Today’s quote is absolutely true. People probably waste more money on cars than almost any other depreciating assets in their lives. I worked at a car dealer when I was in college and I still remember with shock how ‘upside down’ people would get in their cars and then rollover their debt to even newer cars on 60 and 72 month loans. That said, I … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Ridiculous Cars
Having enough money to support the lifestyle you planned for early retirement is the key concern for many people on their path to financial independence and retiring early (FIRE). The awesome website early-retirement.org had an interesting discussion recently over how much people are spending in early retirement: more, less,or about what they expected to spend before they left their jobs. For us, our spending has … Continue reading Unexpected Expenses In Early Retirement?
Several weeks ago I wrote about being back on campus and auditing a Sociology class at our local university, where my son is a freshman this year. The school has a ‘Parents on Campus’ program that allows parents to take up to two classes each semester for free. Before starting the class, I realized that it probably would be awkward to be a fifty year … Continue reading Old Guy On Campus – Early Reflections
I picked today’s quote – not because I am a big fan of budgeting – but because I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey. I wrote about my reluctance to spend my time budgeting a few weeks ago, but I realize it is an important bridge to financial independence for many people. These are the folks that Dave Ramsey focuses on in his daily … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Bridge To The Future
Summer is over and I’m reflecting today on how quickly it seemed to go by. I thought time might slow down in early retirement, but it turns out that it feels about as quick as when I was working full time. While I certainly have more time, it still cruises by unexpectedly fast. The change of seasons seems to heighten the speed of life. I … Continue reading Time Cruises In Early Retirement
The shower head in our bathroom is starting to drip. Our house is about seven years old and I’m sure there is some rubber washer that probably needs to be worn out. Now that I early retired, I guess I am going to have to figure out how to fix it. It’s not the only drip that happens at our house that probably needs tending … Continue reading Drip-Drip-Drip: Reoccurring Payment Schemes
I have friend who has been talking about retirement as an opportunity for ‘rewirement‘ – that is to rewire, “our minds, our bodies, and our plans for years of continued growth ahead.” I agree, and as I’ve said before, it is a big, wonderful world and my goal in early retirement is to soak in all of its wonderfulness. To that end, and on a … Continue reading Back To Campus in Early Retirement
For today’s Mr.FireStation post, I decided to turn the space over to my 18 year old son who starts his freshman year of college on Wednesday. Just as MRS FireStation posted her perspective on our early retirement a few weeks ago, I thought it would be interesting to hear from the other member of our nuclear family. “What does your Dad do for a living?” … Continue reading “What Does Your Dad Do For A Living?”
Today is the day that our only child leaves for his freshman year of college. It’s a big day that we’ve been looking toward since we brought him home as a newborn baby more than eighteen years ago. It is with deeply mixed feelings that we send him off – happy to see him growing and getting to do amazing things, but also sorry to … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Learning Independence
I’m dying early, it seems. I didn’t realize it, but a recent Oregon State University study claims to show that people that retire early are “11% more likely” to die earlier than those that work past age 65. Perhaps reaching FIRE (financial independence and retiring early) is bad for my health? The 18 year long study (1992-2010) had ~2,500 participants and showed that 12% of … Continue reading Death by FIRE?
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