Archives for July 2019

The Financial Seasons of Life

July 29, 2019 By Deanna 1 Comment

“This too shall pass” are words of wisdom and especially comforting when we are in a tough season. Everything, in this life, must come to an end.

Fritz at The Retirement Manifesto wrote a great post about the biggest lesson from his first year in retirement. In this post, Fritz talks about milestones and while they are great, life still goes on. “The sun sets on one day. The sun rises on the next. Life goes on.” I love that. Additionally, I thank God that life is full of seasons because it keeps things interesting and me growing.

A Review of Playing with FIRE

July 22, 2019 By Deanna 4 Comments

Maybe you’ve heard there is a documentary out about the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement. It’s called Playing with FIRE. I’ve seen it a couple of times now and so I thought I’d write a review.

I was a backer of the film which meant I was emailed a link to watch an early release. My friend, Shari & I first watched it in the comfort of my living room. The second time was with my local ChooseFI northeast Ohio group in a movie theatre in a suburb of Cleveland. At the end of this post, I’ll explain how you might be able to catch a showing.

Pay Attention to The Pivotal Moment

July 15, 2019 By Deanna 6 Comments

In recovery, pivotal events are often referred to as moments of clarity. These are the moments in your life when you recognize you are on a dead-end road and change courses. Additionally, these are the moments when everything is crystal clear and you distinctly know why you are here.

The problem is we get busy in life and forget these moments. It’s crucial to take the time to reflect. And when you do, I have a strong suspicion you’ll discover more of your purpose.

As I’m reflecting on 9 years of sobriety, 1 year of debt freedom, and 1 year closer to financial independence, I’m thinking about my pivotal moments. Moreover, I’m thinking about what they mean in regards to where I’m going next in life and why financial independence is so important to me.

What if Financial Independence is Not for You?

July 8, 2019 By Deanna 11 Comments

The concept of financial independence may be daunting for some people. The more I write about it, the more I recognize that. Additionally, while I’d love to believe anyone can achieve it if they want, that may not be realistic. Actually, what I think is most important is for anyone to be able to achieve some level of financial stability.

Firstly, let’s define the generally accepted definition of financial independence. Typically, it is known as having 25 times your annual spending saved in investment accounts so that you can live off ~4% without depleting it. The idea for this came from the Trinity Study.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding what are actual safe withdrawal rates.

That being said, let’s just define financial independence as having enough money saved in investments so that you don’t need to continue to work to generate income.