Author Archives: F.I.R.E. Dad

I Got Another Reminder Today

I took my daughter to the park this morning and there was another girl her age running around with what was clearly her grandfather close behind. We introduced them to each other and got to talking ourselves. After a while, it came up that he’s been spending more time with his granddaughter recently since hisContinue reading “I Got Another Reminder Today”

One year into “Retirement”: How’s it going?

I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I left my full-time job. As for most people in the world, 2021 was another strange year. And despite ongoing challenges, especially in the world at large, there was a lot to celebrate. We got vaccinated and had a pretty “normal” summer. We managed to haveContinue reading “One year into “Retirement”: How’s it going?”

What is Minimalism & How it can make you Rich (in more ways than one)

An Epidemic of Stuff For most of human history, an idea like minimalism (only owning things that added immediate value to your life) just couldn’t really exist. Practically everyone was a minimalist out of pure circumstance. Humans only owned things they needed. Most people in the United States have access to stuff our ancestors couldn’tContinue reading “What is Minimalism & How it can make you Rich (in more ways than one)”

Learn to Love Cooking – It’ll Save You Money & Make You Healthy

Eating out is a nice luxury every now and then, but that’s what it is, a luxury.  And luxury = expensive.  It’s also generally not good for you.  And although it’s getting better, good vegan and vegetarian options are really hard to come by in most restaurants. If you are serious about being healthy andContinue reading “Learn to Love Cooking – It’ll Save You Money & Make You Healthy”

Don’t let yourself be advertised to

Our modern consumer culture bombards us with unwanted messages constantly. It’s hard to pin down a realistic number, but a quick Google search returns a number anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 ads served to us in a single day. Even on the low end of that estimate, that is 1.5 million ads per year! ThisContinue reading “Don’t let yourself be advertised to”

I’ve been “retired” for 6 months, how’s it going?

Despite planning for early retirement for years and knowing the simple math behind it, when I first quit my job on January 6th of 2021, my emotions were all over the place. I was torn between excitement for the possibilities early retirement would hold and anxiety about what could go wrong. At the time (andContinue reading “I’ve been “retired” for 6 months, how’s it going?”

Saving Money should be FUN, not painful

At some point along my financial independence journey, saving money became fun. It was like a game, and I love winning games. What else can I optimize? Where else is there waste? Is my portfolio optimized? Is this the best place for me to live? Can I get rid of my car? The wife nixedContinue reading “Saving Money should be FUN, not painful”

Foundational Habit: Meditation

Meditation is relatively new to the mainstream culture in the United States, but by no means is it new. Meditation is thought to potentially be over 7000 years old, with ties to ancient China and Egypt, and of course religions such as Buddhism. Meditation seems to be surging in response to the constant barrage ofContinue reading “Foundational Habit: Meditation”

Don’t go looking for the next GameStop

If you’ve followed the GME stock story at all, it has been quite the exciting and wild ride over the past few weeks. As far as I understand it, hedge funds got a little too risky making extreme short bets on GameStop stock. At it’s core, they are able to make money by betting aContinue reading “Don’t go looking for the next GameStop”