I read once that you should take everything that you wish you could tell your 18 year old self and tell it to your son. That is what I have tried to do - he might have even listened to a little bit of it! đ
I have a keen interest in FI, but not necessarily retiring early. As long as I enjoy the work, continuing to be part of the workforce, either as an employee, independent contractor or entrepreneur, is part of my life ambition. Leaving a family legacy is part of the game plan, but honestly setting the stage for my son early on felt like a smarter play. This included regular investing very early in his life via an UTMA brokerage account at Vanguard that was used not only to jumpstart his financial path but also allowed for age-appropriate, teachable moments. Then when he was old enough to start working part-time, summer jobs, I matched 100% of his earnings into a custodial Roth IRA. Our deal is so long as he saves, 25% of what he makes, I will continue to match his earnings for Roth contributions; this will, in theory allow him to take advantage of the time aspect of his youth. I think that these early dollars will have greater impact and hopefully deliver amazing results for him over the longer term. It is my further intention that doing all of this early, with his direct involvement, will position him to have the skillsets to utilize any remaining legacy inheritance, which, if all goes well will also be substantial, in an educated and mindful manner. At least that is the intent! đ
I have redefined FIRE to mean âFinancial Independence- Reimagine Everythingâ. For me the end goal wasnât about escaping work, but instead having the professional freedom to pivot within my career in a way that would have been difficult had money worries still been top of mind. As we have approached our FI number, work feels like an option instead of a requirement, and we are able to deploy our income to a wide variety of enjoyable experiences and indulgences with the knowledge that our financial goals are met. For me FI is Freedom to Choose, not a mandate to quit!
Excellent Article! I have always been interested in the FI portion of FIRE as a means of having freedom and flexibility in my career path and not as a way to escape into early retirement. This approach has allowed me to do the types of work that I enjoy and the freedom from money worries to leverage my experiences in a manner that brings professional success on my terms. I like working and plan to do so as long as possible; but I love having the financial ability to âsay noâ or to pivot to something different, if what I am doing doesnât fit with what I want to do. I also appreciate having hit the numbers I believe are needed for the retirement that I would want if this âworking thingâ ever starts to be a drag! đ€Ł
Travel has always been an important aspect of our lives - my wife and I have tried to make it a high priority right from the beginning and as we have become debt-free and approached our FI Number in 2021, our trips have become increasingly important to us. We love cruising and find it provides an efficient way to see lots of places without much of the stressors of moving between locations - we love unpacking once and having the âhotelâ move us. Our most recent trips have included: (1) An Alaskan Cruise; (2) A Western Mediterranean Cruise (Spain, France, Monaco, Italy); and (3) A Northern European Cruise (Iceland, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, and England). This year we are going back to the Mediterranean with stops in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain and England; and are planning a Cruise of Japan for 2026.
We just bought a new Subaru Crosstrek Limited to replace my wifeâs 2015 Ford Explorer. I have always bought used cars and with the help of a buddy who has a backyard garage drove them into the 250-300K mileage range. This particular Explorer was problematic and experienced two issues that ruined our excellent used vehicle record - engine timing phasers and electrical power steering that my friend couldnât tackle because it required computer systems that he didnât have access to and which were pretty big problems. We paid handsomely to have the local dealership fix the phasers - I did my typical analysis and determined that at the time there was too much utility left not to make the repair, but then a year later the power steering system went out and I stubbornly fixed that too. She drove it for another year but I felt like something else wasnât quite right so it was time to cut bait. We looked at all the various options and having decided to switch to Japanese, drove Toyotas, Hondas , and Subarus - a couple of our neighbors are very into Subaru and I liked how they drove best - we get pretty rough winters in Northeast Ohio and my in-laws live outside of Erie, Pennsylvania, so winter driving is definitely a consideration and the AWD Subaru seemed like the best choice. Used cars, especially what we were looking for, didnât offer any meaningful discount, so for just a few thousand more I bought new. First time for everything, I guess! So now my wife has a shiny new Subaru and I have a vehicle that I get to manage all of the maintenance and care from ground zero so I think we are both pretty happy with the choice.
An excellent read - really resonated with my current season. Just started a surprise sabbatical in April, the company I was running for a long time client was sold and the new ownership decided to change up the leadership. I got a nice severance coupled with a part-time consulting role for the next six months - hence the sabbatical! After the shock wore off, the gift was readily apparent and I recognized it for the wonderful opportunity to take a trial run on early âretirementâ. My priorities have been self-care and exercise. I had no sense of how burned out I had become and according to my wife, a bit âcrankyâ - she said I am much improved six werks into this season. Long walks with the dogs, excellent podcasts, and planning for a couple adventures have made all the difference. I expect to return to gainful work again once the consulting role ends either vis-a-vis my own private practice (which I am already doing as a side hustle - Estate & Business Planning) or with some other company (already have a couple of interested suitors looking for me to join their organizations). But for today, I am just enjoying this gift!
A wonderful article - it is often about perspective. Never ceases to amaze me how a personâs outlook on life can twist joy from sorrow, or vice versa! For me - Itâs always sunny here in Youngstown, Ohio - even when itâs not! đ
Comments
I read once that you should take everything that you wish you could tell your 18 year old self and tell it to your son. That is what I have tried to do - he might have even listened to a little bit of it! đ
Post: My favorite question.
Link to comment from August 10, 2025
I have a keen interest in FI, but not necessarily retiring early. As long as I enjoy the work, continuing to be part of the workforce, either as an employee, independent contractor or entrepreneur, is part of my life ambition. Leaving a family legacy is part of the game plan, but honestly setting the stage for my son early on felt like a smarter play. This included regular investing very early in his life via an UTMA brokerage account at Vanguard that was used not only to jumpstart his financial path but also allowed for age-appropriate, teachable moments. Then when he was old enough to start working part-time, summer jobs, I matched 100% of his earnings into a custodial Roth IRA. Our deal is so long as he saves, 25% of what he makes, I will continue to match his earnings for Roth contributions; this will, in theory allow him to take advantage of the time aspect of his youth. I think that these early dollars will have greater impact and hopefully deliver amazing results for him over the longer term. It is my further intention that doing all of this early, with his direct involvement, will position him to have the skillsets to utilize any remaining legacy inheritance, which, if all goes well will also be substantial, in an educated and mindful manner. At least that is the intent! đ
Post: Die With Zero? Hell No
Link to comment from July 20, 2025
I have redefined FIRE to mean âFinancial Independence- Reimagine Everythingâ. For me the end goal wasnât about escaping work, but instead having the professional freedom to pivot within my career in a way that would have been difficult had money worries still been top of mind. As we have approached our FI number, work feels like an option instead of a requirement, and we are able to deploy our income to a wide variety of enjoyable experiences and indulgences with the knowledge that our financial goals are met. For me FI is Freedom to Choose, not a mandate to quit!
Post: A Nuanced View of FIRE
Link to comment from June 18, 2025
Excellent Article! I have always been interested in the FI portion of FIRE as a means of having freedom and flexibility in my career path and not as a way to escape into early retirement. This approach has allowed me to do the types of work that I enjoy and the freedom from money worries to leverage my experiences in a manner that brings professional success on my terms. I like working and plan to do so as long as possible; but I love having the financial ability to âsay noâ or to pivot to something different, if what I am doing doesnât fit with what I want to do. I also appreciate having hit the numbers I believe are needed for the retirement that I would want if this âworking thingâ ever starts to be a drag! đ€Ł
Post: In Defence of Work
Link to comment from June 14, 2025
Travel has always been an important aspect of our lives - my wife and I have tried to make it a high priority right from the beginning and as we have become debt-free and approached our FI Number in 2021, our trips have become increasingly important to us. We love cruising and find it provides an efficient way to see lots of places without much of the stressors of moving between locations - we love unpacking once and having the âhotelâ move us. Our most recent trips have included: (1) An Alaskan Cruise; (2) A Western Mediterranean Cruise (Spain, France, Monaco, Italy); and (3) A Northern European Cruise (Iceland, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, and England). This year we are going back to the Mediterranean with stops in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain and England; and are planning a Cruise of Japan for 2026.
Post: Trips in your âgo goâ years?
Link to comment from June 14, 2025
We just bought a new Subaru Crosstrek Limited to replace my wifeâs 2015 Ford Explorer. I have always bought used cars and with the help of a buddy who has a backyard garage drove them into the 250-300K mileage range. This particular Explorer was problematic and experienced two issues that ruined our excellent used vehicle record - engine timing phasers and electrical power steering that my friend couldnât tackle because it required computer systems that he didnât have access to and which were pretty big problems. We paid handsomely to have the local dealership fix the phasers - I did my typical analysis and determined that at the time there was too much utility left not to make the repair, but then a year later the power steering system went out and I stubbornly fixed that too. She drove it for another year but I felt like something else wasnât quite right so it was time to cut bait. We looked at all the various options and having decided to switch to Japanese, drove Toyotas, Hondas , and Subarus - a couple of our neighbors are very into Subaru and I liked how they drove best - we get pretty rough winters in Northeast Ohio and my in-laws live outside of Erie, Pennsylvania, so winter driving is definitely a consideration and the AWD Subaru seemed like the best choice. Used cars, especially what we were looking for, didnât offer any meaningful discount, so for just a few thousand more I bought new. First time for everything, I guess! So now my wife has a shiny new Subaru and I have a vehicle that I get to manage all of the maintenance and care from ground zero so I think we are both pretty happy with the choice.
Post: Another HD Post About Cars
Link to comment from May 29, 2025
An excellent read - really resonated with my current season. Just started a surprise sabbatical in April, the company I was running for a long time client was sold and the new ownership decided to change up the leadership. I got a nice severance coupled with a part-time consulting role for the next six months - hence the sabbatical! After the shock wore off, the gift was readily apparent and I recognized it for the wonderful opportunity to take a trial run on early âretirementâ. My priorities have been self-care and exercise. I had no sense of how burned out I had become and according to my wife, a bit âcrankyâ - she said I am much improved six werks into this season. Long walks with the dogs, excellent podcasts, and planning for a couple adventures have made all the difference. I expect to return to gainful work again once the consulting role ends either vis-a-vis my own private practice (which I am already doing as a side hustle - Estate & Business Planning) or with some other company (already have a couple of interested suitors looking for me to join their organizations). But for today, I am just enjoying this gift!
Post: Almost There
Link to comment from May 25, 2025
âYou gotta be tough!â - J.L. Collins âThe Simple Path to Wealthâ
Post: Jonathan, help
Link to comment from March 7, 2025
A wonderful article - it is often about perspective. Never ceases to amaze me how a personâs outlook on life can twist joy from sorrow, or vice versa! For me - Itâs always sunny here in Youngstown, Ohio - even when itâs not! đ
Post: Didn’t Make the List
Link to comment from May 2, 2024
â(T)hey got you thinkin' that What ya need is what they selling Make you think that buying is rebellingâ đ Great Article!
Post: Testing My Faith
Link to comment from April 11, 2024