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

  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,

  Investing is the way to retire early! Warren Buffett:  “I don’t look to jump over seven-foot bars; I look around for one-foot bars that I can step over.” My wife and I are recent early retirees at ages 51 and 48.  Since our early retirement in August of last year, we’ve been traveling with our companion Toby, a 13 pound Pomeranian dog.  Places we’ve visited so far include Ocean City (Maryland), Atlantic Beach (North Carolina), Claysburg (Pennsylvania), Ellicottville (New York), the Poconos (Pennsylvania), and other attractions in New York and North Carolina.  We look forward to traveling across the eastern parts of the United States in the foreseeable future. In this post, I’d like to discuss the importance of investing and not saving for early retirement. Although both words may mean the same thing to most people, investing is the only way to reach financial independence and not saving.   What is investing? Investing is expending money with the expectation of achieving a profit fr

Wildwood Park, Harrisburg, PA During our 14 year residency in the state of Pennsylvania, my wife and I (and our Pomeranian dog, Toby) spent many hours at Pennsylvania’s wonderful state parks.  Unlike other states like Maryland, New Jersey, or New York, Pennsylvania being a commonwealth, does not charge park entrance fees. Our pack took full advantage of this perk! Being relatively close to Harrisburg area from our residence near Philadelphia, meant we took many trips to the Pennsylvania capital.  Two of these places, Wildwood Park and Fort Hunter Mansion and Park are two of Toby’s and our favorite places there. Wildwood Park is located within the city limits of Harrisburg.  The park features a visitor center / nature center, a Boardwalk that takes you into the swamp / marsh area, bird watching, biking, hiking, and picnicking.   The first time we visited there, we noticed Toby was enjoying the park.  He was pulling us(!) to hurry up.  This is a good sign he’s excited.  We gladly oblige

Toby enjoying himself at Natureworks Park, PA Ralph Waldo Emerson:  “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” As I watch the heavy rain coming down outside of our Airbnb apartment in Ellicottville (New York), I can’t help but feel completely happy right this moment.  The sound of rain hitting the windows, the deck, and the trees, is music to my ears.  It is absolutely one of my favorite things in life! It got me thinking about how simple rain falling down can make me so happy.  It also got me wondering if this is why I’m able to fully enjoy my early retirement as well as the journey to get to early retirement and financial independence. In this post, I’d like to discuss the importance of learning to enjoy the moment for life and for FIRE. My love for simple joys of life started early.  I always remember enjoying eating and really savoring the food.  I know some people say they eat to live, but I’m just the opposite.  I live to eat! I like smelling the food, t

Things we buy becomes an item someone may not even want... Will Rogers:  “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like.” My wife and I are recent early retirees as of August 2020 at age of 51 and 48.  We sold our home of 14 years at the end of August.  Before closing our home on August 24th, we literally went through hell to get rid of our belongings as we weren’t moving to another house or rental.  Instead, we were going to live like nomads, traveling to various locations for a month (or more) around the eastern part of the US, and to spend time with our family. Between the time our home was put up for sale in early July and closing, we spent 5 rough weeks trimming our stuff.  I will say this was one of the most challenging periods my wife and I went through together... Even before deciding to retire early, the idea of downsizing or minimalism always appealed to us.  We got hooked on TV show ‘Tiny House Nation’.  The t