July 2018

Would an Extra $5 Million Sway Your Plans?

14 Comments / Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), General Thoughts / /

Would you stay in the country for an extra $5 million?  That was the question posed to me by my mom last week. “If I hit the lottery and gave you $5 million to come back from Panama after one year, would you do it?” Obviously, she’s not thrilled with our plans to leave the country and move to Panama next year.  Leaving family and friends is always the toughest part of moving. Her thinking with this hypothetical question was […]

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Guest Millionaire Interview on ESI Money

Guest Millionaire Interview on ESI Money

4 Comments / Guest Posts, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE) / /

I got to do something really cool recently – I got to be a part of the Millionaire Interview series that John at ESI Money puts together. I met John in Dallas, Texas during FinCon17 and we shared a lot of good laughs during the trip. The funny thing about FinCon is that you can go there not really knowing anyone and leave there with friends you feel like you’ve known all your life. As a side note, there’s still time

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Working Toward FIRE is Not About Sacrifice

28 Comments / Life in Early Retirement, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Motivation / /

Recently, I was taking a walk with a coworker (something I do on a regular basis now).  While we were walking, we were talking about my plans to retire at the end of the year.  He then said something I thought was interesting… “You guys deserve it – you’ve sacrificed a lot to get where you are.”  Sacrifice? Obviously, his intent was good (he’s a great guy!), but it’s a bit shortsighted.  And unfortunately, it’s a common mindset that many

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Guest Appearance on the FIRE Drill Podcast

2 Comments / Podcasts and Other Appearances, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE) / /

My year of opening up to podcast appearances continues to roll on!  Recently, I sat down with Gwen and J on the FIRE Drill podcast and we had a blast! I met Gwen from Fiery Millennials at FinCon last year shortly after she had hit me up about some questions she had on Panama.  She had an overnight stay there on her way to the Chautauqua in Ecuador. I hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to J previously, but knew her

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There is a Secret Formula to FI, But It Ain’t No Secret!

18 Comments / Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Blogging, Debt, Investments, Motivation, Saving, Spending / /

Everyone likes a secret, but a secret formula?  Even better! Now that we’re only a few months out from me quitting my job, we’re starting to share the news more with friends and family. A lot of them seem to be a little confused, but then we talk about our planned move to Panama and it takes most folks to a level beyond comprehension. Eventually, though, we tend to get past that initial shock.  And then the “bold” ones out there

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I Was Wrong... It Really Is Who You Know

I Was Wrong… It Really Is Who You Know

38 Comments / Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), General Thoughts / /

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. I’ve always hated this saying.  It implies that hard work won’t get you as far as knowing someone will. As if you can get further just by knowing people instead of busting your butt! It’s insane… but I think it’s true. From my first job, all I ever did was bust my @#$ doing the best I could.  While others played around at the companies I was at, I always focused

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2 Weeks Notice? Here’s Why I Gave My Boss 6 Months!

25 Comments / Life in Early Retirement, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), General Thoughts / /

When you’re deciding to leave an employer, it’s customary to give 2 weeks notice as part of your resignation.  The idea is that it gives the company enough time to transition the loose ends over to another employee. Really though, in many places, that’s not a lot of time.  If you’re in a very complex position or a company that’s project-oriented for instance, 2 weeks notice is barely enough to get the ball rolling.  And it’s likely to leave a

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