The 4% Rule: What It Is and What It Is Not

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Oldster

The 4% Rule is probably not exactly what you think it is.  To be fair, there are as many opinions on appropriate safe withdrawal rates from retirement portfolios as there are experts who give them.  I was reading an article the other day on Investopedia, written by a financial planner, which advocated, among other things, that the oft cited 4% rule is often inappropriate for retirees when deciding how much to take from their portfolios every year.  The article I was reading  Why Early Retirees Should Reconsider the 4% Rule, discussed worst case scenarios intended to drive the readers to thinking they need professional help (he is, after all a fee based financial advisor – how long would he be employed if he advocated a “do it yourself” approach?).  Continue reading →

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Easy Access to Resources

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Oldster

Greetings FIRE Fans!

You may not know that I keep an aggregation page for several Blogs in the FIRE realm.  Click here to access the page.  I’ll try to keep it updated so you can have one stop to see who has posted something new.  If you want me to add a site to the list, let me know in a comment or you can contact me at oldsteronfire@gmail.com.

Again, here is the link to the aggregation page: FIRE Sites and Blogs

Until Next Time, FIRE On – Oldster

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Time = Money, Health = Time, so Health = Money

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Oldster

You can probably tell by the title of this post what I’m going to talk about.  Time and money are inextricably related.  So much as been written on this topic in the FIRE community that it hardly bears repeating, but, for those who may be new to the FI and RE concept, when you go to work you are trading your time for money.  That is the whole point of it.  The FI community is about helping you get to the point where you’ve created enough personal wealth so that you no longer have to work in order to meet your expenses.  You may choose to, but by not having to, you are, by definition, Financially Independent.  Time is money.  Nothing could be simpler.

That Good Health equals time is perhaps one degree removed from the previous concept.  Continue reading →

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Where You Live Can Matter A Lot For Your Financial Independence

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Oldster

What you’ll need for a comfortable retirement is, of course, dependent on what your expenses in retirement are and what assets you have available to meet those expenses.  Volumes have been written on that subject alone (I have, and will continue to contribute my thoughts on the subject – see Five Years of Cash for example).  One of the lesser discussed aspects of Early Retirement planning is the “where” of things.  Where you decide to set down retirement roots can have a huge impact on what you’ll need to live comfortably. Continue reading →

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Your Not-So-Secret Super Power

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Oldster

 

This may come as a shock to you, but you were born with a super power.  Not super strength or the ability to fly, but one that can make you and your family as strong as Bruce Wayne.  It is something that all of us can do, but few of us learn to control.  It is learning to master the power of compound interest and time.  I know, I know.  So completely not sexy.  It does not come with a super suit or a catchy name (CI Woman?  Interest Man? – sounds like a costume for an accounting party).  But don’t be fooled, compound interest can be a force to be reckoned with.  It is surprising that so few of us avail ourselves of its awesome power.

Let’s look at a few well-traveled examples. Continue reading →

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