Look at these two questions used in a new study (of 3,000 people) of people approaching retirement and think about how you might answer them … 1. You just learned that you are due a tax refund. If you’d like, you can get the $1,000 refund right away. Alternatively, you can get a $1,100 refund in 10 months. Which do you prefer? 2. You just … Continue reading ‘Marshmallow Test’ For Early Retirement
Today’s graphic is purely tongue-in-cheek. The fact is, I like Black Friday sales. I even went shopping last night when the Target store opened at 6:00pm on Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday retail season. I wasn’t the only one there, of course, there were likely more than a thousand people waiting in line to get a hot price on a TV, microwave, or giant … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Black Friday Craziness
How do you decide when you are ready to retire? For some, it is when you reach a certain number of dollars – your ‘F-Off’ number that represents financial independence. For others, it is a specific date, Come hell-or-high water, they are going to walk off the job on the date they’ve always planned – age 55, age 60, or any age they want, regardless … Continue reading FIRE Milestones – Dollar Number or Date?
Next week is Thanksgiving and while the years can certainly have their ups-and-downs, I continue to have a lot to be thankful for – both the people in my life and the blessings we have received. When I reflect back on our journey to financial independence and retiring early (FIRE), I think a lot about the twists and turns that shaped my career and life. … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Opening Doors
I wasn’t sure how many ‘parts’ there may be to our health insurance open enrollment this year, but we got it sorted out pretty quickly. While the cost increases are dramatic, the fact that there are actually less options to look at makes the shopping process relatively quick. Not painless, but quick. You’ll remember from our earlier post that our incumbent health insurance provider was … Continue reading Early Retiree Health Insurance – Open Enrollment (Part 2)
With the Presidential election behind us and a new one-party led government in Washington DC, it is likely we will see much more change on economic policies than we seen in almost a decade. I’m excited to see if the new President and Congress take action on some of the four areas outlined in my pre-election post earlier this week. I included this quote from … Continue reading Free To Choose – Economist Milton Friedman
On Sunday’s CBS 60 Minutes, they reported that 82% of likely voters are more disgusted than excited for the election. Regardless of your politics, neither candidate gets high marks for trustworthiness and there is a lack of confidence that the country is heading in the right direction. On this day before Election Day, I thought I would comment on the four key things that will … Continue reading What The New President and Congress Need To Address
For many people, travel is one of the KEY reasons they pursue early retirement. This article from CNBC shows it as the top thing people look forward to in retirement. I’ve been talking a lot to people about their post-FIRE travel plans and all of the interesting places they have gone and hope to go to. One friend has a terrific trip to Europe planned … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Travel Experiences
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