As you get closer to retirement – early or not – you’ll hear plenty of warnings about how isolating it can be. You’ll be excited about all of the new-found freedom you’ll have, but you’ll probably miss talking with your colleagues at work each day – even if they aren’t your close friends. The people you work with provide you…
RMDs Aren’t Just for ‘Old People’ (And What To Do When You Miss Required Minimum Distributions)
Last year (Feb. 2018) I researched required minimum distributions heavily when helping my mom determine hers for the first time. It was then I learned about times you could be affected by RMDs well before you turn 70 yourself. I then wrote about it to help others who may inherit retirement accounts. During that process, a big red flag went…
FIRE – Financial Independence, Retire Early or Retire Ever?
Ten years ago I hadn’t heard of the FIRE movement. Financial independence, early retirement, 4% safe withdrawal rate, pfftt! Like the majority of Americans, I was caught in the consumerism trap, wondering where most of my money went at the end of every month, and wondering if I’d ever have enough to retire. Today, I’m a believer and pusher of FIRE….
Connecting, Contributing, Conducting…Confusing? [FinCon18]
Conferences. You might attend one because you have to for employment, business, and/or educational reasons. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to want to attend one for more reasons than just a day or two away from work. For me and many in the personal finance community, FinCon is a conference we wholeheartedly want to attend. It provides us with a real-time…
Quick Announcements And Thank You!
FinCon 2018 just happened. Four days at a conference with 2000+ other people interested in money was incredible. I went to reconnect with many of the awesome people I met last year, meet more amazing ones this year, and learn. I did all those things and will write soon on the whole experience but today I just wanted to share…
After The Cubicle: Life Is Good Just Not Quite Zemplified
On February 12, 2018, I escaped the cubicle life, and I’ve zero regrets for doing so. I miss the paycheck though – it’s much harder than you might think to stop seeing large chunks of money enter your bank account. No matter how much you already have in there. More on that later. Life Since Leaving the Cube I mentioned in…
A Few Reminders to Those in HR and Leadership From Those With FU Money
Today, we’ve got a guest post from Vicki, founder of Make Smarter Decisions and my partner at Women Who Money and Women’s Money Talk. She’s sharing a few experiences from recent job interviews, and while she’s addressing those in HR and Leadership, she has some takeaways we can all learn from. Once you no longer need to work it doesn’t…
10 Ways To Make Life Simple & Sane Again (Andy’s 10 New Things)
By the time I was twenty-three years old, I had lived in four different apartments; all dumps, and by my own choosing. At the time of this story, I didn’t have a fixed address and was crashing with friends and acquaintances. Today, I’m thrilled to bring you this guest post from Brent Truitt, a personal finance blogger at DebtFiles.com, and new author…
Always Learning
It’s been a bit quiet over here, sorry for that. It seems to get another website, and even another site, up and running and take care of an infant is a ton of work! So I’m learning and relearning all over again. Vicki and I are still getting into the groove on the new sites, and we’ve got many things planned, but…
K.I.S.S. More This Weekend: Keep It Simple, Savor More
Keeping it short and sweet today. Asking you to keep it simple, and savor more simplicity in your life this weekend. Go for a walk outside and spend time in nature instead of hitting the gym or plopping down in front of the television. Taste your food. Instead of blending up that fruit and vegetable smoothie. Enjoy the juicy fruit…
That Time I Skipped School And Failed Honors English
In my Senior year of high school, I was voted Teacher’s Pet, Most Friendly, Prom Queen, and often teasingly called ‘Miss Goody Two-Shoes’. But 2 1/2 years prior, at a different school in another district, I skipped school to avoid doing a speech in Honors English and ultimately failed the first semester of the class. A few years earlier, in…
Imagine More [A Less Stuff Less Waste Challenge Update]
Two months ago I declared a less stuff, less waste challenge. This mindful spending experiment is an effort to not only keep our spending in check – something we’ve done well at the last couple of years – but to also consciously think about the waste we are creating with any spending we do. And to actively work to reduce…