Tomorrow is February 1st, which is fourteen months from the day that I expect to leave my job financially independent & retired early (FIRE by Fifty). I thought I would close out each month between now and then with an update on my plans and the key activities I am focused on in my preparation. First, I will note that the stock market has been … Continue reading FIRE Escape – Early Retirement 14 Months Countdown
My son and I went to the local camping store prior to taking a canoeing trip with his Boy Scout Troop. Since we were going to be roughing it for almost a week, it seemed wise to invest in some rain gear in case we got up to the park and ended up with a few days of rain. Because I am not the most … Continue reading Thrifty Thursday – Extended Warranty Silliness
Saving for FIRE is the last thing on the minds of most people. Although almost everyone dreams of being financially independent and retiring early, very few are doing anything about it. Americans saved just 4.4% of their income in 2014, according to the latest figures from a report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. I’m guessing that is much too low to reach the … Continue reading Bank Your Raises To Catch FIRE
If you look at the books on my Links tab, you’ll notice that I included Jane Bryant Quinn’s Making The Most of Your Money on the list. I’ve been relying on this book as a key gospel for our household financial planning for many years. She is very complete, keeps money matters simple, and has a nice conversational writing quality. Here’s a link to her … Continue reading Early Retirement Checklist – Jane Bryant Quinn
As I’ve written before, I have been fortunate to have a great career that has made saving for FIRE easier than many. Not that I didn’t still work very hard and make strategic choices along the way. One company move I made at age 46, basically made my DW & I financially independent (reached FI) within a year of taking it. I’ve now been at … Continue reading FIRE Announcement – A Conversation I Look Forward To
About 10 years ago, when I was in my late thirties, one of my first bosses announced his retirement from the Megacorp we both worked for. Bob is a quiet, intelligent – truly thoughtful guy – who seemed better than most at understanding how to balance the stresses of work and home. I was quite surprised to hear that he was retiring because I didn’t … Continue reading How Early Is Early Retirement?
The old Diana Ross song asks “Do you know where you are going to?” and many Americans should be asking themselves the same question when it comes to achieving financial independence. You can’t reach a goal you haven’t adequately envisioned for yourself and reaching FIRE is a very big vision indeed. The best place to start is by understanding what you are spending today. If … Continue reading Do You Know Where You Are Going To?
How can you find a secure 5-15% return on your investment with NO risk at all? Simple – start paying off your debts. The FIRE lifestyle begins with paying off the bank, credit cards & mortgage. Debt is a four-letter word that needs to be banished from your financial vocabulary. There are a few simple strategies to do so. One approach says to pay off … Continue reading Living Debt Free – That’s Means The Mortgage Too!
Since this is the FIRST post of this new blog, I thought it would only make sense to outline a little of my life-view and financial philosophies. We are what we believe and you can’t understand someone’s behavior if you don’t understand how they view the world. Judging from other people’s actions, the value that I place on financial independence & retiring early (FIRE) isn’t … Continue reading Chief Sparky’s Blog
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