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?
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)
With the Presidential election behind us and a new one-party led government in Washington DC, it is likely we will see much more change on economic policies than we seen in almost a decade. I’m excited to see if the new President and Congress take action on some of the four areas outlined in my pre-election post earlier this week. I included this quote from … Continue reading Free To Choose – Economist Milton Friedman
On Sunday’s CBS 60 Minutes, they reported that 82% of likely voters are more disgusted than excited for the election. Regardless of your politics, neither candidate gets high marks for trustworthiness and there is a lack of confidence that the country is heading in the right direction. On this day before Election Day, I thought I would comment on the four key things that will … Continue reading What The New President and Congress Need To Address
For many people, travel is one of the KEY reasons they pursue early retirement. This article from CNBC shows it as the top thing people look forward to in retirement. I’ve been talking a lot to people about their post-FIRE travel plans and all of the interesting places they have gone and hope to go to. One friend has a terrific trip to Europe planned … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Travel Experiences
I have a few friends that have shared that they are now getting close to giving their formal notice or are turning the corner on their last year of work. The journey to financial independence and retiring early (FIRE) seems like a challenge oftentimes, but each day you push through, each paycheck you invest, and each luxury you forgo pulls you closer to the day … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Dream Locamotion
I’m not typically too much of a worrier. I can be pretty analytical and objective in making decisions and don’t let my emotions get the best of me too often. In approaching the big decision that we made this year – to early retire and enjoy a life of financial independence – I used a number of analytical lenses to ‘pressure test’ the possibilities. Once … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – No Worries
My former boss at MegaCorp announced his pending retirement last week. It was big news with a number of people calling me and telling me about it from the office. He was immediately moved out of his role and put into ‘special projects’ until his final day on April Fool’s 2017. It’s exactly one year from when I departed, although I didn’t come close to … Continue reading From The Office Door To Door County
We are heading to Green Bay to see a Packer game this weekend and spend a few nights in Wisconsin’s Door County. In preparation, I’ve been reading a book about Packer great Bart Starr and the glory days of the team in the 1960s. Coach Vince Lombardi led the team to five NFL championships in seven years and was famous for his quote on winning … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Winning Attitude
More than 15 years ago, some colleagues and I were talking about how effective we were in building our savings. We were all making a good living, but some were more successful in building their net worth than others. One colleague – a single guy with a snappy car – mentioned that he started out being a good saver, but had recently been spending too much … Continue reading Stop Saving, Start Spending In Retirement?
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