We are in the home stretch, indeed. This is the January month end report of our journey to financial independence & retiring early (“FIRE”). It was a full year ago I published the first of this countdown series, when I was 14 months away from the date. Each month I try to recap the key events & decisions that are made in hopes that someone … Continue reading Early Retirement FIRE Escape – Two Months To Go!
I am less than two weeks from turning in my formal notice at MegaCorp and doing my best to savor the elements of my work that have been my focus for the last 26+ years. One observation I am having is how much personal commitment companies pull out of their best employees. People get very engaged in MegaCorp’s priorities, problems and needs – sometimes at … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Plan On It
I read with great interest this blog post from about 7 years ago when RetiringSyd.com wrote about the impact of early retirement on her relationship with her husband. Not only did her thoughts mirror recent conversations my dear wife and I have been having, but the comment section had the experiences of many others living with their spouse 24×7 for the first time. Certainly the … Continue reading A Place To Not Work – Home Office Update
Since it’s still January, it’s not too late to reflect on 2015, is it? Maggie Banks at NorthernExpenditure.com recently posted a provacative post on “bucket lists” and her twist on the idea that she calls her “Fill Your Bucket List”. The concept is “Instead of making a list of things you would like to see happen in your life, a fill-the-bucket list focuses on the … Continue reading Fill Your Bucket List – Memorable Travels
My son passed along an observation that is set up in a ‘Devil’s Triangle’ fashion … When you are a kid, you have time & energy – but no money When you are an adult, you have money & energy – but no time When you are retired, you have money & time – but no energy The only solution for this is early retirement, … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Life’s Devil’s Triangle
A terrific thing happened at work yesterday. One of our very capable managers came in my office and said, “I’m retiring!” It was the first time in my 27 year career that anyone on my team had retired (that will tell you about culture of the MegaCorp’s I have worked for). I was SO excited for him. He’s about 7 years older than I am, … Continue reading Up, Up & Away … Early Retirement
Like anything, reaching the goal of early retirement starts with a choice to start seriously planning toward it. In sequence, picking a retirement age to shoot for is the first of one’s MILESTONES toward a life of financial independence and retiring early. This is the starting point at which you start hatching a financial plan and start making decisions to focus on it. For us, … Continue reading FIRE Milestones – Picking An Early Retirement Age
Image Credit: MrFireStation.com Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Monday’s Penance
It’s easy to look back on all of the money you’ve made over the years and wonder “Where did the money go?” It’s a common thought – that we have squandered years of toil and trouble at work, and now have very little to show for it. But is that true? Do we really have nothing to show for (in my case) almost 27 years … Continue reading Where Did The Money Go? – Reader Challenge
I’ve probably been talking about early retirement for about as long as I have been gainfully employed. When I started first working after college, one of my older brothers pointed out that my starting two weeks paid vacation amounted to only 1 year off for every 26 years worked. That got me thinking right away about saving enough to retire BEFORE I hit the 26 … Continue reading FIRE Milestones – Sharing Plans with Friends & Family
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