I’ve never been directly accused of being a show off by anyone, but I also don’t hide the fact that I’m a successful early retiree. This past week I had lunch with a MegaCorp friend and he commented on my cool, casual appearance – and what a relaxed existence I seemed to be enjoying. Sure, everyone is more casual these days as they work from … Continue reading Business Casual vs Living Casual
We are blessed to be able to live a comfortable lifestyle in early retirement, by almost anyone’s standards. Our son thinks we are sometimes too frugal, but we’ve enjoyed many vacations, entertainment experiences, and everyday luxuries over the last 4 years. In general, our spending is still in line or even slightly below what we planned for our FIRE escape. Still, like most people, we … Continue reading What Are You Wasting Money on?
For the most part, we are living our lives during the CV19 ‘Lockdown’ without a lot of issues. We are blessed. Fortunately, most of the activities that we enjoy this time of year are outside and that’s about the best place you can be to stay safe and keep others safe. Everyday, in my Facebook ‘History’ feed, I see pictures pop up from great trips … Continue reading Minnesota Getaway
Our son’s college graduation ceremony was cancelled in May due to CV-19. They had a simple online video acknowledgement of the occasion with a few speakers, which was the best they could do during the global pandemic. Our son wasn’t too disappointed, but Mrs. Fire Station was not happy at all. She was really looking forward to seeing him walk across the stage and get … Continue reading A Different Type of Retirement
When people talk about reaching retirement, they often talk about what their ‘number’ is. That is, how big their nest egg needs to be to make them fully financially independent and empowered to walk away from their job into early retirement. The “other number” that people don’t talk so much about is life expectancy or lifespan. Clearly saving for retirement is a function of both … Continue reading Your ‘Other Number’ – Lifespan
People thrive with purpose. When you are working or have kids at home, your purpose is often derived from those things. When you early retire or become empty nesters, you need to find new sources of purpose. Some people do non-profit work, some get involved with their church, and some work on improving their community. People spend a lot of time looking for the right … Continue reading 40 Little Pieces of Purpose
Our son signed up for his company 401k plan as quickly as he could after starting work last month. The company has a good match, but he wants to make sure he is saving as much as he can to really put himself ahead in the future. He wondered how much more he needed to save – beyond the 401k to really be on track … Continue reading Playing The Percentages For Savings
A few weeks ago, a friend from high school posted that her brother had a bad heart attack and was saved by the use of stents, the same as had happened to me. She said he is doing all right, but asked me some questions about my experience as he was being released from the hospital. I hadn’t even realized that the day she contacted … Continue reading Healthy Six Month Check-Up
Inflation is one of the assumptions that our FIRE financial model is the most sensitive to. Even a half percent change in inflation over a 40 year retirement plan is hugely significant. We use an assumption that our spending inflation will be between 2.5-3.0% a year, which is slightly higher than what the official US Consumer Price Index (CPI) has averaged. I’ve read articles in … Continue reading How Fast Are Prices Really Rising?
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