Tag: Financial Independence

Financial Independence and Early Retirement, or, FIRE. This content focusses on the financial independence aspect: the math, the planning, the nuts and bolts of making it work.

Finance

10 HSA Questions and Answers (and What Confused Me)

Post author By Jenni
Post date March 29, 2021
3 Comments on 10 HSA Questions and Answers (and What Confused Me)

A trip to the ER qualifies as a medical expenses. WIth an, HSA, you can choose whether to be reimbursed now or later without increasing your taxable income.

This is my top 10 HSA questions and answers when considering an HSA which reveals their gotchas, benefits, and investing superpower.

Tags Financial Independence, Retire Early

Finance

Beating the Standard Deduction with Strategic Giving

Post author By Chris
Post date March 21, 2021
8 Comments on Beating the Standard Deduction with Strategic Giving

When you’re on a beautiful beach as your first big escape from home in a year, what’s better than researching tax regulations?

Here’s how my good friend’s family could boost their net worth by $11K every 5 years through strategic giving!

Tags Financial Independence, Giving Back, Retire Early, Story

Psychology

How FIRE Let’s Me Volunteer to Vaccinate You

Post author By Jenni
Post date March 7, 2021
13 Comments on How FIRE Let’s Me Volunteer to Vaccinate You

The site of a recent vaccination event I volunteered with.

Being a pharmacist with a sudden abundance of free time left me with the opportunity to use my fortune to help others. Will you heed the call to action?

Tags Financial Independence, Giving Back, Retire Early, Story

Psychology

FIRE Isn’t Prescriptive (It’s a Spectrum of Personal Choices)

Post author By Chris
Post date February 28, 2021
9 Comments on FIRE Isn’t Prescriptive (It’s a Spectrum of Personal Choices)

Gaining financial independence has no rule set. No one defines retirement but you. These are 7 ways the FIRE movement misses the personal part.

Tags Financial Independence, motivation, Retire Early, Story

Psychology

Generalist vs Specialist: Pros and Cons for a Career (and Life)

Post author By Chris
Post date February 14, 2021
6 Comments on Generalist vs Specialist: Pros and Cons for a Career (and Life)

In life and in your career you'll define yourself sometimes as a generalist vs specialist. What are the differences, pros & cons, of each of these skill types? And how do they apply to life after work in retirement?

Do you consider yourself a jack of all trades or an expert in your field? The differences between a Generalist vs Specialist reveal a spectrum and timeline in life.

Tags Financial Independence, Retire Early, Story, Tactics

Finance

GameStop Stock: Why I Worry About the Mania (And VTSAX)

Post author By Chris
Post date January 31, 2021
14 Comments on GameStop Stock: Why I Worry About the Mania (And VTSAX)

I grew up with GameStop as the place to go to find a deal on used video games. Now the stock is on a tear as amateur investors wage war against hedge funds. What's going to happen?

What does GameStop stock mania mean for the future of individual investors vs Wall Street? And do you own GME via VTSAX, VTI, and Vanguard?

Tags Financial Independence, Story, Tactics

Finance

FIRE Budget In-Depth: Unusual Ways We Spent $40,862 in 2020

Post author By Chris
Post date January 24, 2021
16 Comments on FIRE Budget In-Depth: Unusual Ways We Spent $40,862 in 2020

2020 may not have been the year we expected within our FIRE budget, but that doesn't mean we didn't make the best of it! [Photo: Pacific Park early in 2020 before the world shutdown.]

Our FIRE budget reveals how we live a luxurious lifestyle on about $41K/year as two 36-year-olds in an MCOL city on a coast! Steal our tricks to reach FIRE!