They say you should make sure to enjoy the ‘little things’ in life and I am learning (in my fourth week of early retirement) just how enjoyable the little things are. This week, I have had very little scheduled. I had a few nice lunches and breakfasts with people, we went to the afternoon movie as a family ($5 Tuesdays), and I had a couple … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – The Little Things
Last week I published a post that discussed the ‘honeymoon’ phase of retirement and included a chart on the phases of retirement (from Forbes.com, sourced to Dr. Sara Yogev). While I certainly feel like I’m in the honeymoon phase now – after just a few weeks away from the office – I went to the forums on Early-Retirement.org to see what some more ‘experienced’ early … Continue reading Never Ending Honeymoon?
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today 2 get through this thing called LIFE.” Living in the Twin Cities since high school and through college in the 1980s, it is easy to say that Prince wrote a huge part of the musical soundtrack of my life. An amazingly prolific musician, unstoppably entertaining showman, and thoughtful but respectful activist, Prince was a true musical innovator for … Continue reading Friday Inspiration – Prince’s Independence
As I am out enjoying my third week of early retirement right now, I thought instead of writing a full post today I would share something that I found inspirational over the years, especially when I was looking for motivation or facing seemingly impossible odds. It is a poem from Edgar Albert Guest, an amazingly prolific writer who penned over 11K poems in his career. … Continue reading FIRE Inspiration – Edgar Guest Poem
This is the second cake photo that I have shared in just a few weeks. As you can see, last week was my 50th birthday and my wife was kind enough to organize an awesome birthday party for me on Saturday night, which came just 19 days after my early retirement party. It has been an embarrassment of riches for sure and I am so … Continue reading Another Cake? – The Five Phases of Retirement
Now that I am retired early and enjoying my first month without work, people are asking me for advice on how much THEY need to save to retire themselves. Many people don’t seem to know where exactly to start. Calculating the money needed for retirement feels like walking into a foreign casino to them – full of opportunity, but also fraught with risk. With that … Continue reading Calculating Retirement Odds – Using FIREcalc
Last week was my first week of early retirement. It was great fun, but at the same time quite strange to be home all week, while all of my (former) colleagues continued to work. As I wrote last week, it really felt like I was ‘skipping school’ – in full view of my classmates and the teachers. While my wife was out of town and … Continue reading Stepping Into Early Retirement – Initial Observations
As much as anything, “lifestyle inflation” drives many people to forgo the opportunity for early retirement. In the 1950s, the productivity of the information age promised less work and more leisure. Yet, people seem to be working the same or MORE hours rather than less. I expect we could quite easily have a 20-hour work week today – or all retire in our 40s – … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Time Is The Ultimate Luxury
While I am only starting my third day of early retirement, I can already feel that my fundamental relationship with TIME and SLEEP is changing. First off, I am starting to understand what freedom from everyday work feels like. Simply put, it feels like I am SKIPPING SCHOOL – but EVERYONE knows. Even the principal (my old boss) knows. For the last few weeks, even though … Continue reading A Wrinkle In Time
I can’t begin to describe the almost dreamlike surrealness that comes with walking into a beautifully decorated restaurant and reading a BIG banner and cake that say “Congratulations on your Retirement!” YOUR retirement. This is IT. If you aren’t 1000% sure you are ready for early retirement, seeing the BIG cake at the YOUR farewell party certainly will seal the deal. As I wrote about … Continue reading FIRE Milestone – The Glorious Farewell Party
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