For my annual Christmas Countdown, I featured pictures of the Holidays at interesting places around the world … 🇫🇷 25 Days to Christmas … Galleries Lafayette, Paris’, France 🎅🏻 🌍 🇬🇧 24 Days to Christmas … Oxford Street, London UK; Oxford Street is home to some of London’s finest shopping, including Selfridges … ⭐️😎🇯🇵 23 Days to Christmas … Shibuya Illumination, Tokyo, Japan; Japan celebrates Christmas as part of months-long … Continue reading Christmas Countdown 2023
A few years ago, I wrote about my hobby of collecting antique Shiny Brite Christmas ornaments from the 1940s-1960s. Since I retired in 2016, I’ve probably collected upwards of 50 of them. Among all of the things you could collect, Shiny Brites were very affordable. I’d pick up a glass lantern, UFO, or a curvy tree for just $4-$6 on average. If I found a … Continue reading Inflationary Christmas Treasures
When I was a corporate officer at MegaCorp, you were expected to maintain a certain % of your annual salary in company stock. I forget the exact amount, but I think it was 2-3x your annual total compensation. It wasn’t too hard, given the company had been doing well and we all had stock grants and stock options. Still, as personal finance matriarch, Jane Bryant … Continue reading Looking At Returns Over Time
It’s the busy season for charitable organizations as the end of the year comes close. The end of the calendar year is also the end of the tax year, so 501c3 non-profits hope to close out 2023 strong. Unfortunately, giving trends haven’t been positive for a while. The chart below shows American giving over the last 40 years. While there is some bounce in the … Continue reading Ring Out The Year Charitably
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my mostly positive, yet not quite compelling experience with a Jeep Wrangler Hybrid EV 4Xe. My son and I rented one in California. Now, Jeep is recalling all of the 4Xe’s that they made over the last 4 years. There has been a concerning number of fires with the best-selling model. Over the next month, they will contact … Continue reading Don’t Park Inside?!
What’s the temperature down to just 10° F the other morning, I decided to try out mall walking. It seemed like the quintessential retiree activity on a cold winter morning. A friend was supposed to join me, but he texted me that morning to say that 9:30a was “too early” for him. 🙂 When I arrived at 9:30, the mall was still closed. It was … Continue reading Deck The Malls …
I’m so very happy when Black Friday & Cyber Monday arrive. It’s like homecoming weekend in my Gmail account. Companies I haven’t heard from in years – sometimes only ever interacted with once – send me AMAZING deals that I need to respond to NOW! > The island resort that my wife & I stayed at for one night, 6 years ago. > Software I … Continue reading Black Friday / Cyber Monday Emails
I had my first experience living with an electric vehicle last week when my son and I were in Los Angeles to fly on the Goodyear Blimp. It was a Jeep Wrangler 4Xe that we rented through Avis for the same price as a regular rental car. My friend Jeff has been ‘mentoring’ me through the dollars & sense of going electric, but it was … Continue reading The Dollar & Sense of Driving A Hybrid EV
“You have maximized your retirement activities better than anyone I’ve ever met! It’s inspiring!” I shared pictures from my latest adventure online last week and a former MegaCorp colleague posted the nice response above. I do try to make the most of my early retirement time and share out my latest escapades – if for no other reason than to evangelize the benefits of FIRE. … Continue reading Quirky Up & Away
What kind of retiree doesn’t play golf? Me, I guess! Despite being the quintessential retiree sport, I’ve been playing less and less. I was in the garage yesterday and putting things away for winter. When I got to my golf clubs, I realized I hadn’t played at all this year. Not once! So many people retire to play golf, it’s surprising I am pulling the … Continue reading Out Of The Swing …
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