From my early teens, my mother lectured me on finances, investing, and saving principles. She talked about the power of compound interest, the importance of investing early, and the impact of debt and taxes. I didn’t grasp a lot of what she taught me at first, but over a 20+ year career in IT and continually learning and refining the plan, my wife and I are getting close to achieving (an early) retirement. It’s satisfying to see some of the concepts come to fruition, but I’ve also discovered things I wish I had done sooner or differently. This blog will share articles about different aspects of financial planning and achieving financial independence.
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All Articles
- Just-In-Time Lessons on Financial Aid for College (FAFSA)
Took a break from posting for the rest of the summer and the start of … Read more - Providing our Children with a Retirement Head Start
I have referenced my mother’s influence on my Personal Finance journey many times. Our own … Read more - Worrying about Call Risk with Preferred Stocks
We are relatively new to buying preferred stocks, and wrote an article about them awhile … Read more - Reflections during a Beach Vacation
It’s Father’s Day 2021, the first morning of our family beach vacation on Cape Cod. … Read more - How do we learn about Personal Finance?
I was fortunate that my mother ingrained many lessons about Personal Finance into my head … Read more - (Early) Retirement Progress Health Check
It is helpful to track our progress as we continue to execute and adjust our … Read more - Pursuing Passions to fill our “Free” Time
This article could go in the Ebike Nerd blog, but wanted a change of pace. … Read more - 2020 Cares Act Withdrawal Revisited
In a previous article we talked about our Cares Act withdrawals from our 401ks for … Read more - Does “Partial” Retirement make more sense?
We have been putting our Emergency Fund through a “Stress Test” recently. We have had … Read more - What are Baby Bonds?
Another equity type that we only recently started buying are “Baby Bonds” or “Exchange Traded … Read more - Emergency Fund in Action
One critical component of a Financial Plan is to have an “Emergency Fund“. This should … Read more - Financial Planning Checkup
There are many resources online with guidelines to gauge how we’re doing in terms of … Read more - How do Preferred Stocks work?
My first retirement account was a Schwab IRA that my mother helped me open with … Read more - Building a Roth Conversion Ladder
In a previous article we talked about using IRS code 72(t), section 2 to access … Read more - 72(t) for (an early) Retirement
In a previous article we talked about using the Rule of 55 to access our … Read more - Rule of 55 – Accessing Tax-Sheltered Accounts to fund (an early) Retirement
I can’t drive 55 SAMMY HAGAR Driving 55 has nothing to do with retirement planning, … Read more - Retirement “Dry Run” during the Pandemic
As part of a holistic approach to Retirement Planning, we should consider how to fill … Read more - Our House and Mortgage Debt
We bought our house in March of 2002, just after we got married. We have … Read more - 2020 Cares Act withdrawal (and recontribution plan)
As part of the 2020 Cares Act, my wife and I both took maximum withdrawals … Read more - Passive Income to fund (an early) Retirement
You’ve saved and built your nest egg over many years. A lot of it is … Read more - Roth IRA “Back Door” contributions
My wife (girlfriend at the time) and I were early adopters of the Roth IRA, … Read more - Aggressive Saving for (an early) Retirement
My wife and I are not great at aggressively limiting expenses, and we indulge in … Read more - Am I “Rich” if I become a millionaire?
It’s part of the American Dream to be rich, but what does this mean? - Dividends – don’t get hung up on YOC
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin After a several month hiatus … Read more
| Disclaimer: I am not a financial planner and content on this site is meant to provide food for thought, not professional advice. I share my experiences to show what worked so far and what didn’t, YMMV. Please consult your financial advisor or tax professional as needed. |