Nine months left and everything is still on track. This post officially marks the 9 month point in my countdown to FIRE – being financially independent and retired early. My FIRE escape date is planned for April 1, 2016 – just a few weeks before my 50th birthday. Each month I’ve been counting down the activities that are getting me prepared. The overall stock market … Continue reading Early Retirement FIRE Escape – 9 Month Countdown
Our family has taken quite a few cruises over the years and I am always amazed at how often folks pay big bucks for excursions through the cruise line companies. This is a key source of revenue for cruise companies, but not really necessary for most ports. Our last trip was a good example. We were on a Scandinavian cruise and porting for the day … Continue reading Thrifty Thursday – Cruise Ship Excursions
The one question most readers have been sending me has to do with The Number. I write those words with capital letters in homage to the financial planning book by Lee Eisenberg of the same name and out of respect for the importance of making sure you have enough before walking away. The Number is the amount you have in retirement savings divided by the … Continue reading 8 Reasons To Be Confident In Your Retirement “The Number”
We are at sea today on our summer vacation cruise of Scandinavia. Yesterday we were in Copenhagen, and today we are sailing toward Tallinn, Estonia. We are on a Royal Caribbean ship, although we have cruised on different ones in the past. As we were pulling out of the harbor yesterday, there were several other cruise ships also departing, including ships from MSC, Holland America, … Continue reading Reminiscing On The Water
I’m writing this post from a cruise ship crossing into the Baltic Sea. We are on summer vacation and taking a cruise to the Scandinavian countries (and a two-day stop in Russia). As a family, we have taken about a half dozen cruises to all different places – Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Mediterranean (twice), and now this one. As I’ve written before, I love to travel … Continue reading Cruising Toward Early Retirement
“Money can buy a house, but not a home. It can buy a bed, but not sleep. It can buy a clock, but not time. It can buy a book, but not knowledge. It can buy blood, but not health, so you see; money is not everything in life.” Unknown Continue reading Money & Life Quote
I’ve written about my “count down obsession” before – thinking about good ways to count down my final year at MegaCorp. I’ve also showed you pictures of my hidden countdown Post-it Flag system that is in the credenza above my desk at work. Like a kid counting down the days to next Christmas, I find my mind wandering several times a day to “how many … Continue reading FIRE Countdown Obsession – As Presented
I received a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne (2000 vintage) almost 15 years ago and have left it corked in its original box since the day I received it. It was a gift in celebration for a particularly good year at MegaCorp, and I brought it home and put it in our pantry. It’s in its original box on its side, which is supposed to … Continue reading Champagne Standing By
The Pew Research Center recently published an article focused on how Millennials have now passed Boomers and Gen X in the workforce. I was born in 1966, so I am a Gen X-er, who has always felt quite stuck between these two groups. If you look at the chart from Pew that I copied above, Gen X only had its day in the sun for … Continue reading Gen X – Stuck Between Boomers & Millennials
Have you seen the Amazon Echo device yet? Mr. Fire Station is definitely a gadget guy and this gadget is a keeper. If you’ve used Siri on your Apple iPhone or other “digital assistants” you’ll definitely understand the appeal of Amazon Echo. Think of it as Siri for your home. It’s a cylindrical device that sits on your kitchen counter and awaits your commands. You … Continue reading Amazon Echo – Great Gadget
