Save More - Invest Smarter - Retire Sooner
"...the issue isn’t managing your investments, it’s managing yourself while you manage your investments." --Charles Hugh Smith I started investing in my mid-30's and became financially independent at age 50. Over that time, I learned much, had … [Continue reading]
The following is a guest contribution from reader and fellow blogger Grumpus Maximus, a 40-something U.S. military officer with 18 years of active duty service under his belt. Grumpus has recently realized that, with some minor lifestyle adjustments, … [Continue reading]
Retirement planning can be hard. Annuities, estates, health care, retirement calculators, safe withdrawal rates, Social Security, taxes. There are many pieces to a successful retirement plan. But almost all of those topics boil down and feed … [Continue reading]
Health care costs present a major planning challenge for a pending retiree. The earlier one would like to retire, the more daunting the challenge of bridging the gap to Medicare eligibility. America has the most expensive health care system … [Continue reading]
The holy grail of retirement income is guaranteed, inflation-adjusted payments that last a lifetime, with principal left over. Annuities offer that kind of lifetime income, at the cost of giving up your principal. But true inflation-adjusted … [Continue reading]
It would be my last night in the Sierra for a long while. As I stared into the campfire under the star-filled sky last week, I reflected on how far I'd come: That day we had hiked nearly nine miles with full backpacks. We had climbed 1,000 feet up, … [Continue reading]
For the first decade of my adult life I was saving diligently while coasting through life with vague ideas that someday I could retire early. As my wife and I reached our mid 30’s, we paid off our home and saw our investment balances building. We … [Continue reading]
Most early retirees have no pension, annuity, or Social Security income. Even if you're a traditional retiree, you might have only one of those income streams. But what if your lifestyle plans require a home purchase? Even if you have the savings to … [Continue reading]
The following is a guest contribution from reader and blogging friend Chris Mamula, a pending early-retiree in his 40’s. Chris has been writing on personal finance topics for several years. His efforts first came to my attention with his insightful … [Continue reading]
Our cash was running low. It had been a year and a half since I sold significant assets. Last month, when I added up our liquid reserves, they were down to about six months of living expenses. For many a young worker that would be a cushy emergency … [Continue reading]
You've saved diligently your entire working career. You've maxed out your retirement savings accounts. And it's paid off. You've reached the point of financial independence, early. Or, maybe you were laid off, or took an early severance package. … [Continue reading]
The letter caught me by surprise. Titled "IRA/ESA Certificate Maturity Notice," it was from a major credit union where, so far as I knew, I had no accounts. The document went on to say that an IRA Certificate of deposit, with my name on the … [Continue reading]
Are you a beach person, a lake person, a mountain person, or a mixture? For my money, there is nowhere more beautiful on earth than the high peaks in summertime. I don't fish much, but I sure do like to camp, hike, and bike in the mountains. This … [Continue reading]
Something was very wrong. I sensed it as soon as I scanned my email late that morning, about two weeks ago. Long before my conscious brain could process the data on my computer screen, my subconscious was screaming "EMERGENCY." What was I … [Continue reading]
Cooking over a hot flame on a chilly night. Sleeping under an ink-black sky with a million stars all around. Waking to a cool breeze crossing a foggy meadow in dawn's early light. Is there any experience that compares to the joy, the thrill, the … [Continue reading]
It's a common problem in or near retirement: A relative passes away and leaves you an inheritance. Or you receive a lump sum pension payout. Or you sell the big family home and downsize. In each case you suddenly have a large sum of cash on … [Continue reading]
Passive index investors reject market timing and stock picking in favor of owning broad index funds. This simplifies most investing decisions, but leaves one very important one: asset allocation. How do you deploy your money across different asset … [Continue reading]
A stable marriage is the bedrock of personal and financial success for many of us. Having recently celebrated my 30th anniversary, maybe I'm entitled to talk just a little bit about what works, and what doesn't. Though, I know there is no … [Continue reading]
You expect financial pundits to speak with authority. "The market will do this." "The economy will do that." And of course they should be right, because who's going to listen to a money expert who makes mistakes? But I'm no financial pundit. … [Continue reading]
It was a blustery winter day, just about a year ago, when I stayed indoors all afternoon to work at my desk. The snowflakes stacked on the railing outside as I broke ground on new software, something I hadn't done in years. It would be a modeling … [Continue reading]
Boring. Yes, it's been another dull year for my investment portfolio. Other than an IRA contribution at tax time last year, I haven't initiated a single investment transaction since my last portfolio post. We made it entirely through 2016 living off … [Continue reading]
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