My primary goal for this site is to help you achieve financial freedom sooner rather than later. And if you’re still on your path to financial freedom, sending your children to private grade school often works against that objective. I’ve experienced freedom from bosses, work travel, rush hour commutes, and client pressures since 2012. And
Be Careful Sabotaging Your Retirement For Private Grade School Read More »
About 10 years ago, I tried logging onto SSA.gov to check my Social Security benefits. You would think after decades of paying FICA taxes (6.2% for SS, 1.45% for Medicare), the government might make it easy to see what you’re entitled to. Nope. Instead, the system demanded to physically mail me a PIN. I tried three times
Living Solely Off Social Security Benefits In Retirement Is Possible Read More »
One of the key conclusions from getting a free financial consultation with Empower for anybody with over $100,000 in investable assets is that I should be able to live it up more in retirement. In fact, we should all be able to live it up more in retirement based on a higher recommended safe withdrawal rate
Permission To Live It Up In Retirement Granted: The New 5% SWR Read More »
After doing my first free Empower financial professional review back in 2014, I decided to do another investment portfolio review with them. Given the portfolio review is free for anyone with over $100,000 in investable assets, and my financial situation has changed so dramatically since then, I figured, why not spend a little time uncovering potential
How Empower’s Free Financial Review Helped Me Rethink Retirement Read More »
On October 8, 2025, we decided to go on a family vacation I was decidedly unexcited about. That entire week was supposed to be my time to attend the Fairfield Challenger tennis tournament every day with my buddy Richard. September and October are tennis paradise months in the Bay Area, with multiple tournaments and ideal
Vacations Just Aren’t As Great Anymore Once You Retire Early Read More »
Picture this: no alarm clock jolting you awake at 6 a.m., no endless meetings that could’ve been emails, and no scrambling to stretch your paycheck to cover bills. Instead, your money is working for you—even while you’re sipping coffee on your porch or traveling somewhere sunny. That’s the dream of financial independence. For many, retiring
The Financial Independence Playbook: Using Passive Income to Retire Early Read More »
Before I retired from finance in 2012, I struggled with chronic back pain, sciatica, and TMJ. The stress was so overwhelming, I even paid a dentist $700 to drill divots into several teeth just so I could close my jaw more easily. At only 34, my body was breaking down, and I had no choice
Health Issues Or A Disability May Force You To Retire Early: Prepare Accordingly Read More »
If we’re not already in a recession, we may soon enter one due to aggressive trade policies that are fueling tremendous uncertainty. As companies and consumers pull back on spending, millions of jobs could be lost, trillions in stock market wealth may disappear, and inflation could persist—potentially ushering in a stagflationary environment. If you’ve been
What A Recession Is Like For Early Retirees: The Good And Bad Read More »
Despite the wonderful peace of mind that comes with owning a home free and clear, deciding to pay off a low-interest rate mortgage early is not always straightforward. If your mortgage rate is low compared to risk-free investment returns, keeping the mortgage and investing excess cash elsewhere often makes more financial sense. What Is Considered
The Only Good Reasons To Pay Off A Low-Interest-Rate Mortgage Early Read More »
One of the biggest reasons I was against contributing to a Roth IRA is my belief that most people won’t make more money in retirement than while working. As a result, they’re unlikely to pay a higher tax rate in retirement than during their working years. This belief also assumes that tax rates will stay
Why You Could Make More In Retirement Than While Working Read More »
