I posted on a couple of early retirement sites last week to see what advice folks might have for me in my final year of work before leaving work for good. I didn’t get a lot of responses, but the advice was motivating since it came from folks that have already reached FIRE (financial independence & retired early). My DW and I have gotten to … Continue reading 7 Ways to Countdown to Early Retirement
It’s hard to believe that I have reached the one year mark on my expected early retirement on April Fool’s Day 2016. It arrived just a few days ago when I was prepping for a multi-day work offsite that my boss asked me to plan & lead. I ended up so involved in the offsite that I didn’t have a lot of time to reflect … Continue reading FIRE Escape – Early Retirement 12 Month Checklist
A few years ago, my wife & I were split on the prospect of buying a boat. We had reached the point in our financial journey that we could afford to splurge on a speedboat. We wouldn’t make a huge dent in our savings, and certainly wouldn’t take on any debt. We had friends that enjoy the ‘boat lifestyle’ and wanted to join the party. … Continue reading Thrifty Thursday – Boat Clubs
There is probably no luxury that I have done more of an about-face on over the past 20 years than luxury automobiles. My DW and I started out very humbly in our 20s when we got married. We were very practical: she had a 11-year old Ford Fairmont (boring, but mostly reliable). I had managed to drive a few junkers into the ground through college … Continue reading Grown-Up Guilty Pleasure – Luxury Cars
We just finished paying our taxes for 2014. We spent the last month working with our new accountant on the ugliness. I like to think that our taxes are pretty simple – I only work for one company – but yet they always end up being a lot more complicated that I want. And expensive… I am blessed to have a good job and … Continue reading One More Year – Income Tax Bite
“You’ll be bored.” More than anything, that’s the response I expect from friends & family that when I retire early next year. The plan is that it will be just a few weeks short of my fiftieth birthday (‘FIRE by 50’). It’s a worry that increasingly dominates my thoughts. Will I think myself a clever genius for making an early exit from the workforce, or … Continue reading Pre-FIRE Escape – “Not Bored” List
“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now. “ This wise proverb is as important for achieving your early retirement goals as any other virtue in life. It is easy to say that you are too far behind to play catch-up, but if you don’t start now, where will you be? Continue reading Chinese Proverb
It is with true sadness that I read that Dr. Thomas Stanley, co-author of the Millionaire Next Door, was killed recently in an unfortunate car accident. Reuters wrote that “Stanley was killed Saturday afternoon when a car slammed into his vehicle near his home in Marietta, Georgia.” Stanley researched the lives of American “high net worth individuals” – millionaires – and found that they … Continue reading Millionaire Next Door – Thomas Stanley RIP
I enjoy “living the good life” parables like this that help put put the concept of “Life > Money” in perspective … it’s featured in most Jimmy John’s sandwich shops … HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? “The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large … Continue reading How Much Is Enough? – Jimmy John’s
The stock market is off to a challenging start this year. This is a bit worrisome as I am now approaching the 1 year mark of my expected early retirement. Year to date the S&P500 is down slightly, and the one MegaCorp I hold a disproportionate amount of share in (former employer) is down -3%. Not huge declines obviously, but the closer I get … Continue reading Slow Market Start In Final Year
