Category: Invest Effectively

Invest Effectively

Baby Boomer Retirements Won’t Hold Down Market Returns

  Many people are concerned about the impact of the Baby Boom generation will have on stock market returns.  The fear is that with so many people retiring at once – and cashing out their retirement accounts – Wall Street is sentenced to lower than historical returns over the next 15-20 years. Baby Boomers, currently aged 53-71, according to Pew Research, are half into retirement … Continue reading Baby Boomer Retirements Won’t Hold Down Market Returns

Unknown's avatarMrFireStation6 Comments
Invest Effectively

Gold – An Investment in Fear?

“If the value of the dollar goes crazy, owning gold gives me peace of mind,” says a friend of mine that is a certified ‘gold bug’.  He believes that gold – as the ultimate basic currency – is a hedge against a sudden global geopolitical event that undermines the international system of currency. Gold is frequently in the news, featured on late night TV, and … Continue reading Gold – An Investment in Fear?

Unknown's avatarMrFireStation4 Comments
Invest Effectively

FIRE Station Fun- Market Milestone

Yesterday was an exciting day in stock market history as the Dow Jones Industrial Average set another new record, breaking the 20,000 mark for the first time.  It certainly has come a long way when you look at this chart that stretches back to the 1970s … I am old enough to remember when it broke 1,000 in November of 1980, as I recall reading … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun- Market Milestone

Unknown's avatarMrFireStation14 Comments
Invest Effectively

Financial Failures On The Way To Early Retirement – Stock Options

When I published my 200th post on MrFireStation.com, someone asked me to write about some of the FINANCIAL FAILURES that we encountered on our way to achieving financial independence and retiring early (FIRE).  I will write about these over the next few weeks and cross-reference the posts in case someone wants to read about all of our mistakes at once! Today’s mistake has to do … Continue reading Financial Failures On The Way To Early Retirement – Stock Options

Unknown's avatarMrFireStation18 Comments
Invest Effectively

Where Did The Money Go? – Reader Challenge

It’s easy to look back on all of the money you’ve made over the years and wonder “Where did the money go?”  It’s a common thought – that we have squandered years of toil and trouble at work, and now have very little to show for it. But is that true?  Do we really have nothing to show for (in my case) almost 27 years … Continue reading Where Did The Money Go? – Reader Challenge

Unknown's avatarMrFireStation11 Comments
Have A Plan, Invest Effectively

Seven Ideas To Save Big Money In Your Twenties

Since we are now getting very close to the end of our early retirement journey (in less than six months), I thought I would reflect on some of the decisions we made in our twenties that set us up for early retirement success. I know a lot of people are talking about the stupid article “If You Are Saving Money In Your Twenties, You Are … Continue reading Seven Ideas To Save Big Money In Your Twenties

Unknown's avatarMrFireStation8 Comments
Have A Plan, Invest Effectively

Retire Before Children Head Off To College?

2015-07-31 15.23.41

Well, it looks like “the Boy” – our seventeen year-old son is set for where he wants to go to college. I’ve written before on the cost of college, but wanted to share a little bit about how we have saved & planned for his matriculation into post-secondary education. Many people can’t conceive of retiring before your kids are done with college, but I feel confident that we are well set in that department.  How did we do it? Continue reading “Retire Before Children Head Off To College?”

Unknown's avatarMrFireStation18 Comments
Invest Effectively

Big Stock Market Drop – Impact On Early Retirement?

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Over the last 3 days, Dow Jones stock market drop has been sudden and severe, totaling more than a -11% drop from the end of last month .  It includes two of the top ten stock market one-day declines of all time on an absolute basis. Some experts are saying this is the end of a six year bull market run as investor concerns rise with respect to slow growth in China and the potential impact to the world economy.  The China concerns are becoming more worrisome as investors are also discussing whether the US Federal Reserve will begin to raise interest rates after a long time at 0%.

With our planned early retirement just 7 months away, should Mr. Fire Station call the whole thing off and work another year?  The quick answer is “no” and “no”.  First, markets go up and down, and proper retirement planning account for down markets more severe than this blip.  Second, this correction is significant, but Mr. Fire Station’s investments remain up for the year. Continue reading “Big Stock Market Drop – Impact On Early Retirement?”

Unknown's avatarMrFireStation5 Comments