One of my major goals for 2020 was to make one very large lump sum payment to my mortgage this year. I had planned to do this last year, but plummeting interest rates presented the opportunity to refinance so I reallocated some money to that and pushed the goal to 2020. My original goal was… Continue reading Dropping the Hammer on My Mortgage
Tag: retirement
Kids Sports, College, and Whatever this Lifestyle is All About
At the end of 2019 I had a party at my house, and during that party I found myself in a heated debate with my cousin and a friend of mine about youth soccer. Here in New York, as with many other areas, youth soccer has become an almost all consuming lifestyle choice. I have… Continue reading Kids Sports, College, and Whatever this Lifestyle is All About
My Financial Role Models
Like many people, I’ve learned a lot about money by reading books, articles, and blogs. At 41 I have a fair amount of real life experience to draw from as well. I look around me and I see examples of people doing things I like, and things I don’t like so much, and I gain… Continue reading My Financial Role Models
The Very Beginning of My Journey
It’s very common to read about someone who has reached financial independence looking back at that moment they started their journey. More often than not they talk about how they had this “ah-ha” moment where things clicked for them and they set off down the defined path. Sometimes it’s after they hit rock bottom, or… Continue reading The Very Beginning of My Journey
I Have a Secret
I have a secret. One that I hide even from myself (as best I can). I hadn’t realized I was keeping this secret from myself until very recently, but when I discovered my own secret I was really happy, and then quickly went back to ignoring it. My secret is this: I’m much further along… Continue reading I Have a Secret
“I’m in a Hurry to Get Things Done…”
“Oh I rush and rush until life’s no fun, all I really gotta do is live and die, but I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.” So goes the chorus of the Alabama song “I’m in a hurry” and it’s been stuck in my head for days. This past weekend I had my first… Continue reading “I’m in a Hurry to Get Things Done…”
Thoughts on CoastFIRE
What is CoastFIRE? CoastFIRE is the idea of front loading your retirement savings heavily at a young age to the point that you can reasonably assume you don’t need to invest anything more in order to reach retirement at your target age. For instance, assuming a safe withdrawal rate of 4%, a 7% rate of… Continue reading Thoughts on CoastFIRE
Two Years Saved!!
I want to say I wasn’t paying attention, but I’m always paying attention. Too much attention. I check my bank accounts every morning. I check my brokerage accounts multiple times per day. I track my net worth monthly. But at some point in the past few weeks, I hit a major milestone. Between cash and… Continue reading Two Years Saved!!
Being Wealthy vs Acting Rich
I catch a lot of crap from my friends who know I’m far from struggling but appear to be cheap to them. I buy most of my t-shirts from Old Navy for $5 each. I buy Lucky Jeans at Costco for $19. I only own one pair of $50 sneakers. I don’t pay for cable.… Continue reading Being Wealthy vs Acting Rich
Mid-2020 Check Up
Here we are somehow halfway through 2020 already. Thanks to the COVID, the first half of 2020 seems completely lost on the financial and social levels. On a personal level, I’ve taken up the goal of getting in better shape, which has resulted in the loss of about 18 pounds. I find weight to be… Continue reading Mid-2020 Check Up
Freed by 50 