How is it possible to retire early? How much do you need in the bank? When can I retire? Shockingly Simple Math First of all, there is some Shockingly Simple Math to early retirement, and I recommend you start where many of us started on this journey, and that’s Mr. Read more…
We just got back from a nine-day family boat journey aboard our 34ft cabin cruiser. It’s by far the longest time we’ve spent on a boat together and the longest journey we have ever undertaken. We motored 190 miles down the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon to Astoria, Oregon (the Read more…
The story of the Mexican Fisherman and why retiring early is important to us. Have you ever heard the parable of the Mexican Fisherman? I’ve heard several versions, but I like this one, retold by Courtney Carver over at bemorewithless.com (which you should also check out): An American investment banker Read more…
How to become financially independent – a 3 step plan. (i.e. how we’re doing it!) We’ve defined financial independence, but how do you actually become financially independent? In this post, we’ll describe the 3 steps we took. What you’ll learn: Step 1 – Become debt free Step 2 – Grow the Read more…
We have lived on a monthly budget for over 15 years now. Although many people have a negative reaction to the word budget, over that time, we have found it freeing and it actually causes fewer fights about our money. Let’s come right out and say that living on a Read more…
Let’s start here before this goes completely off the rails: we are huge Dave Ramsey fans. We were deeply in debt and needed his baby steps to get out of the mess we had created. His books, Financial Peace University, and radio show have served us very well. It helped build Read more…
Or “definitions for a community that prides itself on not being defined.” The irony is thick that a community that refuses to accept traditional definitions (retirement begins at 65 then you quit, travel, and grow old on a beach) attempts to add clarity to FIRE by creating definitions for the Read more…
Well, reluctant may not be the right word but today we’ll take on the topic of how, at least in our marriage, we’re wired differently. For us, that provides balance in ways that make us more effective but can lead to conflict in pursuit of financial independence, early retirement, and Read more…
Just how are we going to pull this off? These are some grand dreams, aggressive goals, and this path is not for the faint of heart for sure. It is also a long slog. It’s more like a marathon than a sprint. So how do we think we’re going to Read more…
In our last post we talked about the importance of having a plan in order to pull off your big dreams. We gave some of our personal insights on how we’re working toward our financial independence, early retirement, and grand adventure plans. We also shared some of the resources (life Read more…