I’m not sure what to make of the value of our home is right now. A house in our neighborhood recently went up for sale – with a lot of square footage & high finish quality – but with a relatively low asking price. I really would have expected it would be priced 10% higher. We’re not thinking about selling anytime soon, but I still … Continue reading Knock Knock – Who’s Buying?
I turned 55 last week and to celebrate the milestone, my friend treated me to my first Senior Discounted meal at breakfast. We went to Denny’s and my 55+ eggs, pancakes, and extra crispy bacon (burn the hell out of them!) cost $8.49. That’s a savings of $1.00 even, or 16% off the regular menu. I guess that’s worth it, although Im not a big … Continue reading Double Nickel Discount
Reaching financial independence requires a combination of good choices and good fortune. Even the best laid plans sometimes go awry, but if you aren’t making smart decisions along the way, it won’t matter. Recently a post on the early-retirement.org forum asked “what changes/sacrifices did you make to reach financial independence?” In general, the folks responding are a very successful group of early retirees and their … Continue reading 25 Proven Moves To Reach Financial Independence
My son got me this nifty LEGO Architecture model for my birthday this past week. We’ve visited London several times as a family and he knows I love to build LEGO. We’ve built lots of sets together. He didn’t know that I had actually gotten a shelf at IKEA to start building something like this almost 5 years ago. I had the idea to build … Continue reading Checking The Boxes Of Early Retirement
How much does it cost to add a pet to the family? Like most things, the answer is “it depends”. We looked at dogs that would be close to free and ones that cost more than $3K before inviting Riley into our house. Then there is the cost of vet visits, supplies, dog food, and grooming. I found this helpful survey online that surveyed 1,300 … Continue reading How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?
I guess it is a good time to be a retiree living off investments. Wall Street is loving the CV19 rebound and loose money policies of government & central banks. The S&P 500 is now up an amazing 83% since last year’s CV19 low point on March 23rd, 2020. Globally, stocks are at an all time high. Still, forgive me if I’m more than a … Continue reading Negative Outlook Amid The Exuberance
Someone posted a curious question about real estate investments in an online forum this week. They wondered if anyone had ever reached a financially comfortable early retirement “without investing in real estate”? They held the hypothesis that real estate is one of the primary routes to FIRE (financial independence & retired early). I thought the question was a bit odd. While I always surmised that … Continue reading Added Real Estate Investment Risk?
No long post today! Just a remembrance that today – April Fool’s Day – is the fifth anniversary of my FIRE escape from MegaCorp. Five years – has that gone fast! Related: Last Day EVER At Work There will be no ‘service anniversary’ gift to pick out of the MegaCorp premium catalog today. I have a few clocks, a watch, and telescope from anniversaries past. … Continue reading Anniversary Gift is Time
Our new puppy Riley has brought something to our household that’s been missing for the first 5 years of our early retirement: a regular bedtime. Related: Daily Schedule In Early Retirement I haven’t really gone to bed at a consistent time since I was working. Sometimes it’s 10:30p, sometimes it’s way after midnight. On vacation in Florida the last two months, that stretched to 1am. … Continue reading Barking Up A New Bedtime
Right on schedule – an amazing 32 years after starting at MegaCorp – pension and retiree health insurance information have arrived just before my 55th birthday. It’s like a golden piggy bank that was hidden away years ago has made a triumphant return. Related: Ringing Up MegaCorp I still have to dig into the health insurance information a bit, but the immediate surprise was that … Continue reading MegaCorp Pension Arrives
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