As offices start to reopen across the country, many folks that have been working from home are wondering if they are going to lose the work-from-home flexibility they’ve been enjoying during the pandemic. A recent USA Today poll says that about 40% of workers want to keep working remotely when business gets back to ’normal’. For many, the biggest benefit of working from home has … Continue reading Stuck In The Slow Lane – Commuting
I had lunch with my former MegaCorp boss this week who is visiting after being away about three years. He retired to a North Carolina golf resort where he said he gets about 120 rounds a year in. I thought I would be golfing a lot more in early retirement, but it is one of the things that just never gelled. On Wednesday, I went … Continue reading Busier Than Ever
Once, two of my brothers skipped elementary school to “play hooky”. They left home, but instead of going to school, they went to the park. After they were playing on the playground equipment for a while, the younger brother said, “where are all the other kids?” “Other kids?” the older one replied. “Yeah – doesn’t it take a lot of kids to play the game … Continue reading Where Are All The Other Kids?
Someone recently asked online how much cash or other ‘safe/liquid’ investments did people carry into early retirement as a buffer against a market downturn. It’s an important decision to make heading into retirement and it was the final financial preparation we put into place ourselves. About 3 years before I left MegaCorp, we started accumulating a pile of cash equal to 3 years of spending. … Continue reading Benchmarking: Cash / CD Buffer
Our Riley is turning out to be a pretty good pupper, but he is a lot of work. He’s a social guy and loves to play and take walks. Thankfully, he’s not the ‘devil dog’ he was when he was little (3-4 months) … although he still has his moments. Over 70% of Americans have a pet of some sort – mostly dogs (60% of … Continue reading Healthy Pupper, Riley
My all-star softball friends Russ & Mike had me along on a couple of very long bike rides the last couple weeks. Each ride averaged about 25 miles as we pedaled through the city, stopping at pubs & taverns along the way. Related: A Year In Beer – Dive Bar Tuesday For the last 3 years they have been doing this. Biking throughout Minneapolis & … Continue reading Pedals & Pubs
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
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