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

  Sculpture Garden, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Colin Powell:  “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” My wife and I are so fortunate and blessed that we’re able to live our lives the way we always wanted to.  Our dream of retiring early turned into reality in August 2020, and we’ve been living as early retirees ever since. Of course, we paid our dues to see our dream become a reality.  For about 10 years, we worked hard, sacrificed, and lived below our means to accrue enough money for us to retire early.  Our journey of FIRE ( financial independence retire early ) wasn’t without its challenges. We wanted to buy stuff, we wanted to go on vacations that include a flight/hotel, and we wanted to splurge on things like everyone else at times.  Although we did splurge once in awhile, for the most part, we stuck to our plan to pay down the mortgage, put away as much money into our retirement accounts, and to cut down on our

  Resort King, MGM Tower, Borgata (Atlantic City, NJ) My wife and I have fond memories of staying at the MGM Tower when it was called the Water Club at the Borgata .  We loved the exclusivity of the Water Club , tucked away from the casino floor, and away from all that smoke that sometimes permeates the casino area. We loved the clean and bright walkway that connects the Borgata to the Water Club with its collection of upscale shops ( Boss for example).  The lobby is even better, somewhat boutique compared to the massive Borgata’s lobby, but so much more serene, bright and clean.  We always loved the views of the marina and the downtown Atlantic City area, as it’s located bit closer to the marina compared to the Borgata.  We felt like million bucks just checking into the hotel, then going upstairs to our room.  There’s always that one moment in time when we’re about to open the door to our hotel room full of anticipation and excitement. The views, if you can get the room facing t

  Watkins Glen State Park, NY Growing up in the state of New York, you can’t help but see “ I Love NY ” commercials everywhere you look.  They seemed to be omnipresent, in television, magazines, subway posters, and bus posters.  As a young impressionable kid, I always found many of the wonderful and magical places advertised, to be out of reach, as many of them felt so far away from the mean concrete jungles of New York City. Places like Niagara Falls State Park was like an 8 hour drive from New York City, while Letchworth State Park was also something like a 6 hour drive.  For a young kid, pre-driving years, all of these places might as well have been in another country. As I got older and finally was able to drive on my own, places like Niagara Falls State Park was no longer that distant place in a galaxy far, far away.   There was freedom in being able to go where I wanted and to see places I’ve only seen in media.   One of the most impressive places that really made my imaginatio