Today, I celebrate my 6-year anniversary of leaving my CEO gig to retire early!!! Another year of early retirement has flown by. I am still shocked that we are at 6 years. My kids can barely even remember me working in an office or running a company. So it’s strange that they won’t even remember that, even though it was such a large part of my world for so long. And yet, I don’t regret ANYTHING. I’ve been able to travel so much more over the past 6 years than I would have if I were working....
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
The best motivation comes from one person: YOURSELF Last week, I stumbled upon a letter I had written from my 80-year-old self. After reading it, I was ready to run through walls to be the best person that I can be. We all struggle with the day-to-day, so reading a letter from your 80-year-old self on a bad day, or even a good day, is a great reminder that life is a marathon and not a sprint. So today, I encourage you all to write your own letter from your 80-year-old self. It’ll help you to...
4 months ago • 1 min read
I Asked Claude to Build Me an Early Retirement Simulator: The Results Blew Me Away I’ve been using Claude Code quite a bit for various things related to my affiliate site and have been blown away by how fast and capable it is. But beyond my affiliate work, I’m also an accidental early retiree, and one thing I’m always thinking about is whether my portfolio is going to last. So I figured, why not put Claude to the test on something that actually matters to me personally. I asked Claude to set...
4 months ago • 1 min read
"FIRE is the dumbest shit imaginable. Forget all the (correct) arguments about enjoying life while young: mathematically, it doesn’t work."My response: I'd rather aim big and miss than never try at all! So let's talk math. For someone making $75K a year and saving 25% starting at age 25, FIRE is entirely achievable. But here's the catch. It's best to start as early as possible. Two people. Same salary. Same savings rate. One starts at 25. One at 30. The gap at 45 will surprise you: Read the...
5 months ago • 1 min read
When I first joined my company as employee #3, we had pipe dreams for the future of our business: We imagined crushing the next year or two and selling our company for big bucks We imagined becoming so well-known that everyone on the street knew our name We imagined how quick and easy our path would be Boy, were we imagining! Absolutely none of that happened. As an entrepreneur, it’s very easy to dream up a rosy future. Your imagination runs wild, and you dream of building something bigger...
5 months ago • 1 min read
It’s that simple. For nearly everything in life, getting what you want is as simple as asking. Will the answer always be “yes?” Certainly not. But how do you know if you don’t try? If you don’t ask, you don't get. So, what do you have to lose by asking? Read the rest of the article at Accidentally Retired ***** AR Recommends Track your net worth with Empower (my review) Keep Your Money Secure: Use a password manager and set strong passwords. I love to read. Here is my master list of book...
6 months ago • 1 min read
You Only Need One Income Stream. Just ONE. Yep, that’s right. I said it. You only need the ONE. And don’t get me wrong. I’m not against multiple income streams. Focusing on building up ONE truly kick ass income stream is going to pay dividends far beyond what you can do with multiple income streams. Here's why... Read the rest of the article at Accidentally Retired ***** AR Recommends Track your net worth with Empower (my review) Keep Your Money Secure: Use a password manager and set strong...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Our neighborhood is fairly new...it's one of those built by a national homebuilder with multiple price points in mind. There are entry-level homes, mid-tier homes, upper-tier homes, and mansions...yes, mansions. Each type has its own subdivision within the development, and it was clearly developed with buyers from all walks of life in mind. I was taking a quick walk around our neighborhood the other day and wandered into the mansion section. The first thought that crossed my mind? "Man, it...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Cash management in early retirement has turned out to be a rather stressful endeavor. When I first negotiated my severance and left corporate America, it was easy to know that I still had money coming in for a while. But eventually, the gravy train runs dry, and then I was left figuring out an action plan. For those who have never withdrawn from their portfolios, it can get complicated fast when trying to determine the best approach for selling, managing capital gains, taxes, estimating...
6 months ago • 1 min read