Overall Philosophy

Holiday Gift Book Recommendation – The Millionaire Next Door

The next book that I wanted to suggest as part of my holiday gift series for people looking to buy something for someone interested in personal finance or reaching FIRE, is The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko.  It is definitely one of the top books on my personal finance bookshelf, which probably has more than 30 books on it in all. … Continue reading Holiday Gift Book Recommendation – The Millionaire Next Door

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Overall Philosophy

Holiday Gift Book Recommendation: Making The Most Of Your Money

Since it is the holidays and some people are looking for gift ideas, I thought I would write a couple of short recommendations on personal finance books that really helped us on our way to financial independence and retiring early (FIRE).  Don’t worry, this isn’t some online scam to have you click through to Amazon and line my pockets.  I just wanted to share some … Continue reading Holiday Gift Book Recommendation: Making The Most Of Your Money

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FIRE Station Fun, Healthy Living

FIRE Station Fun – Turning Back The Gray

We had a neighborhood Christmas party last week and somehow the conversation turned to the color of my hair. At age 50, it is hanging in there pretty well – hardly any gray right now – and has become an interesting microcosm of my early retirement so far. I’ve read that most people’s hair turns gray 10-20% for each five years after they turn 25 … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Turning Back The Gray

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Spend Less Than You Make

Christmas Gift – Festive Framework

We enjoy the whole Christmas season, especially attending events and parties with family and friends.  While those activities are the highlight of the holidays for me, we also exchange gifts as a family on Christmas morning.  The older your kids get (and the older you get) the bigger challenge it becomes to find meaningful presents for each person.  Since we are already into the first … Continue reading Christmas Gift – Festive Framework

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FIRE Station Fun

FIRE Station Fun – Holiday Shopping

Heading Christmas shopping this weekend?  They say it’s not the price of the gift, but the thought behind it. Despite that, many people over-spend on gifts this time of the year and have a big credit card bill to deal with the day after New Year’s.   How do your Holiday shopping habits compare to the average American household? Click on this LINK to read … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Holiday Shopping

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Overall Philosophy

‘Marshmallow Test’ For Early Retirement

Look at these two questions used in a new study (of 3,000 people) of people approaching retirement and think about how you might answer them … 1. You just learned that you are due a tax refund. If you’d like, you can get the $1,000 refund right away. Alternatively, you can get a $1,100 refund in 10 months. Which do you prefer? 2. You just … Continue reading ‘Marshmallow Test’ For Early Retirement

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FIRE Station Fun

FIRE Station Fun – Black Friday Craziness

Today’s graphic is purely tongue-in-cheek.  The fact is, I like Black Friday sales.  I even went shopping last night when the Target store opened at 6:00pm on Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday retail season.  I wasn’t the only one there, of course, there were likely more than a thousand people waiting in line to get a hot price on a TV, microwave, or giant … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Black Friday Craziness

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FIRE Countdown

FIRE Milestones – Dollar Number or Date?

How do you decide when you are ready to retire?  For some, it is when you reach a certain number of dollars – your ‘F-Off’ number that represents financial independence.  For others, it is a specific date,  Come hell-or-high water, they are going to walk off the job on the date they’ve always planned – age 55, age 60, or any age they want, regardless … Continue reading FIRE Milestones – Dollar Number or Date?

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FIRE Station Fun

FIRE Station Fun – Opening Doors

Next week is Thanksgiving and while the years can certainly have their ups-and-downs, I continue to have a lot to be thankful for – both the people in my life and the blessings we have received.  When I reflect back on our journey to financial  independence and retiring early (FIRE), I think a lot about the twists and turns that shaped my career and life.  … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Opening Doors

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Spend Less Than You Make

Early Retiree Health Insurance – Open Enrollment (Part 2)

I wasn’t sure how many ‘parts’ there may be to our health insurance open enrollment this year, but we got it sorted out pretty quickly.  While the cost increases are dramatic, the fact that there are actually less options to look at makes the shopping process relatively quick.  Not painless, but quick. You’ll remember from our earlier post that our incumbent health insurance provider was … Continue reading Early Retiree Health Insurance – Open Enrollment (Part 2)

Unknown's avatarMrFireStation10 Comments