Welcome to Update 2 on our project house remodel! See the first post here. With almost every home project I’ve done, I’ve worked alone. This is good and bad: The Good Quiet meditation time: I’m an introvert, so I don’t mind hanging out with myself all day. I get to build stuff and catch up […]
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Project House Update 2: Better With Friends
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Oops I Did It Again
When Mindy and I first moved to Colorado, we spent $400,000 on a nice house. We had just completed a huge remodel and wanted a place that didn’t need any work. We’d enjoy Colorado life. But we weren’t happy with our new neighborhood. Many of our neighbors didn’t share our values. The high school kids […]
The Real You, Mile High FI, Orlando, And Dinosaurs
Hey, I’ll be in Orlando this week! Perhaps I’ll see you there? Read on! I started writing this blog to amuse myself. I never thought anyone would read it. I also didn’t care. I liked to write and this exercise would be a way to work through my thoughts on the journey to financial independence. […]
Performance Update (July): Dunno.
My main goal* was to build an investment and cash portfolio of $1,120,000* ($1,000,000 to retire on and $120,000 to pay off the house) in 1500 days**, starting from 1/1/2013 and ending in February of 2017. I made my goal in 2016, my 1500 Days are over, and I’ve left my job. In the interest of openness, I’ll continue to share […]
Have You Tried To Buy An EV Lately?
Readers of this blog will know I’m a fan of Tesla. I bought the stock back in 2012 on a silly whim and it became a super-rare, super-lucky, super-unicorn purchase. Some of my shares are up 15,000%. I expect Tesla’s future to be bright as the world moves to electric vehicles (EVs) and renewables, so […]
When The Game Doesn’t Feel Quite The Same
On a recent trip, I downloaded the book It to my Kindle. Light reading, right? The book quickly drew me in. I hadn’t read fiction in a long, long time. The most recent issues of The Economist gathered dust while I plowed through Stephen King’s novel. This was a change. For the past couple of […]
California Slow Coasting
This blog will return to normal programming shortly (finance, farts, and dinosaurs). However, summers are pretty busy with the girls out of school. Posts where I show you some pictures are easy, so this is what you get! Hey, at least I’m honest! Plus, maybe my tales of adventure will convince some of you to […]
Performance Update, June 2022: COVID Blows Up Life (Again)
My main goal* was to build an investment and cash portfolio of $1,120,000* ($1,000,000 to retire on and $120,000 to pay off the house) in 1500 days**, starting from 1/1/2013 and ending in February of 2017. I made my goal in 2016, my 1500 Days are over, and I’ve left my job. In the interest of openness, I’ll continue to share […]
Road Trip: Update 2! (Boise And Sunriver)
And we made it to Sunriver! But not without a little drama. The Check Engine light came on somewhere in Idaho. We took the car to an auto parts store for diagnosis and fortunately the problem wasn’t a serious one (bad gas?). One of the best parts of road trips is stumbling upon something awesome. […]
Inspiration Stagnation/ Road Trip!
I’ve been writing here for almost 10 years now. For most of that time, I’m never at a loss for inspiration. My crazy brain is always throwing ideas at me. But lately, I haven’t been feeling it. I ask my brain for ideas and it’s like: Perhaps it’s the feeling of malaise regarding world events. […]
Performance Update, May 2022: Maximum OOF!
My main goal* was to build an investment and cash portfolio of $1,120,000* ($1,000,000 to retire on and $120,000 to pay off the house) in 1500 days**, starting from 1/1/2013 and ending in February of 2017. I made my goal in 2016, my 1500 Days are over, and I’ve left my job. In the interest of openness, I’ll continue to share […]
Random Adventures In Germany!
I don’t appreciate travel as much as others in the FIRE community. Seeing other parts of the world is fun, but there is a lot of value to being in the same place with the same friends and same routine. But, that doesn’t mean I like to sit around all the time. Right now, I’m […]
Why Your Future Is Going To Be Awesome
When I first discovered FIRE, I dove in and started consuming All. The. Things. Mr. Money Mustache. JD Roth. JL Collins. I devoured the information and embraced FIRE without hesitation: Financial Independence is awesome! I can’t wait to quit my job!! Life is going to be great!!! -me But, one thing about index funds bothered […]
The Right Question To Ask About The Crazy Markets
I fully admit that I did the wrong thing back in 2008 when the stock market got walloped. I had only been investing for about 10 years and I freaked out: I logged into my 401(k) account late one night and lowered my contributions so that I put in exactly enough to get the company […]
Performance Update, April 2022: Zoom Out
My main goal* was to build an investment and cash portfolio of $1,120,000* ($1,000,000 to retire on and $120,000 to pay off the house) in 1500 days**, starting from 1/1/2013 and ending in February of 2017. I made my goal in 2016, my 1500 Days are over, and I’ve left my job. In the interest of openness, I’ll continue to share […]
5 Years Of FIRE Life
I’m typing this early in the morning at the coworking space that I co-own. I like coming down here before anyone else has arrived. I begin my day by finding a quiet spot and meditating. Five years ago when I left work, I never would have anticipated what life would bring: Mindy and I moved […]