Since I started this blog, I picked a high (for me) FIRE number. The goal was $1.2M by the age of 32.
Instead, I’m retiring 3 years earlier with half my original net worth goal.
It’s Happening! I’m Retiring At Age 29 With $650,000
I don’t want to work anymore, so I quit.
Have you ever been working, and suddenly wished you could quit? The idea dawns on you as simple. All you would have to do is shut your computer. Say, “I quit.” Stand up. Walk out of the office. I felt like that. So the next day, I nearly surprised myself just as much as my […]
How Financial Independence Let Me Leave An Abusive Relationship
“But what do I do about all of my things?” I asked, standing in the hallway with my phone pressed up against my ear. All day I’d been shaking with adrenaline, my fight or flight instinct on high alert. “I remember that one of my biggest worries when I left was my stuff, but I’ll […]
I Could Retire Next Year At The Age of 28— But I Won’t.
I have a plan. I mapped it out a few years ago and I’ve been sticking to it— save $1,200,000 by the age of 32. It is a cautious plan that assumes I could double my expenses in retirement. It even has a buffer of $200,000 for just-in-case scenarios. Yet recently I’ve been wondering if this […]
The Cash Machine – A Book Review
The first thing that struck me about The Cash Machine was its cover. Of course it appealed to me—a machine under construction, tools strewn about the floor, and money flying in every direction? Sounds like just the book for ol’ Financial Mechanic over here. The subtitle sealed the deal: A Tale of Passion, Persistence, and Financial Independence. I was sold!
“I am not a math person,” and other lies we tell ourselves
I cringe every time someone says, “I am not a math person.” You are many things, and one of them is a math person. You are an artistic person, a creative person, a dancing person, because you are human. The surest way to hamstring your growth as a human being is to peg yourself into […]
The Five Stages of FIRE – and how to keep it alight
The journey to FIRE– financial independence, retiring early– looks like a lot of things to a lot of different people. Some people retire to the countryside. Others retire to travel the world. Still others ‘retire’ to run their own business. No matter what the path, all the journeys have five things in common, and along […]
Don’t Climb The Ladder; Take the Elevator
In the last few months, I have applied to several jobs. I talked to recruiters, endured phone screens, coded up a couple take-home tests, whiteboarded, live coded, and answered probing questions such as: what are your biggest weaknesses? and who would you want to play you if your life was made into a motion picture? […]
What is Financial Independence?
I am part of a growing movement of people looking for a way out of the rat race. The movement is called FIRE: Financial Independence, Retire Early. The blogosphere is growing with people embracing the movement, and I at first felt like I had little to add to this space. After all, Gwen of fiery millennials is another […]
Frugal Roots
My parents set the example for frugality. I’m sure my dad had a mental catalog of every item in the grocery store and how much it should cost. After shopping for our staples at King Soopers, our local Kroger mart, we’d walk across the street to Safeway because milk and bagels were cheaper there. We never […]