Earlier this week I turned on the TV as I was making myself breakfast. The game show, “The Price Is Right” was on and kicking off their 47th season and an Emmy win with a special episode. Everyone was dressed in formal wear and one contestant won $100,000! I loved this show when I was a kid. I’m old enough to remember when it was … Continue reading Not Much ‘Price is Right’ in Early Retirement
Someone recently started a thread on Reddit asking “What is your biggest financial mistake/regret?” I posted a couple articles on our biggest mistakes in the past and so I perused the Reddit thread to see if our misery had some company. Here were the responses – in order of how often people mentioned them: Spent too much on college/an impractical major (6) I was surprised … Continue reading Biggest Financial Regrets – Have Any?
I received what I call an ‘excessive velocity tax’ – more commonly known as a speeding ticket – a couple of weeks ago on a charity road rally to Chicago and back. I wasn’t really ripping down the road when I was pulled over (above picture). In fact, both my navigator and I felt that we were merely moving at the speed of traffic. Nonetheless, … Continue reading Cost of a Speeding Ticket – Worth It?
I’ve written before that the biggest difference that I’ve come to associate with early retirement is that your fundamental relationship with the concept of TIME changes. That is, instead of time being USED as a resource of productivity, it becomes SAVORED as a resource of lifestyle enjoyment. Recently, I’ve been reading the magnificent history book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. It might be the best … Continue reading A History of Time & Timekeeping
On a recent sunny day, I was picking up a friend at my former MegaCorp headquarters building to go out for lunch. I was pulled up in front of the visitor entrance in my sporty, summer car with the top down. I must have looked pretty relaxed sitting in the convertible when a woman – who looked like she worked there – walked over and … Continue reading Funniest FIRE Reactions
It happened again. A beloved & wealthy performer – this time, Aretha Franklin – passes away without a will or trust to protect her family & fortune. The same thing happened with Prince a few years ago and his $200 million dollar estate continues to be caught up in court proceedings and will be significantly eaten away by inheritance taxes and lawyers fees. Not a … Continue reading Living Trusts – Leaving on a Good Note
Our window box flowers are looking better than ever this year. We live in Minnesota, so we don’t get color like this except for in the peak of summer. Gardening is said to be the most popular hobby in the United States, and when you have more time to plant, water, and care for flowers you sure do see the benefits. Recently our garden hose … Continue reading In Pursuit Of The Perfect Purchase
Before I reached early retirement a few years ago, I wrote THIS POST about a survey of whether or not people should retire full-time or part-time. While many people envision part-time consulting as part of their early retirement plans, almost 60% of respondents said that working part-time in retirement was a ‘BAD idea’ with another 15% saying ‘It’s COMPLICATED’. People had some interesting comments saying … Continue reading Part-Time Work in Early Retirement
When people ask me what I do to keep busy in early retirement, I almost never mention writing MrFireStation.com. I guess that’s odd, given that I created the site more than three years ago and have now posted over 400 articles. Even though I probably spend about 2 hours a week writing and updating the site, I haven’t ever actually considered myself a ‘writer’. Sometimes … Continue reading Free-Lance Writer In Early Retirement?
Are you saving enough? It’s the most basic of questions. Yet, I’m always so disappointed when I see an article showing how low the US savings rate is. A recent study by Fidelity showed that the average American is saving about 8.5% of their after-tax income – including the value of any employer matches. Even though 8.5% savings is far less than is typically suggested … Continue reading Savings Rates & Reaching FIRE
MrFireStation 