It’s common to be surprised how high prices have gotten when compared to 30 years ago. But, what will they be 30 years from now? I saw this chart online that applies the inflation rate from the past 30 years to the next 30 years. Can you believe the average house will be getting close to $1 million? The average house at $869,000?!? This assumes … Continue reading Always Going Up
Just one quick post this week as I’m just back from a quick trip on Monday and we’re leaving for our Florida place today. I saw this article in The Atlantic yesterday that talked about an issue we’ve been discussing for the last 12-18 months: How retirees are getting wealthier – not drawing down their large retirement nest eggs. Link: Americans Aren’t Spending Their Retirement … Continue reading Boomer Piles of Money?
I just got back from a long weekend, driving 888 miles around the state of MN in my Jeep. I was continuing my quest to reach all 68 of the state’s parks – I’m now up to 55. Along the way, I also stopped at a variety of roadside oddities, historical places, and interesting sights. It’s the 7th trip I’ve taken like this since I … Continue reading “Completeness”
I decided just to write just this one post this week. I am just too busy to write two right now. Busyness seems to be an ongoing theme of my retirement – especially in the summer months. Last week, I had lunch with a friend who he is getting close to retirement and he honestly could not believe that he will likely be more busy … Continue reading Too Many Balls in the Air
As Batman learned in the Dark Knight, “You either die the Hero, or you live long enough to become the Villain.” I think that famous movie line now has some relevance to those of us who played by the rules, worked smart, saved prodigiously, and invested effectively. At first, one’s journey to FIRE (Financial Independence & Retired Early) is hailed by society as successful & … Continue reading Hero or Villain?
I took Monday “off” this week from posting. I’ve kept a pretty tight schedule of posting on Mondays & Fridays for years, but I figured I’d just post once this week. The reason is that we were simply enjoying early retirement. There’s something about the winter in Florida that makes retirement feel more real and enjoyable. If retirement is like “permanent vacation”, it feels especially … Continue reading No Responsibility January
We just finished a few wonderful days of holiday / fun activities with friends and family. We have more planned this week. We went to a terrific Lady A Christmas Concert, shopped an indoor Holiday Market, enjoyed lunches with friends, went to a fun Minnesota Wild game with buddies, drove my Jeep in a holiday light parade, watched a silly Hallmark movie, and were able … Continue reading The Calm Before Christmas
We’re still learning what it’s like to have two places — one in Minnesota and one in Florida. It’s funny how different the same place can feel depending on why we’re here and how long we stay. Sometimes a trip to Florida feels like a vacation. We don’t really settle into a routine — we just enjoy the sunshine, check out favorite restaurants, and maybe … Continue reading Two Places, Two Speeds …
Have you heard about the “U” shaped happiness curve? It’s the output of psychology research across ages. It suggests that people are happiest when they are younger, lose some of that happiness in middle-age, and then get it back as they get older. Here’s a plot of the curve, with the colors representing 7 different studies of happiness by age. There has been a lot … Continue reading Happiness “U”-Curve
These two bags of groceries (plus a couple gallons of skim milk) were a whopping $107 at Target today. I’m old enough to remember when our grocery bags averaged $15 each. That rule of thumb was from 35 years ago (in 1990) when we first got married and watched every $ closely. Related: Cut Those Prices In Half! I know prices have been rising, but … Continue reading Sticker Shock
