FIRE Planning For The Inevitable Future

I’ve been writing about personal finance and early retirement for more than two years now and have managed to not mention the topic of life expectancy once.  Since there are only three real variables to use in planning for retirement – spending, investments, and life expectancy – after over 250 posts to this site, you can see how clever I’ve been in avoiding this ‘inevitable’ … Continue reading FIRE Planning For The Inevitable Future

Financial Analysis: The Impact of Trading Up Houses on Early Retirement

. If you ask many people what defines the American Dream, they would say ‘owning your own home’.  For decades, home ownership defined what being independent and successful looked like.  More than just shelter, a home is viewed as an ever-giving fountain of financial security and status. That being the case, it is not surprising that Americans have poured more and more of their wealth … Continue reading Financial Analysis: The Impact of Trading Up Houses on Early Retirement

FIRE Station Fun – Birthday Freedom

It’s hard to think about financial independence and retiring early separate from the concept of AGE.  I’ve been early retired for a year now and I get the questions constantly: How old are you?  You look too young to be retired?  What will you do for the rest of your life? I retired two weeks short of my fiftieth birthday last year, and TODAY – … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Birthday Freedom

Gold – An Investment in Fear?

“If the value of the dollar goes crazy, owning gold gives me peace of mind,” says a friend of mine that is a certified ‘gold bug’.  He believes that gold – as the ultimate basic currency – is a hedge against a sudden global geopolitical event that undermines the international system of currency. Gold is frequently in the news, featured on late night TV, and … Continue reading Gold – An Investment in Fear?

FIRE Station Fun – Cleaning Stuff Up

There is probably no one more quotable when it comes to personal finance and lifestyle advice than Ben Franklin.  A prolific quipster, his proverbs on money and our relationship with it are short, snappy, and typically spot-on.  Much of our cultural ethos on work and money come from Ben’s writings in his Poor Richard’s Almanac.   It is a book I think I will add to my … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Cleaning Stuff Up

FIRE Milestones – Six Steps For Planning Retirement Spending

Now that we are past the one year anniversary of our early retirement in 2016, I promise I will get back to more posts that focus on the personal finance side as opposed to the lifestyle side of the change …  I’ve written about a lot of the MILESTONES that led to our early retirement last year, but someone recently pointed out that I haven’t … Continue reading FIRE Milestones – Six Steps For Planning Retirement Spending