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

  Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center Growing up in New York City, the so-called “ TriState ” comprising of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, played a big role in where I would venture out to during the early years of my driving years.  Even as I got older, I was always interested in exploring these three states so close to New York City.   Among my friends, I was the first to get my driving learner’s permit at the tender age of 16.  I couldn’t wait to drive!  I would intently watch my dad driving the family car as a youngster, seeing how he would use his right feet to modulate the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal, all while smoothly turning the steering wheel.  I studied studiously to learn how to drive by watching my dad drive at every opportunity. When I was 15 or so, my dad took me to an empty parking lot near Shea Stadium (now Citifield , home of the New York Mets baseball team), to teach me how to drive.  I remember being extremely excited and eager to finally

  Benjamin Franklin:  “Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” During my wife and myself’s journey of FIRE (financial independence retire early), one of the most important things we did together was to sit down at the end of the year to see how we did the previous year.  Did we manage to put away decent amount of money towards our retirement?  Did we manage to make extra payments towards our mortgage?  What about credit card bills and debt? Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of what you’re doing when you’re living through hectic day/week/month.  I mean who has time to sit down and to think these days in our crazy, internet fueled world we’re all living in? Well, the short answer is, you must sit down, to think, to reassess, and to reaffirm your plans once in awhile.  There is no better time to do that than at the end of the year (or the beginning of the year).   End of the year is a great time for several reasons: You can clearly see the amount of contributions