Last week my wife and I had the opportunity to visit an Amish settlement in southern Minnesota. We went on a three hour tour of Amish farms with a private guide who knew the families well and was welcome on their farms and businesses. There are about 800-900 Amish that live in the area on dozens of farms. It was really interesting to learn a … Continue reading Amish Approaches to Financial Independence
We went to dinner at a local taco fast food place recently and they had me sign for my credit card on an iPad – the kind that many small businesses use nowadays. Prior to signing however, there was a screen where you could select a tip amount to add to the bill – $0, 10%, 15%, 20%, or more. The counter-service employee pretends to … Continue reading Are We Becoming A Nation Of Beggars?
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
Roger Moore, most well-known for his seven movies as James Bond, passed away earlier this week at age 89. It was a long, grand life for this military officer and well-known actor, who in addition to acting served as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations/UNICEF and was knighted by the Queen for his charitable work. Moore was the Bond that i grew up with in … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Bond On Life
I visited with a friend over a beer last week and we discussed a lot of things, including – inevitably – national politics. As I wrote in my election day post about what the next President needs to do, I argued that the most important issue is government out of control spending. Rein in the spending, and you rein in the government. My friend argued that it … Continue reading FIRE Politics – Seize The Rich?
I find that regardless of your political leanings, people continually frustrated by wasted government spending and what it means for the national debt. The debt, which was a trillion dollars in Reagan’s time, is now about $20T (it has risen at a shocking 8.4% annual clip). Despite today’s quote, Reagan himself substantially overspent during his 8 years in office. Fast forward to today and our … Continue reading US Government’s Wasteful Spending Problem
This is the third book that I am recommending to folks that are interested in a great personal finance book to get someone for the holidays. It’s another book on my bookshelf that I consider to be a classic – and probably the last book I’ll have the chance to write about before Christmas this weekend. Affluenza: How Overconsumption Is Killing Us And How To … Continue reading Holiday Gift Book Recommendation – Affluenza: How Overconsumption Is Killing Us
The next book that I wanted to suggest as part of my holiday gift series for people looking to buy something for someone interested in personal finance or reaching FIRE, is The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko. It is definitely one of the top books on my personal finance bookshelf, which probably has more than 30 books on it in all. … Continue reading Holiday Gift Book Recommendation – The Millionaire Next Door
Since it is the holidays and some people are looking for gift ideas, I thought I would write a couple of short recommendations on personal finance books that really helped us on our way to financial independence and retiring early (FIRE). Don’t worry, this isn’t some online scam to have you click through to Amazon and line my pockets. I just wanted to share some … Continue reading Holiday Gift Book Recommendation: Making The Most Of Your Money
Look at these two questions used in a new study (of 3,000 people) of people approaching retirement and think about how you might answer them … 1. You just learned that you are due a tax refund. If you’d like, you can get the $1,000 refund right away. Alternatively, you can get a $1,100 refund in 10 months. Which do you prefer? 2. You just … Continue reading ‘Marshmallow Test’ For Early Retirement
