Next week is Thanksgiving and while the years can certainly have their ups-and-downs, I continue to have a lot to be thankful for – both the people in my life and the blessings we have received. When I reflect back on our journey to financial independence and retiring early (FIRE), I think a lot about the twists and turns that shaped my career and life. … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Opening Doors
For many people, travel is one of the KEY reasons they pursue early retirement. This article from CNBC shows it as the top thing people look forward to in retirement. I’ve been talking a lot to people about their post-FIRE travel plans and all of the interesting places they have gone and hope to go to. One friend has a terrific trip to Europe planned … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Travel Experiences
I have a few friends that have shared that they are now getting close to giving their formal notice or are turning the corner on their last year of work. The journey to financial independence and retiring early (FIRE) seems like a challenge oftentimes, but each day you push through, each paycheck you invest, and each luxury you forgo pulls you closer to the day … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Dream Locamotion
I’m not typically too much of a worrier. I can be pretty analytical and objective in making decisions and don’t let my emotions get the best of me too often. In approaching the big decision that we made this year – to early retire and enjoy a life of financial independence – I used a number of analytical lenses to ‘pressure test’ the possibilities. Once … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – No Worries
We are heading to Green Bay to see a Packer game this weekend and spend a few nights in Wisconsin’s Door County. In preparation, I’ve been reading a book about Packer great Bart Starr and the glory days of the team in the 1960s. Coach Vince Lombardi led the team to five NFL championships in seven years and was famous for his quote on winning … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Winning Attitude
I picked today’s quote – not because I am a big fan of budgeting – but because I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey. I wrote about my reluctance to spend my time budgeting a few weeks ago, but I realize it is an important bridge to financial independence for many people. These are the folks that Dave Ramsey focuses on in his daily … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Bridge To The Future
HAPPY FRIDAY! The movie Office Space features the indignation of employees being coerced into working weekends in servitude to their MegaCorp. A recent Washington Post article suggests that about a third of American office workers do some work on weekends. That is the highest among developed countries in the study. When I was working, I certainly put in some weekend hours now and … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Weekend Work
While I keep up with a lot of my former colleagues, I haven’t actually been on the MegaCorp campus and in the buildings since I left on April Fool’s Day. That changed this week as I went to lunch with a friend on Wednesday (thanks, DC!) and had a chance to come into the office as a “VISITOR” and say “Hi!” to my friends during … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Visiting MegaCorp
When we first got married, Mrs.FireStation worked at a bank and she would talk about how frustrated customers could be at times. They would come in the bank – often overdrawn and not understanding why – and get all upset when she would try to help them sort things out. As you can imagine, it wasn’t a great environment to work in as people were … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Crazy Money
When people have asked “What are you going to do in early retirement?” – I’ve often answered that it is a great big wonderful world filled with things I am interested in learning about and trying. We are just back from our summer vacation to Tokyo & Kyoto and I am amazed at how much of the world we know so little about. There is … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Big Wonderful World
MrFireStation 