Category: Lifestyle

Crazy Things Made Possible By Early Retirement

Awesome!, Lifestyle, Parenting, Travel

For those who love their jobs or those that can’t manage to ever save any money, they may not understand why anyone would want to retire early. “Won’t you get bored?” they ask. Not yet! In fact, having huge blocks of free time opens up a lot of possibilities that aren’t very feasible while working full time.

I used to write a monthly summary of what I’m up to in early retirement like this, this, this, and this. I haven’t kept this diary of excitement up to date lately, but I wanted to share a small sample of the tiny and huge things that early retirement permit.

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This Year I’m Thankful for…

Lifestyle

Technology. Laptops and smartphones are cheap and plentiful and always connected. They provide entertainment on demand through Netflix, Hulu or other services (no more commercials!). They open a window into other countries without the hassles or expense of travel. They speed the flow of information through youtube, wikipedia, and offer instant access to free online universities like Coursera. Getting a snapshot off all our finances and investments is a click away with Personal Capital. It has never been easier or faster than today.

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Workplace Nostalgia For Construction Trailer Coffee

Lifestyle

This morning I made my coffee a bit too weak. After adding my cream and a sprinkle of stevia sweetener, I took a quick sip of the thin brew and it brought me back to my working days. About once a week I would leave my cozy yet spartanly appointed downtown office and venture out to the edges of civilization to meet with other engineers and project managers at the contractor’s on-site construction trailer.

The journey to the construction trailer was always interesting and varied every few weeks. I’m not delving into magical realism here. The trailer never moved, but the roads did routinely change their configuration. You see, we were building a road. A major freeway to be more specific. When I first started attending meetings at the construction trailer, it was easy to get there. I swerved around the construction barriers and “ROAD CLOSED” signs. Then I proceeded down the exit ramp, over the temporary median crossing, and up the sloped driveway to the gravel parking lot. Quick and easy.

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Why Your Two Cents Matter….Literally!

Case Studies, Financial Independence, Lifestyle

Mrs. Root of Good decided to pick up the keyboard and pen a few thoughts on work and the decision to finally pull the plug and join me in early retirement. Here’s what she has to say:

What will it take for me to leave the corporate world and pass the day with Mr. RoG on the back deck laying on the hammock sipping margaritas? Overall, my job is pretty easy and the pay is good. I have very good benefits, flexible hours and my managers pretty much let me do what I want as long as the job gets done. And I’m due to take my three month sabbatical any time now. So what will it take for me to leave my job? I do want to spend more time with our kids and travel more. I get jealous when I come home exhausted and Mr. RoG has spent hours outdoor reading. It’s a tough decision. If I work for just another year, my salary is enough to pay for our yearly travel expenses for many years! But there are times when I wonder if it is worth the headaches to stay at work. There are times when I feel what I’m doing is just silly and a waste of my time!

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The Ultimate Gift: Your Paycheck

Financial Independence, Lifestyle, Personal Finance

Most people would say the pinnacle of life is when you score a top level job in your field, when your kids are born, when you land a full ride to college or sign a multi-million dollar contract with your favorite sports team. Achieving financial independence (FI) in life is typically an afterthought. That is why we see hundreds of celebrities and lottery winners squandering their money and years later filing for bankruptcy. Just look at MC Hammer, Kim Basinger and Michael Jackson.

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Case Study: High Earning Attorneys Shun High Spending Lifestyle

Awesome!, Case Studies, Financial Independence, Lifestyle

After graduating from law school ten years ago, Jane has practiced as an attorney and ended up in Washington, DC married to another attorney. Most 30-something attorneys working at big law firms in big cities are making a ton of money and spending most of it living the high life.

Jane and her husband made the conscious decision to split from the herd of her high-spending colleagues and do the bizarre. They paid down huge law school debts, saved boatloads of money, tactically bought a home at fire sale prices, and carefully managed their expenses and investments to bring about a certain level of financial independence in their mid-30’s. Though they won’t be retiring early immediately, their money savvy behavior will allow them to execute a “coup de career” very soon so they can get back to living life on their own terms.

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Canada Trip Part 6: Trip Wrap Up

Lifestyle, Personal Finance, Travel

Quebec City was as far as we made it on our trip. We decided to call it quits, pack up, and go home after we found out our apartment for the week in Quebec City was really, really, really dirty. That’s not to say we didn’t enjoy our limited time in Quebec City. It’s a cool place with lots to see. We, as a family, were travel weary.

We were worn out. We set out on what was supposed to be a five week trip with dual goals of sightseeing and relaxation. We visited all kinds of places and saw most of the things on our wish list. But that took a toll on our efforts to relax.

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Root of Good Interview On The Voluntary Life Podcast

Financial Independence, Investing, Lifestyle, Personal Finance

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit down (virtually) with Jake Desyllas and discuss the financial moves and life decisions that put me in a position to retire by age 33. Jake runs The Voluntary Life podcast, which features over 160 podcasts recorded to date that cover entrepreneurship, financial independence, and freedom among other topics.

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