I just discovered that thread and read all 4 pages of postings!
Only one of you mentioned that he states one needs no credit and no credit cards. He pays everything in cash, presumably even his multi-million dollar hillside mansion in Tennessee, and uses his debit card for renting a car, etc. So his FICO is 0 (mine is now 846), which may work for him, but it sure as hell doesn't work for somebody who wants to buy a home or even tries to be considered as a tenant in a competitive rental market. BS alert 1.
None of you have really called him out on his actively managed funds. I have some of those as well (FSPTX, TRBCX, PRGFX), but he says they are superior to index funds as they continuously make him more money. BS alert 2.
And, finally, the "no more than 25% of the take home pay and only a 15-year mortgage."
Let's run some numbers. Let's say a couple in California makes $100,000 together, annually. If they feed their 401Ks and/or IRAs with . . . let's assume $20K total, their take home will be around (just guessing) $60,000. That's $5K per month. 25% of that is $1,250. So here's a math question for you smart people: what loan amount would a 15-year mortgage have that has a monthly payment of no more than $1,250, including property taxes, escrow, etc., and then tell me if they can afford a run-down 1-car garage or a porta-potty on its own land? BS alert 3.