2017 - Route to Retire

Don’t Just Sit There… DO SOMETHING!

Don’t Just Sit There… DO SOMETHING! I’m not personally big into the whole televangelism scene. However, there’s a show on TV called the “Hour of Power” that had a moment long ago that’s still ingrained in my head. The program was hosted by Reverend Robert Schuller from 1970 until his grandson took over in 2013 (thanks, Wikipedia!). I never actually watched the show, but there was a clip from it that ran regularly advertising the show. In it, Reverend Schuller takes a breath and then firmly says: Don’t Just Sit There… DO SOMETHING! For years, I just laughed when I would see that on TV. After all, I was young and it was funny to watch the manner in which he said it. But

Like Father, Like Daughter…

Like father, like daughter… Recently, my 7-year-old daughter started asking me some questions about my blog. She wanted to know what I write about and why I do it. I’m very deliberate in making sure that I don’t treat her like a kid when she’s interested in answers to something. I have a couple reasons for this: 1) I want to ensure she’s never afraid to ask questions. And so far, that’s always been effective. She never feels like she can’t check with us on something she’s unsure of. She asks a lot of questions… the right questions. I like that a lot. If you think you know everything, you won’t learn. If you’re not afraid to ask questions, though,

An Easier Way to Track Your Expenses

You’ve heard it before – be sure that you track your expenses! But why would you want to do that? And is there an easy way to make it happen? When most of the mainstream media in the financial space talks, they want to push you toward using your income as a gauge on how prepared you are for retirement. You’ll hear various numbers thrown around such as that you’ll need 80% of your pre-retirement income to make it through retirement. I get it. That’s fitting for a lot of the general population. Most folks just tend to spend everything (or more than) they make. They’re probably not on track for retirement so the advice isn’t terrible. However, you’re likely reading this

The Power of FU Money

FU money… the dream of many a worker around the world. If you’re not familiar with the concept, FU money (aka F-you money) is the idea that you’ve accumulated enough bankroll that you can tell your boss “f*** you” if needed. Maybe you’ve just had enough and can’t take it anymore – you just want to quit and do something else. FU money gives that power… that flexibility. Perhaps you’re ready for a career change. On the other hand, maybe you want to take a mini-retirement – a break of sorts. FU money can help. Now don’t get me wrong, FU money is not necessarily financial independence. It can be, but it doesn’t need to be. You might not have

Prioritizing Each Investment Account for FIRE

As I became a little more familiar with the idea of FIRE (financial independence / retire early), I needed to learn where I should be putting my money. And I’m not talking about the specific investments – I’m referring to the type of investment account. Terms like taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free can make a huge difference in the outcome of your portfolio. When I started out, I didn’t understand just how much of a difference each of these accounts could make in the long run. Most of the articles you read or the standard investment advice you hear from planners on TV anticipates that you’ll be retiring at the traditional age… or even working for the rest of your life. Because of

The Cost of Living in Panama… Geoarbitrage at Work!

Ah, the cost of living in Panama… something I should have posted about months ago. As my long-time readers know, the Route to Retire family has decided to move to Panama in a couple years as part of our FIRE plans. I’ve also talked about how inexpensive it can be to retire to a place like this. It’s interesting that you can actually take advantage of the difference in living costs between two locations to help you financially. And there’s actually a term for this – geoarbitrage. It might be done to live on less money. Alternatively, it might be to have the ability to afford the “greater things in life” you otherwise couldn’t afford. You see that used quite a bit on

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