It seems life gets more luxurious the older you get. An online question on the ‘fatFIRE’ Facebook Page, prompted a lot of discussion of things that were viewed as luxuries when we were growing up in the 1970s/early-1980s. These were the things that made you say ‘cool!’ if you saw them at someone’s house when you were a kid. I certainly thought a car with … Continue reading 40 Luxuries From The 1970s
I love cars, but I hate car dealers. Unfortunately, it seems that over-engineered, unreliable electronics are making us more reliant on dealer service than ever. That makes cars more costly than ever. Related: Sports Cars: ‘Every Day This Man Takes A Vacation’ Our sports car recently suffered a blow to its stereo/navigation system. I stopped at the grocery store a couple miles from our house … Continue reading Taken To The Cleaners – Dealer Service
People make investments out of many things that they enjoy as hobbies – classic cars, antique watches, sports memorabilia, and other collectibles. I have a lot of collections of things, but I’ve never viewed any of them that way. One of the biggest collections we have is LEGO models & sets. I have many sets from when I was a kid and we’ve bought & … Continue reading Colorful, Collectible Bricks
My son and I returned to the movie theater this past Monday for the first new feature we had seen since late February. It was strange and novel to be back in front of the big IMAX screen with 100 decibel sound for Christopher Nolan’s time-travel thriller, Tenet. We love going to movies and see about 30 new ones a year. Most are in theaters, … Continue reading The Great Movie Return
During the Democratic National Convention two weeks ago, news slipped out that Joe Biden was developing a new tax plan that would rollback benefits for 401K plans. He even had his Economic Advisor speak to it at a panel event at the convention. Like many ‘progressive’ initiatives, this one involves reducing or eliminating 401K tax benefits from higher income households and transferring that benefit to … Continue reading Keeping Up With Election Proposals – Taxing 401Ks
I made a big stack of buckwheat pancakes for myself yesterday, topped it with real maple syrup & berries, and added a glass of orange juice. It’s a repeat of the breakfast that I had the morning I walked away from working and into the wonderful world of FIRE (financial independence & retired early). Related: FIRE Milestone – Final Day: Blasting Into Retirement It only took … Continue reading Big Breakfast
After seeing the details of Biden’s big tax increase proposal and reading that there is a legitimate chance that Democrats will win the White House and both houses of Congress this November, I figured it would be a good time to accelerate some MegaCorp stock option sales that I could otherwise stretch out to July 2022. I made my big stock move of the decade … Continue reading Cashing In Before The Election
This past Tuesday, my wife and I celebrated our 30th Anniversary with a getaway to Minnesota’s scenic North Shore on Lake Superior. Over dinner on the deck of a lakefront restaurant, we were sharing memories of our wedding rehearsal, ceremony, and reception. They are all distant memories now, but many stick with you from the time they happen. I recalled my Dad’s reaction to the … Continue reading Anniversary Memories
Last fall, we took a wonderful 3 week trip through Europe with some good friends. I frequently think of the terrific time we had in the Loire, Alps, and Tuscany. The hilltop town of Sienna came to mind recently as Settore Polizia Municipale sent me a lovely ticket in the mail. The tracked me down for ‘Circulating In A Limited Traffic Area’. Old town Sienna … Continue reading Postcard From Sienna
There it is … the S&P 500 is just 6 points short of record territory, despite the CV-19 pandemic. I was chatting about the amazing rebound in the market yesterday with an old MegaCorp colleague and we were both astounded that it could jump back so quickly. He asked what I thought about the stock market right now and what I would do in his … Continue reading Amazing Rebound
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