High School Personal Finance

I’m glad to see that public schools are taking personal finance seriously. Thirty-nine states now require personal finance as a high school graduation requirement, either as a standalone class, or integrated into another class, like economics. For decades, students sat through economics classes learning about monetary policy, supply and demand curves, and gross domestic product. Those topics are interesting, and they certainly help explain how … Continue reading High School Personal Finance

Cheers to 10 Years – Mrs. Fire Station

Early Retirement 10th Anniversary reflections from Mrs. Fire Station …  It’s been 10 years since I piped in on this blog of my husband’s.  When we were having lunch in Washington DC a few weeks ago, he asked me to reflect on my thoughts on the 10 years since we both retired.   Related: The Better Half / Thoughts From Mrs. Fire Station I’ll admit … Continue reading Cheers to 10 Years – Mrs. Fire Station

Cheers to 10 Years of Good Fortune

When I left the office 10 years ago this month, I never could have imagined the incredible good fortune our equity investments would benefit from over the full decade of our early retirement. As you can see below, S&P 500 returns over that period of time have average a hefty 14.1% with dividends reinvested! Our portfolio also includes bonds, real estate, and cash – but … Continue reading Cheers to 10 Years of Good Fortune

Hero or Villain?

As Batman learned in the Dark Knight, “You either die the Hero, or you live long enough to become the Villain.”  I think that famous movie line now has some relevance to those of us who played by the rules, worked smart, saved prodigiously, and invested effectively.  At first, one’s journey to FIRE (Financial Independence & Retired Early) is hailed by society as successful & … Continue reading Hero or Villain?