Early retirement manifesto: A recent early retiree’s thoughts and beliefs to achieve FIRE (financial independence retire early)
Emerald Isle Boating Access Area, North Carolina Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time.” Welcome everyone! I’m a recent early retiree at the age of 48. My wife and I (and our Pomeranian dog) have been slow traveling across the eastern parts of the United States and we’ve been spending time with our family since last August. In this post, I will lay out my principles for how I try to live my life. These beliefs are what made early retirement possible for me. This is my ‘ Early Retirement Manifesto ’. Principle One: Get rid of debt! No debt is good debt. The so called ‘bad debt’ including credit card debt, personal loans, and car loans are bad. But so are so called ‘good debt’ including mortgage and student loans. The LESS debt you have, the faster you’ll be financially independent. It’s never good to pay someone else (credit card companies, banks, car finance/l