Wandering Money Pig - A journey of early retirement and FIRE (financial independence retire early)

  Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Growing up in the concrete jungles of New York City, I always found happiness venturing out to wide open spaces of the world beyond New York City.  Long Island was always that place.  Thanks to my childhood buddy of mine Jimmy, who lived in Hicksville, I was fortunate enough to visit beautiful places like Oyster Bay, whenever we hung out. Oyster Bay is tucked away on the north shore of Long Island and is located about an hour away from New York City.  A popular route into Oyster Bay is via Route 106 which is accessible from any of the major highways, the I-495 (Long Island Expressway), or the Northern State Parkway.   Route 106 North takes you past Muttontown, featuring huge gated mansions, past Northern Boulevard, which is a major east/west route about 59 miles long from end to end, then past East Norwich, before entering the town of Oyster Bay.   Oyster Bay is synonymous with Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt (the 26th President of the United States),

  Saying when it’s enough on your path to financial independence  Laurance Rockefeller:  “Individually, people are finding that a simpler lifestyle provides greater satisfaction than relentless pursuit of materialism.” My wife and I are recent early retirees at ages 51 and 48.  We’ve been slow traveling with our companion Toby, a 13 pound Pomeranian dog since our early retirement last August, 2020.  We’ve visited destinations such as Ocean City (Maryland), Atlantic Beach (North Carolina), Claysburg (Pennsylvania), Ellicottville (New York), the Poconos (Pennsylvania), and other attractions on the eastern parts of the United States. In this post, I’d like to share my thoughts on saying when it’s ‘enough’.   The concept of when it’s ‘enough’ is central to being happy in life and happy while pursuing financial independence.  In our consumption driven economy these days, if you don’t realize you have enough material goods already, then you’ll constantly be in debt.   If you’re constantly lo

  Ocean City, Maryland sunset Albert Einstein:  “Make things as simple as possible but no simpler.” My wife and I are recent early retirees at ages 51 and 48.  We sold our home during the pandemic (August 2020) to prepare for our early retirement.  We had planned on traveling light in our SUV, so we needed to downsize in a hurry.  June through August were spent downsizing our personal belongings, which we had accrued over 14 years of living in the state of Pennsylvania. As we were downsizing, we asked ourselves why downsizing is so difficult.  We realized there’s always an emotional attachment tied to personal belongings.   In this post, we’d like to share our thoughts, experiences, and tips on downsizing. We had always been fascinated by the idea of minimalism.  The word minimalism in architecture, art, or music is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity.  When applied to a way of life, it means living with less material possessions.  By doing that, you’re freeing up your we

  Statue of Liberty, a well known symbol of hope  Franklin D. Roosevelt:  “Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.” I’m a recent early retiree at the age of 48.  I’ve been retired as of August, 2020.  My wife and I (and our Pomeranian dog) have been slow traveling across the eastern parts of the United States and spending time with our family since then.   Recently I had this question come up during my conversation with my wife, and it got me thinking.   The short answer is absolutely!  America is still a land of opportunity.  Where else can an immigrant who didn’t speak a word of English make a life for himself and his pack?   My family immigrated to the United States from South Korea in the summer of 1981.  I was 9 years old at the time.  The only English I knew at the time were the following:  yes, no, yacht, and a short phrase ‘Yes, I am’.  The reason for knowing that phrase is because of a book I found

  Ocean Casino Resort, Atlantic City, NJ Ocean Casino Resort originally opened as the ‘Revel Casino Hotel’ in 2012 at the cost of $2.4 billion.  Revel was expected to open a new era of Las Vegas style gaming, entertainment, and dining options in Atlantic City.  Boasting the highest floors of any hotel in Atlantic City, it has many things going for it, including a floor to ceiling windows in all ocean view rooms, spacious rooms/bathrooms, and number of dining and entertainment options. Revel was supposed to have two hotel towers, but the lack of funding changed that plan to just one hotel tower.  It also went through multiple bankruptcies and changed ownerships several times.  It would come out under the new name ‘Ocean Casino Resort’ in June of 2018.   Despite all the turmoil since its opening, Ocean Casino Resort is truly a beautiful and a modern hotel.  The striking feature of the hotel is the giant white golf ball that sits on top of the hotel tower.  Other unique feature is the hot

  Our Pomeranian dog, Toby! My wife and I are recent early retirees at ages 51 and 48.  Since our early retirement last August (2020), we’ve been slow traveling with our Pomeranian dog named Toby, to various destinations in the eastern parts of the United States.  We look forward to traveling the same way in the foreseeable future.   In this post, I’d like to share my perspective on what it means to learn a skilled labor to retire early.   Right out of college, I knew I was hopelessly lost.  I had graduated with a degree in music theory and music composition.  For few years while attending college, I thought I was going to teach music to students in New York City.  Once I got into the master’s degree program, I knew my plans may not work out as planned.  I heard from my fellow students going through the same program, that most music teachers were not finding jobs, unless they taught ‘useful’ subjects like math or science.  At that time, arts and music classes were starting to get cut,