I posted on a couple of early retirement sites last week to see what advice folks might have for me in my final year of work before leaving work for good. I didn’t get a lot of responses, but the advice was motivating since it came from folks that have already reached FIRE (financial independence & retired early). My DW and I have gotten to … Continue reading 7 Ways to Countdown to Early Retirement
It’s hard to believe that I have reached the one year mark on my expected early retirement on April Fool’s Day 2016. It arrived just a few days ago when I was prepping for a multi-day work offsite that my boss asked me to plan & lead. I ended up so involved in the offsite that I didn’t have a lot of time to reflect … Continue reading FIRE Escape – Early Retirement 12 Month Checklist
A few years ago, my wife & I were split on the prospect of buying a boat. We had reached the point in our financial journey that we could afford to splurge on a speedboat. We wouldn’t make a huge dent in our savings, and certainly wouldn’t take on any debt. We had friends that enjoy the ‘boat lifestyle’ and wanted to join the party. … Continue reading Thrifty Thursday – Boat Clubs
There is probably no luxury that I have done more of an about-face on over the past 20 years than luxury automobiles. My DW and I started out very humbly in our 20s when we got married. We were very practical: she had a 11-year old Ford Fairmont (boring, but mostly reliable). I had managed to drive a few junkers into the ground through college … Continue reading Grown-Up Guilty Pleasure – Luxury Cars
“You’ll be bored.” More than anything, that’s the response I expect from friends & family that when I retire early next year. The plan is that it will be just a few weeks short of my fiftieth birthday (‘FIRE by 50’). It’s a worry that increasingly dominates my thoughts. Will I think myself a clever genius for making an early exit from the workforce, or … Continue reading Pre-FIRE Escape – “Not Bored” List
It is with true sadness that I read that Dr. Thomas Stanley, co-author of the Millionaire Next Door, was killed recently in an unfortunate car accident. Reuters wrote that “Stanley was killed Saturday afternoon when a car slammed into his vehicle near his home in Marietta, Georgia.” Stanley researched the lives of American “high net worth individuals” – millionaires – and found that they … Continue reading Millionaire Next Door – Thomas Stanley RIP
I enjoy “living the good life” parables like this that help put put the concept of “Life > Money” in perspective … it’s featured in most Jimmy John’s sandwich shops … HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? “The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large … Continue reading How Much Is Enough? – Jimmy John’s
One of the things I’ve started to do is to meet with people I know who retired early themselves. Many of them are old coworkers or folks that I have met along life’s journey and it is good to tap into their wisdom and to catch up with some old friends. I will post a bit about these meetings I’ve had. Today I met up … Continue reading Early Retirement – Getting Advice One Cup At A Time
I started this blog in January and have been counting down the time to my expected early retirement on April 1, 2016. With February now complete, I have just 13 months more to go. I am capturing my thoughts and creating a countdown checklist each month, so that others can follow along and perhaps learn from my approach. I am sure like a lot of … Continue reading FIRE Escape – Early Retirement 13 Month Countdown
I had a great day at work this past Friday. There wasn’t anything especially amazing about it, but it was a truly enjoyable day. Good conversation, meaty strategic work, and a fair amount of horsing around. It was the kind of day that makes me say ‘this is fun – why do I really want to retire early from all of this?’ What am I … Continue reading 9 Reasons It’s Difficult To Retire Early
