Today’s the final day of packing for our first-ever retirement snowbird getaway. We leave for Florida tomorrow for our extended escape from the Minnesota deep freeze. Related: 2020 Snowbirding Practice Since we haven’t done a 3+ week trip ever before, packing is a bit different. We need to pack like we are going on vacation for sure, since we will be in Orlando. But, at … Continue reading Snowbird Packing
Since folks know that I write this personal finance blog, people have been interested in the financial side of the sudden surprise of my heart attack. While not all of the numbers are in yet, it looks to be less expensive than I thought. It seems like I often read about people racking up tens of thousands of dollars of medical bills when something serious … Continue reading How Much Did That Heart Attack Cost?
Every four years is a ‘quadrennium’. I’m not sure if there is something special about a four year cycle, but universities, leap years, Olympics, Presidential elections, and many other things are set up on the cycle of a quadrennium. Unlike Picasso, I can’t imagine learning to paint like Raphael in just four years, but I guess a lot can be accomplished. This week is special … Continue reading Four Years Is A ‘Quadrennium’
A survey in a recent online group asked early retirees if they work with a professional financial advisor. I was surprised to see that the great majority (about two-thirds) of folks did not. While I always tell people you need to be knowledgeable enough to be your own primary financial advisor, it’s nice to have a professional financial advisor as a secondary resource. That is, … Continue reading Do You Have A Financial Advisor?
It’s been a few years since I lamented recurring payment schemes that many companies advance now a days. When I first wrote about this, I had five different subscription-based purchases … Link: The Ongoing Drip of Subscription Purchases My goal at the time was to trim some of them back. Who needs so many, anyway? Of course, the road to hell is paved with good … Continue reading Drip Payments Gradually Accelerate
We had a corporate doctor at MegaCorp who politely reminded people that if they are over 35 years old, you are much more likely to pass away from a heart attack than anything else. You can see it on this infographic form the UK’s National Health Service (2015): Still, I was surprised by my heart attack the day after Christmas. Many people have asked me … Continue reading Have Some Heart
I used to think that I was pretty organized. My wife and I both value keeping our house neat and our files and records are no exception. January is the time of year that we generally deep-dive into making sure that everything is properly updated. Related: Annual Round-Up Day This year has shaken me from that confidence. After having my heart attack the day after … Continue reading Getting Much More Organized
One thing I paid zero attention to at the end of 2019 – when I had my heart attack – was how great the financial markets finished the year. Thank goodness the markets weren’t collapsing the way that they had at the end of 2018, or maybe I would have had a double heart attack! Now that I’m back home and recovering, I thought I … Continue reading Great Markets In 2019
It was a cool moment. When my father retired in 1993, he made a gesture out of taking off his watch at his retirement party and saying that he would never wear a watch again. I thought that was very provocative, so in 2016, I did the same thing at my own retirement party. I had a couple nice watches, including the first-generation Apple Watch, … Continue reading Times Up?
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