I saw this picture online and it made me think of how much we have changed as a society. Do you remember when we used to go to the grocery store and people weren’t wearing pajamas? It has been a while hasn’t it? I haven’t gotten that bad with my fashions in early retirement yet, although I am much more casual. In the summer, I … Continue reading Remember When …?
I think I just earned a free Apple iPhone 13 Pro. Sort of, anyway. It’s been 12 years since I got my first iPhone in 2008 and I’ve declined AppleCare coverage on every single phone upgrade I’ve had since then. That’s probably 5 different iPhone upgrades. AppleCare coverage is $10/month or a $200 flat fee. 156 months that have passed since I bought my first … Continue reading Free iPhone! (Sort Of)
Here, I’ll say it: I would be willing to pay more taxes. Surprised? Well, there’s a catch. I’ll be willing to pay more taxes if it was combined with reduced government SPENDING to help eliminate federal debt. That’s a small ‘catch’ for ordinary Americans balancing their own checkbooks, but a seemingly impossible catch for politicians. I’m honestly amazed at the amount of taxes the Democrats … Continue reading Tax Increases
I have always loved monthly magazines. Cars, homes, travel, or business – there is something about bright, colorful magazines that fits my ADHD mind. Others can read Dostoyevsky, but give me a Road & Track or Condé Nast Travel and I will be happy. Or, the Robb Report. Launched by Robert “Rusty” White 4 decades ago, the Robb Report sells “Luxury Without Compromise”. I discovered … Continue reading How The Other 0.01% Live
Our FIRE friend, PhysiciansOnFire.com, hosts a Facebook group called ‘FatFIRE’. It’s a place for folks living comfortably, financially independent & retired early (or aspiring to be) can discuss different personal finance topics. It’s a remarkable group with over 18K subscribers. A few days ago, someone posted an interesting question: “What % of your assets are in cryptocurrencies?” (Excluding real estate). I’ve had a long-running interest … Continue reading How Much Are People Betting On Cryptos?
We are enjoying beautiful, early Autumn weather this week as school buses return to the neighborhood. Our sunny, but cooler days have been wonderful for the workmen that have been doing exterior projects on our house. We’ve had the whole house painted for the first time since we built the house 12 years ago. We also had some water damage / siding that needed repair … Continue reading Working / Not Working
I came across this Japanese concept of ‘Ikigai’ when I was watching the Olympics last month from Tokyo. It’s a term to discussing the key dimensions of your ‘reason for being’. This graphic from the Toronto Star is a good look at it, although you will find many others on the internet as well. You can see that Ikigai represents the intersection of 4 overlapping … Continue reading Ikigai in FIRE
I will be 68 years old in 2034. That’s the year that the latest Social Security budget forecast says it will start to run out of money and be unable to pay its full benefits. I will only have been receiving the benefits for 1 year at that point. Related: Social Security Running Out Sooner Than Expected It may not seem like an urgent matter, … Continue reading Social Security Waning
The Minnesota State Fair – is the traditional end to Summer in our state. The 12-day event started last Thursday and will end on Labor Day Monday. In our family, we mark the exact moment the summer ends by saying that it happens when one of us sips a glass of cold apple cider at the Minnesota Apple Growers booth at the State Fair. Sorry, … Continue reading Which Season?
Our puppy chewed up the corner of one of our bath mats this week. He doesn’t do that too often anymore. We’re not sure why he suddenly gnawed it up. It wasn’t a big loss as it gave us a chance to look for a new one. We went to Macy’s at the mall yesterday because they seemed to have a big selection. It’s hard … Continue reading Pricing Too Good To Last
