Love with Stocks – The Anatomy of a Pump and Dump (MUST WATCH); 5/22/16

• Mining Stocks – Go Outside Just Your Own Borders; 5/20/16

• Sell Your Losers and Move On; 5/14/16

• *Repeat* Want to Become a Millionaire? Think like a Geologist; 1/3/16

 

• *Repeat* Precious Metals: Nitpicking the Bottom; 12/7/15

• *Repeat* Precious Metals: My Bear Market Strategy; 12/5/15

• *Repeat* Commodities Make For Terrible Long-Term Investments; 12/3/15

• *Repeat* Precious Metals Are Dirt Cheap; 11/27/15

• Mining All-Star Lineup: My $100,000 Lottery Ticket(s); 10/28/15

• *Repeat* Deep Value Investing: Turning to Gold and Silver (September 20, 2015); 9/15/15

• *Repeat* Moving On…; 5/29/15

• *Repeat* Purchasing Precious Metals (Hope for the Best…Plan for the Worst); 5/27/15

 

Here’s what buying when nobody gives a shit looks like.

• Portfolio Update: Reshuffling the Deck (December 17, 2016); 12/17/16

• Precious Metals – It’s Been a Rough Ride to Say the Least (December 17, 2016); 12/17/16

• Portfolio Update: Adding to My Best Ideas (November 28, 2016); 11/28/16

• Precious Metals Mining Stocks – More Pain to Come? (November 23, 2016); 11/23/16

• Precious Metals – A Massacre in the Making (November 11, 2016); 11/11/16

• Portfolio Update: It’s Beet Red These Days! (November 10, 2016); 11/10/16

• *Repeat* Precious Metals: Staying the Course (January 19, 2016); 1/19/16

• Portfolio Update: What Should I Buy? (January 14, 2016); 1/14/16

• *Repeat* Portfolio Update: It’s Beet Red These Days! (January 12, 2016); 1/12/16

• Portfolio Update: Building My Positions (January 08, 2016); 1/8/16

• Portfolio Update: Building My Positions (January 07, 2016); 1/7/16

 

• Portfolio Update: Building My Positions (December 31, 2015); 12/31/15

• Portfolio Update: Building My Positions (December 18, 2015); 12/18/15

• Portfolio Update: Building My Positions (December 17, 2015); 12/17/15

• Portfolio Update: Building My Positions (December 11, 2015); 12/11/15

• Portfolio Update: Building My Positions (December 01, 2015); 12/1/15

• *Repeat* Portfolio Update: It’s Beet Red These Days! (November 12, 2015); 11/12/15

• Portfolio Update: Building My Positions (November 05, 2015); 11/5/15

• Portfolio Update: Building My Positions (October 29, 2015); 10/29/15

• Portfolio Update: Building My Positions (October 16, 2015); 10/16/15

 

Conviction Ideas

• Conviction Ideas – Critical Elements (CRE.V/CRECF); 10/6/16

• Portfolio Update: Adding to My Best Ideas (September 09, 2016); 9/9/16

• Portfolio Update: Adding to My Best Ideas (September 08, 2016); 9/8/16

• Portfolio Update: Adding to My Best Ideas (September 01, 2016); 9/1/16

 

Arbitrage Opportunities

• Portfolio Update: Amara Mining Opportunity (April 11, 2016); 4/11/16

• Portfolio Update: Adding Shares of Perseus Mining (April 08, 2016); 4/8/16

 

• Picking Up Free Money: GCU.V and FF.V Arbitrage Opportunity (October 04, 2015); 10/4/15

 

Lithium

General Education

• Renewable Energy – No Turning Back Now (June 16, 2016); 6/16/16

• Disruptive Technology – Always Underestimated; 6/4/16

• Lithium – Analyzing Both Supply and Demand; 5/22/16

 

Tough Times

• Lithium – A Most Hated Sector (August 16, 2016); 8/16;16

• Lithium – The Mining Stocks Are Getting Hammered (July 21, 2016); 7/21/16

 

Real Estate

• *Repeat* Conviction Ideas – Bonifacio Global City (BGC); 11/10/18

• *Repeat* Real Estate Investing – Identifying and Searching for Future Class A/Tier 1 Properties; 7/24/18

• *Repeat* Real Estate Investing – Learning from My Mistakes; 7/23/18

• *Repeat* Second Life – Picking Up the Pieces and Starting Over (Again); 7/20/18

• *Repeat* Moving On – New Beginnings (Good Riddance to Junk Properties)!; 7/18/18

• *Repeat* Real Estate Investing – Why I Hate Class C Properties; 10/23/17

• *Repeat* My Most Important Post Ever; 8/1/17

• *Repeat* Real Estate Investing: My Golden Ticket to Early Financial Freedom; 3/9/16

• Real Estate Investing: Working Around the Underwriting Guidelines to Your Advantage; 12/21/15

• *Repeat* Real Estate Investing: Principal Paydown (The Most Unappreciated Pillar); 12/10/15

• *Repeat* House Hacking: The ABSOLUTE Key to Early FI; 12/1/15

• Real Estate Investing: Turnkey Investing Podcast with Brie Schmidt and FI Fighter; 8/20/15

• Turnkey Investing: The Hidden Costs You Should Know About; 5/15/15

• Real Estate Investing: Why You Should Consider Partnership Deals; 4/27/15

• *Repeat* Walking Away From A Deal: Even When the Numbers Make Sense; 4/13/15

• Greed and the Fear Of Missing Out; 4/10/15

• *Repeat* Winning With Class A Properties; 3/31/15

• Cash Flow is NOT Always King (Why Appreciation Matters); 3/26/15

• Real Estate Investing: The Quickest Path to Early FI (I Should Have Done This!); 1/2/15

 

• Real Estate Investing: The Exit Strategy; 7/24/14

• *Repeat* How I Got Started in Real Estate Investing; 5/27/14

• Turnkey Investing: Ways to Mitigate Risk for Out-of-State Investors; 5/22/14

• *Repeat* Real Estate Investing: Buy and Hold Strategy (Residential Properties); 4/24/14

• *Repeat* REITs vs. Rental Property (Comparing Apples to Oranges); 4/8/14

• Turnkey Investing: Questions to Ask the Seller; 3/12/14

• Real Estate Investing: The First Investment is the Scariest; 3/11/14

• *Repeat* Real Estate Investing: How to Read a Pro Forma Statement; 2/17/14

• Real Estate Investing: My Biggest Mistakes Made So Far (February 12, 2014); 2/12/14

• Real Estate Investing: Accept These Truths Before Buying; 2/10/14

 

• Real Estate Investing: Want It Done Right? Don’t Do Everything Yourself!; 12/18/13

• How to Quickly and Easily Evaluate a Real Estate Deal: The 1% Rule; 10/26/13

• *Repeat* Leverage: The Key to Amassing Massive Wealth; 7/7/13

• *Repeat* Portfolio Update: New Subtraction (CMI, APD, EXC, and EMR; January 17, 2013); 1/17/13

 

• Real Estate Investing Terms for Beginners; 11/23/12

• *Repeat* Real Estate Rental Property #2 Search (November 6, 2012); 11/6/12

• *Repeat* Real Estate Rental Property Update (August 02, 2012); 8/2/12

 

 

Fight On!