I spend a lot of time in the r/financialindependence subreddit, mostly looking for good suggestions or inspiration, but too often I find people in their 20’s looking to FIRE. I find this wholly depressing. More often than not, these people working entry level jobs and planning to retire by their early 30’s. Many times they’re… Continue reading You’re too Young to Hate Work
Tag: retirement
Tips on Working from Home
For the past four years I’ve enjoyed the life of working from home as a full time employee. I’ve had some struggles and made some mistakes, but overall it’s been a great experience that’s improved my quality of life. With many people newly working from home, I thought I’d share some tips (even though I… Continue reading Tips on Working from Home
Career Paths
Sitting here at 41 with an awesome job that I love, it’s easy to say that work is good. But it wasn’t always good. In fact for a long time work was bad. My jobs were bad, my bosses were bad and the work itself was bad. Moreover, in my 18 years in the full… Continue reading Career Paths
A Realization About Retirement
This afternoon I put my kids in for a nap, sat down in my suddenly completely quiet home and had an epiphany. Like someone addicted to playing the lottery because of the anticipation of winning, I’m addicted to saving for retirement because of the anticipation of not having any responsibilities. Don’t get me wrong, I… Continue reading A Realization About Retirement
Subscription Services are Bleeding You Dry
I was recently out having some beers with friends when one suggested that next time we watch football at his house. He set up a home bar in his basement and we could watch three games at once. Having recently set up a TV and projector in my own basement, and being very proud of… Continue reading Subscription Services are Bleeding You Dry
A Look Back to the Start
I started this blog on April 18th 2017. Earlier this week I was re-reading my first post and noticed my closing paragraphs contained a few sentences that I should revisit now that it’s 32 months since I started. We currently have about 20k in savings, 120k in retirement accounts, 42k in student loan debt and… Continue reading A Look Back to the Start
My Financial Goals for 2020
What a crazy and productive year 2019 was! If anyone were to look back at the money we laid out on home improvements and repairs, they would balk, saying we’re spending far too much and saving far too little. Having laid out roughly $61,200 in home improvements and repairs in one year, I’d love to… Continue reading My Financial Goals for 2020
A Look Back at 2019
At the beginning of 2019 I set out a number of goals for my financial life. Over the course of the year I hit some goals, added some, and changed some. Lets take a look back and see how I did. 2019 Goals Maximize ESPP Contribution – Status: Complete – This was one of my minor… Continue reading A Look Back at 2019
One Tank of Gas
Back in November I turned in my seldom used leased sedan and bought a much more practical 1987 Chevy pickup. The car was costing me about $400/month between the payment and insurance (I rarely got gas), and the truck cost me $4000 to buy. It’s a 10 month break even and I’ve set up an… Continue reading One Tank of Gas
Commuting and the Value of Time
Like many metro areas, Long Island is a commuter’s nightmare. We have three major East/West highways, a couple of minor ones, and a whole bunch of local highways with lights about every 50 feet. A closure of any one road can ruin the commute for hundreds of thousands of people. Any one of our three… Continue reading Commuting and the Value of Time
Freed by 50 