One of the things I most like about the freedom that comes with a FIRE lifestyle is the opportunity to engage in cultural events on multiple levels. While the Olympics is happening halfway around the world, I have the time to do a lot of winter sports-themed activities, rather than just watch on TV. For the Opening Ceremonies last week, my wife and I researched … Continue reading FIRE Winter Olympic Games
We had some new friends over for dinner on Saturday night and I, of course, got lots of questions about how we retired before we turned 50. The husband figured that I made some amazingly, lucky investment that paid out like we had won the lottery. He asked what our special investing strategy was and I told him I pretty much just invest in S&P … Continue reading Callan Periodic Table – Fascinating, But Useless?!
The stock market has been quite jittery over the past week, and although we keep a good amount of cash on hand, that makes me jittery, too. I don’t usually watch the market returns everyday, but when the market sinks -10.1% in a couple weeks – official counting now as a ‘market correction’ – that gets my attention. I know that the market was on … Continue reading Stock Market Jitters – Down -10%
We made it to Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis yesterday and the experience was absolutely electric. Having the NFL’s biggest event hosted in your own hometown is an incredible experience and we enjoyed all of the week’s activities – concerts, exhibits, celebrity sightings, and the big game itself (which USA Today is calling the best Super Bowl ever!). If you are a sports fan, this … Continue reading Super Bowl Indulgence & Everyday Frugality
There are a few songs that can serve as an anthem for the journey to financial independence and retiring early. “Take This Job & Shove It” comes immediately to mind, as does “Bang On The Drum All Day”. Those songs are about escaping the drudgery of work, but I think the most appropriate song for my FIRE mindset might be John Lennon’s 1980 “Watching The … Continue reading Watching The Wheels
Our son headed back to college this weekend – ending our ‘No Responsibility January’ – and starting his Spring Semester. Among other things, this means we need to call our insurance agent this morning and take the car insurance off the vehicle that he drives when he is home. Car insurance runs about $900 annually for the 2004 Acura TSX that he drives when he … Continue reading Car Insurance Rising Fast
They say on a large, international flight – maybe only one passenger in first class is paying full fare. The rest are on award tickets, big corporate discounts, or upgraded from regular seats because of their frequent flyer status. I had first-class flights as an executive perk for many years at MegaCorp, but rarely had myself actually ticketed that way when I traveled. I was … Continue reading Easy Credit Card Travel Hacking Success
This weekend, the final four NFL teams will face off to see who will meet in Super Bowl LII. Despite the decline in TV ratings – which experts attribute more to key markets shifting with team fortunes than perceived lack of patriotism – the Super Bowl remains the most visible & celebrated sporting event of the year. We live in Minnesota’s Twin Cities of Minneapolis … Continue reading Would You Vacation At The Super Bowl?
If you are looking for one reason to NOT retire early, I would suggest you study the cost of individual health insurance. I knew this would take a jump when I left MegaCorp a few years ago, but given the politics messing up this market, I continue to be astounded at how it has gone. You can see from the chart below that our health … Continue reading Health Insurance – Biggest Concern for Early Retirees
We’re back to “No Responsibility January” at the Fire Station. Last year I noted that January has become a pretty chill month for us with me not working, my son off from college, and my wife no longer working her part-part time job. While it seems like the rest of the world is back to school or work – we’re just goofing off. With time … Continue reading “No Responsibility January” & Travel Planning for 2018
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