There is probably no luxury that I have done more of an about-face on over the past 20 years than luxury automobiles. My DW and I started out very humbly in our 20s when we got married. We were very practical: she had a 11-year old Ford Fairmont (boring, but mostly reliable). I had managed to drive a few junkers into the ground through college … Continue reading Grown-Up Guilty Pleasure – Luxury Cars
We just finished paying our taxes for 2014. We spent the last month working with our new accountant on the ugliness. I like to think that our taxes are pretty simple – I only work for one company – but yet they always end up being a lot more complicated that I want. And expensive… I am blessed to have a good job and … Continue reading One More Year – Income Tax Bite
“You’ll be bored.” More than anything, that’s the response I expect from friends & family that when I retire early next year. The plan is that it will be just a few weeks short of my fiftieth birthday (‘FIRE by 50’). It’s a worry that increasingly dominates my thoughts. Will I think myself a clever genius for making an early exit from the workforce, or … Continue reading Pre-FIRE Escape – “Not Bored” List
“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now. “ This wise proverb is as important for achieving your early retirement goals as any other virtue in life. It is easy to say that you are too far behind to play catch-up, but if you don’t start now, where will you be? Continue reading Chinese Proverb
It is with true sadness that I read that Dr. Thomas Stanley, co-author of the Millionaire Next Door, was killed recently in an unfortunate car accident. Reuters wrote that “Stanley was killed Saturday afternoon when a car slammed into his vehicle near his home in Marietta, Georgia.” Stanley researched the lives of American “high net worth individuals” – millionaires – and found that they … Continue reading Millionaire Next Door – Thomas Stanley RIP
I enjoy “living the good life” parables like this that help put put the concept of “Life > Money” in perspective … it’s featured in most Jimmy John’s sandwich shops … HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? “The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large … Continue reading How Much Is Enough? – Jimmy John’s
The stock market is off to a challenging start this year. This is a bit worrisome as I am now approaching the 1 year mark of my expected early retirement. Year to date the S&P500 is down slightly, and the one MegaCorp I hold a disproportionate amount of share in (former employer) is down -3%. Not huge declines obviously, but the closer I get … Continue reading Slow Market Start In Final Year
A strange thing happened to me at church on Sunday morning. The service had just ended, and my wife was chatting with another woman about getting together for dinner next weekend. While I was waiting, one of our pastors came over and asked me how I was doing. I figured he was just making small talk – but he said that he had really been … Continue reading Divine Guidance?
One of the things I’ve started to do is to meet with people I know who retired early themselves. Many of them are old coworkers or folks that I have met along life’s journey and it is good to tap into their wisdom and to catch up with some old friends. I will post a bit about these meetings I’ve had. Today I met up … Continue reading Early Retirement – Getting Advice One Cup At A Time
I started this blog in January and have been counting down the time to my expected early retirement on April 1, 2016. With February now complete, I have just 13 months more to go. I am capturing my thoughts and creating a countdown checklist each month, so that others can follow along and perhaps learn from my approach. I am sure like a lot of … Continue reading FIRE Escape – Early Retirement 13 Month Countdown
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