Jim @ Route To Retire

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 […]

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

Considerations for Planning to Retire Abroad

Considerations for Planning to Retire Abroad

17 Comments / Geoarbitrage, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Life in Early Retirement, Panama / /

With our recent announcement of us moving up our early retirement date to the end of 2018, the pressure’s now on.  We’re now planning to retire abroad to Panama in the summer of 2019. The news was exciting for us to share, but now reality’s setting in.  Although a year seems like a lot of time, there’s really a lot that needs to be done. It would be one thing if we were just moving to another country for a

Considerations for Planning to Retire Abroad Read More »

Shit Just Got Real... Moving Early Retirement Up to 2018!

Shit Just Got Real… Moving Early Retirement Up to 2018!

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

So things just got interesting here in the R2R household.  We’ve decided to move our early retirement date up to be 12/31/18. Yeah, that’s right – just over six months from now.  Crazy, right? Then to top it off, we decided to push up our move to Panama as well.  We’ll now be starting that adventure about a year from now in the summer of 2019. Making the decision to move up our early retirement date isn’t a decision we’re taking

Shit Just Got Real… Moving Early Retirement Up to 2018! Read More »

If You're Not Happy Now, FIRE Can't Fix That... Baloney!

If You’re Not Happy Now, FIRE Can’t Fix That… Baloney!

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

Much of what I’ve read lately seems to revolve around the idea that if you’re not happy today, you won’t be happy once you reach FIRE (financial independence / retire early). After all, happiness is more than just whether or not you’re stuck in the rat race.  If you’re not content with your life now, how will quitting your job make any difference? Hmm, yeah, I’m sorry… I’m not buying it. Now before you jump to lashing out at me in

If You’re Not Happy Now, FIRE Can’t Fix That… Baloney! Read More »

Total Wireless… Same Verizon Network, Less $$$

55 Comments / Product and Service Reviews, Saving / /

I debated quite a bit about writing this post.  What makes a post on Total Wireless as a cell phone provider any better than the cable-cutting posts that you see all over the place? The last thing I want to do to you as my readers is provide a disservice by focusing too much on the small side of savings. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is something that you need to be

Total Wireless… Same Verizon Network, Less $$$ Read More »

Homeschooling... a Great Start to Awkward Conversation

Homeschooling… a Great Start to Awkward Conversation

23 Comments / Education, Kids, Panama / /

As soon as you mention the idea of homeschooling, people get uncomfortable. Some shut down, go silent, and give you a stare that quietly says, “I’ll keep listening, but you’re now officially crazy in my book.” Others quickly object.  They might say, “That’ll cause all kinds of social problems for your kid!” or maybe “That’ll be too much work!” or some other wonderful expression of disapproval. Personally, I don’t have the same feelings.  Although it’s still not really mainstream, a lot of folks

Homeschooling… a Great Start to Awkward Conversation Read More »

Guest Appearance on the Countdown to FI Podcast

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

Man, I’ve been on a roll with these podcasts!  My latest appearance was on the Countdown to FI podcast and it was truly a lot of fun! Mr. and Mrs. CTF are some great peeps to talk to and talk we did! We stuffed a lot into this show with a lot of discussion that hasn’t been brought up in previous podcasts. Some of the conversation revolved around our countdown to early retirement and what our plans are. We discussed

Guest Appearance on the Countdown to FI Podcast Read More »

Why Do I Suck So Much at Giving to Charity?

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

I’ve realized over the past year or so that I really suck at giving to charity. Sure, I do a nice job of donating clothes to Goodwill throughout the year.  However, Goodwill tends to have a bad rap when it comes to pay and where donated clothes actually go. Because of the question marks we tend to have on the organization, we’ve shifted more toward donating clothes to Volunteers of America most of the time. I also consistently donate a

Why Do I Suck So Much at Giving to Charity? Read More »

Why the Rich Get Richer

Why the Rich Get Richer

18 Comments / Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE), Investments, Saving / /

Have you ever heard the saying “the rich get richer”? It’s the go-to cry of the American working man and woman against the inequality that seems to arise when more fortune seems to fall on the wealthy. I started thinking about that saying recently and you know what?  I think it’s true. It’s not that hard to see that the middle class is slowly being squeezed out.  Wages for middle-class Americans have been relatively stagnant while prices continue to rise.

Why the Rich Get Richer Read More »

Guest Appearance on the Chain of Wealth Podcast

Leave a Comment / Podcasts and Other Appearances, Financial Independence / Retire Early (FIRE) / /

I had an opportunity to appear on the Chain of Wealth podcast recently and it’s now live! If you’re not familiar with Chain of Wealth, they started the site in 2017.  Who’s “they” you ask? Denis and Katie, of course! They created the blog to walk through the story of Katie paying off her debt.  Their podcasts focus on interviewing folks that can help inspire others. I was excited to be a part of their show! In this podcast, of

Guest Appearance on the Chain of Wealth Podcast Read More »