To most people it is a preposterous dream: to become financially independent enough to work only because he wants to, and not because he has to; to have ample time for people he loves and his passions in life. But for some people who have saved up, planned, and worked hard, it is more than a pipedream. I escaped the rat race in 2005, and as I get farther into early (semi-) retirement, expect to see more articles by me on this topic.
I had just six days in New England, but I tried making the most of it — including visiting three states I’ve never been to before. Yet, I went at a fairly leisurely pace so as to enjoy the moment, even if this meant not making it to some parts (such as Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park in Maine) that I was thinking of visiting. Total cost of the trip, including airfare from/to Colorado, rental car, gas, shuttles, parking, lodging, meals, groceries, museum tickets, and the $110 Boston Marathon: $850.05. The experience: like what those Mastercard commercials say. Continue reading »
I’m an advocate of doing taxes yourself (using tax software) — except in the most complicated scenarios — as that is one of the best ways to learn about and understand your country’s tax codes and tax breaks. It also can ensure your taxes are done correctly (since, most likely, you know your financial situation better than any tax preparer?) and helps one to plan ahead for the future (i.e., how to take advantage of tax deductions going forward). Continue reading »
The other day, I met with a buddy of mine who sings with the San Francisco a capella group, The Richter Scales, in his spare time. He told me about his group’s recent video, Here Comes Another Bubble, which shot up to the #1 most-viewed video on YouTube one day in December, registered a million hits, and then became embroiled in a legal controversy regarding Fair Use rights.
The video is hilarious. You can view it below: Continue reading »
I usually don’t make new year’s resolutions. Why? Well, if I ever thought something needing resolving, the best time to make a resolution is right now, in the present moment. Why wait until January 1st?
But I can see how the start of a new year can be a good time to bring on changes in one’s life. A new calendar is like a clean slate; an opportunity to start anew. So this year I am going to make some new year’s resolutions. Continue reading »
Earlier in the year, an editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine and I traded correspondence about being an early retiree (or more precisely, an early semi-retiree since I do work on occasion), and some of those discussions were incorporated into their April 2007 article entitled, “Keep More Cash!” Here are a couple of downloadable excerpts: car tips (PDF, 415 KB), travel tidbits (PDF, 415 KB), and tracking spending.
The first explains why I sold Lina — my beloved 2000 BMW Z3 — many years ago and obtained Elaina in her place. The saving estimates quoted in the Kiplinger’s article are conservative (I think the actual figures may be closer to $15,000 when opportunity cost and servicing is taken into account). It was just one tiny piece of the early retirement puzzle.
