It was good advice. I had it written in a cell at the bottom of the first budget spreadsheet I put together thirty years ago: “Keep 3-6 months spending in an emergency fund. More if you smell layoffs coming.” We had just gotten married, we were watching every penny, and we viewed it as an important first step. We took the emergency fund principle from … Continue reading Locked Up
As expected, the financial markets are having a very crazy week. Starting Monday, with a shocking -3,000 point DJIA drop (-13%), the week was filled with volatility. It wasn’t the environment I expected to find any opportunity in, but on St Patrick’s Day (Tuesday), I think I found the ‘Luck of the Irish’. Longtime readers have heard my woeful tale of crashed MegaCorp stock options … Continue reading Lucky Inflection Point?
It’s hard to know even what to say this morning. I’ve heard that “every bull market is the same, but every bear market is different” because they are triggered by a unique economic disasters. That’s certainly the case now as I fear the market will open today with another 1000 point drop based on the DJIA futures. While these are unique times, they are causing … Continue reading Advice From A Century Ago
I really thought the stories about people hoarding toilet paper were just jokes until I went to our local Walmart yesterday. It’s not just toilet paper – hand santizer, hand soap, all-purpose cleaner, soup and other canned goods are selling fast. Panic buying for the COVID-19 coronavirus is in full swing. Since folks working toward FIRE have a penchant for being prepared, I’m guessing many … Continue reading Emergency Preparedness – Why Not?
I often say that the less I work, the less interested I am in working. I really enjoyed working, but I don’t miss it too much day-to-day. That said, when I do put on a business suit and ‘go to work’, I still find it very enjoyable. I recently got back from our quarterly board of directors meeting at ‘SmallCorp’ in Michigan. I call it … Continue reading Board Trip To SmallCorp
I love looking at long-term trend charts. In our less than 24 hour news cycle, we often lose sight of the actual arc of history. This is especially true in an election year when pol-idiots in the media broadcast nothing but doom and gloom. This chart is very interesting … … it simply shows what has gotten more expensive of more affordable relative to everything … Continue reading Two Decades of Inflation
We just got back from our Florida snowbird experiment and we really enjoyed ourselves. We stayed at a terrific villa in a sprawling Orlando resort complex. The weather was great for the most part, we met up with a lot of friends, and we enjoyed many of the fun things to do. While the villa is just a fraction of the size of our home … Continue reading Downsizing Day Coming?
Lots of mayhem on Wall Street right now with the media focusing only on the coronavirus. I’ve had a couple people ask me about it, so I thought I would shoot out my thoughts today. I think the coronavirus does represent a significant short-term financial risk while businesses and government work to control the impact of it on global corporate supply chains. At the same … Continue reading Market Valuation – Where Are We Now?
If you travel internationally a lot, you may have what I have: little ziplock bags with extra bills & coins in foreign currency. I probably have a hundred US dollars worth of Japanese Yen, Israeli Shekels, UK Pounds, Czech Crowns, and EU Euros from trips we’ve taken over that last 10-15 years. It seems that at the end of each trip I have local currency … Continue reading Funny Money
I written a lot about early retirement feeling like a second childhood. Living in ‘kidulthood’ – without the obligations of work – means enjoying childish activities with the resources and smarts of a grown-up. Related: Living In Kidulthood One area that it is important for me to grow up is in my eating habits. Though I worked for a food company for 24 years, I … Continue reading Suddenly … Salads
MrFireStation 