The country is in peak summer right now and I’ve never been more thankful for central air conditioning. Except … when it’s not working. I spent the last 4 days at our condo in the Sunshine State and it was HOT & STEAMY. How hot? This was Thursday & Friday … mid 90° temperatures with humidity taking the “feels like” to 120° …! On tropical … Continue reading Peak Summer & Air Conditioning
I’m down in steamy Florida right now, spending the weekend at our vacation place down here. Like most newer developments in Florida, there are a fair number of golf carts on the road, but I don’t think we’re going to invest in one. First, our town of Celebration isn’t really a “retirement village”. There are a decent number of retirees, but the demographics of … Continue reading Golf Carting Around …
I recently saw an interesting thread that discussed “How Can You Tell Someone Is Rich?” That is, what are the signs that someone has money, even if you just met them? It caught my attention because high on the list was “they retired from work in their 40s”. Here are some of the responses that people said suggest someone is rich … In general, these … Continue reading Signs Someone is Rich …
Happy Independence Day Weekend! We’ll be up at my brother’s lake place this weekend, so I thought I’d shoot out an early post before the festivities begin. While we’re out enjoying brats on the grill, boats on the water, and fireworks in the sky, our Congress will be wrestling with getting a reconciled budget passed in Washington DC. I’m sure the fact that it is … Continue reading Happy InDEBTpendence Day …
I had a chance to visit a former MegaCorp colleague at his company’s snazzy HQ in downtown Minneapolis today. He works at the Midwest’s favorite protein snack company, Jack Link’s. What an amazing workplace! Attached to the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves arena, Target Center, the company’s offices are in the middle of Minneapolis. Architecturally designed in 2018, the beautiful space feels like a high-end hotel lounge … Continue reading Workplaces Transformed
We’re a couple weeks into Glorious Summer and I’m already feeling worn out! It’s been a busy week with friends, family, lunches, sports, and other activities. It’s Friday morning and I just told my wife that I’m taking the day off. Before we get into the business of the weekend (with very nice looking weather), it’s time to take a break! I used to keep … Continue reading Need My Day Off …
When I started this blog back in 2015, the concept of FIRE – Financially Independent & Retired Early – was relatively new. Over a decade later, perhaps the bloom is off the flame. Someone recently asked AI ChatGPT to “roast the FIRE movement” and the perceptions are pretty cutting. Since AI basically scrapes data from across the internet and presents it back in an organized … Continue reading Bloom Is Off The FIRE Flame?
I ran across this chart from Business Insider this week and thought I would share it. I’m not sure the actual veracity of the research that went into the “according to science” claim, but it seems reasonable. I have heard before that “life satisfaction” is U-shaped. It’s high when you are young (listed here as 23 years old) and again when you are older (69 … Continue reading Peak Performance …
The housing market has done quite a flip in the first half of 2025 and we’ve gotten caught up in it. Our rental townhouse is still sitting unsold after almost 90 days on the market. After several years of low real estate inventory, homes for sale have started to surge as buyers have disappeared. This chart from Redfin shows the issue … Even as more … Continue reading Where Have All The Buyers Gone?
It’s good to see the stock market trending up after the chaos of the initial Trump tariff actions this year. The S&P 500 today sits up +2.6% from where it started the year. Still, I’m not quite sure how to read my portfolio. The bond side of our holdings are flat, but the US Dollar – which all of these investments are enumerated in – … Continue reading Investment Returns vs Dollar Strength
MrFireStation 