Rockstar Rumble, Round 3, Posts 17-24

Here are the latest games in the third round of the 2019 Rockstar Rumble. We've listed each "game" (one post versus another) along with wording provided by the author when the post was submitted. Also listed is a keyword after each post title to make it easy to vote. Be sure to vote for your favorites since you will help determine the winner! Criteria for the best article is what makes Rockstar content which includes these factors:

  • Starts with an interesting title
  • Includes unique content — we like posts that are edgy, feisty, funny, failure-focused, and super helpful
  • Easy to read
  • Positive/uplifting (vs. negative)

The voting will run for 48 hours. At that point, a winner will be named and will advance. You can follow the results in the brackets here. Please note, there is ONE VOTE PER PERSON. To be sure you see all games, click on the Rumble category link and scroll down. If you like great posts like these featured, you can subscribe to the Rockstar Finance weekday email and get the best personal finance articles delivered to your inbox. Today's games are brought to you by Mediavine, a full-service ad management solution for digital content creators. Here are today's games: GAME 9

  • FIRE. RIP. 2014-2018 (RIP) -- A thought provoking post that explains the why FIRE is flawed and the fundamental problems with FIRE. Why we are giving up FIRE in the traditional sense and what we are doing instead.

VERSUS

  • 5 Alternatives to Financial Independence That Everyone Should Know (Alternatives) -- This post explores alternatives to the cliche financial independence narrative of save 50%+ of your income for ten years and then live frugally for 40+ years. The examples in this post demonstrate that at different stages of life you can employ different strategies to be independent and live a life of self-direction and adventure.

[poll id="237"] GAME 10

  • Loneliness and Sadness in Early Retirement (Sadness) -- Everyone wants early retirement to be filled with rainbows, unicorns, and shooting stars. Yet the reality is, there are moments of loneliness and sadness in early retirement. In this post I explore those emotions and look at how I have been able to overcome them and enjoy my early retirement.

VERSUS

  • The One Way To Fast Track Your Financial Independence (Fast) -- Achieving Financial Independence is less about the maths and more about Design Thinking and bringing Creativity and Imagination to the FI framework. This post explores why Personal Development is the one way to fast track your financial independence. It offers practical tips on how to develop personally, and makes it clear why not everyone will achieve Financial Independence.

[poll id="238"] GAME 11

  • Flexible FIRE (Flexible) -- Although typical FIRE (Financial Independence/Retiring Early) gets all the attention and accolades these days across the interwebs, its lesser known relative Flexible FIRE deserves a serious look as well. Flexible FIRE is having enough of a nest egg (that will continue to grow over the years), combined with one or more sources of income, to provide the financial confidence and flexibility in life you are looking for. 

VERSUS

  • I Thought I was Lean FIRE. I'm Not. (Not) -- 2018 was the year of new FIRE acronyms. Lean FIRE, Fat FIRE, FIOR... there are so many ways to categorize a journey to financial independence, and there's nothing wrong with that. Before I had heard of Lean FIRE, I always assumed my FI route would be of the more frugal variety. If anything, the conversations and countless posts from throughout this year helped me realize that I'm anything but.

[poll id="239"] GAME 12

  • Putting in the Work; How to Get Everything You Want in Life (Work) -- To truly make an impact in any area of life, especially your finances, the single greatest variable is how much work you put into it. You can't expect to retire early or even retire comfortably if all you ever do is go to Starbucks and think about how you need to set a budget or even track your spending. The best part about work is you control 100% of it. Its not about who your parents are, how lucky you are , or anything else. Its on you.

VERSUS

  • 67 Great Frugal Tips to Make You Wealthier Today (Wealthier) -- An army exists out on the horizon and they’re closing for an attack against us. They’ve chosen a unique cache of weapons and are prepared to use them to the last soldier. With student loans, credit card debt with huge interest rates, and other forms of bad debt, you may think we’re out gunned. But we are not defenseless - we too are armed to the teeth for victory in this war! These 67 Great Frugal Tips are what we’ll use to fight back and achieve victory!!

[poll id="240"]