When I gave my one year retirement update I said that I’d probably only give updates once a year or so.
But I’ve been so busy since I retired that if I wait a year then my update post would read like a book! 😉
So I’ll be giving semi-annual updates just to keep you in the loop.
To make this summary easier to read, I’ve put my thoughts into categories.
Here’s what’s happened since my one-year mark:
Life
- I’m still very busy!!! One thing I’ve been eliminating is meetings. Seems like everyone wants to meet with me to discuss this or that (something they want, nothing for me). I retired so I wouldn’t have any meetings! I’ve gotten to the point where I simply tell people I don’t do meetings these days and they can email me if there’s something I can help them with. I had to get “real” with a couple guys. I was respectful but firm and they now know where I stand.
- It remains fun to tell someone “I’m retired” and watch their reaction. I still don’t know if saying “I’m retired” is the right thing, but it sounds way less pompous than “I’m financially independent” (with a Thurston Howell III accent).
- I’m still getting up around 5:30 am. It’s my favorite time of the day. It’s so quiet and peaceful. It’s just me, the Christmas tree (which we leave up all year around and I have on an auto switch to turn on every morning since it’s dark out), a cup of coffee, and my computer. I love it!
- The gym is my first outing each day for six days of the week. I leave home by 7 am or so and walk 10 minutes to the gym. I grind out either weights or cardio, hit the hot tub, shower, and walk back home. I’m usually back by 9 am and have breakfast at that time. My wife usually gets home around 10 am and we talk a 30-minute walk. That completes my morning routine and I’m now ready to do some work!
- I’m still looking for a volunteer opportunity. I had considered teaching a Dave Ramsey course at my church but I could barely make it through two of his DVDs — so painful to watch. I knew I couldn’t teach a class on it! I did spend time meeting one-on-one with a couple guys who needed some financial and job advice. Maybe that’s what I’ll do as a volunteer project!
- I have been getting a lot of things done around the house. One great project was replacing old slats in my fence. We had a couple guys come out and they estimated $20 to $25 per slat to replace them. We saw the slats for 99 cents each at Lowe’s, bought 40 of them, and put them on ourselves in about two and a half hours!
Family
- My wife loves her part-time job at the church. She’s only working 15 hours a week and would do it for free, but they prefer her to be on the payroll (for whatever reason). Anyway, she’s great with the kids and is a natural teacher.
- My son didn’t end up going to the ministry training school in Louisiana and has been working his retail job about 20-25 hours a week. We are working together on what’s next for him.
- After my daughter and I finished her senior trip to Seattle and Portland, we packed up and moved her to college in late August. We flew into DC, then drove into Virginia, stopping to see Montpelier (James Madison’s House). We spent the next week doing all the college prep stuff — got her ID and books, hunted down all her classrooms, met with administrators about internships, attended orientation, and shopped for supplies. She was home for Thanksgiving as well as a month over Christmas. We made the most of our time together each time.
- My mom had heart surgery two days after I got back from dropping my daughter off at school. We packed up and drove to Des Moines for it. It went extremely well and she was released the next day! We then drove back home. By that time I had been traveling almost two weeks straight and had driven 21 hours of the last 62 — I was exhausted!
- My mom and dad are seriously considering retiring. They have been looking into selling their business, buying an RV, and traveling the country. Supposedly it’s going to happen this year, so we’ll see what transpires.
- Six of us (my family plus mom and dad) went to Grand Cayman for nine days in January. I have a series of posts on the trip coming up (they start later in the month since I write so far ahead and I wanted to be sure I covered everything. It’s an intro and then a 4-part series with lots of pics, so stay tuned!) so I won’t spoil the surprise other than to say we loved it!
Health
- I am still working out though I had a bit of a setback. I went on an extremely low calorie diet and lost a ton of weight — and a bunch of muscle. My trainer wasn’t happy. He gave me a new set of exercises and told me to focus less on weight and more about fat percentage. We’ll see how that goes.
- I’m still walking about 15,000 steps a day. It’s a bit tougher to do when it’s cold out (we’ve had several days this winter where the high is around 20 degrees), but I still manage somehow.
- Since I had basal cell carcinoma early last year I now have checkups with the dermatologist every six months. She found some spots she didn’t like in the fall, sprayed liquid nitrogen (or something like that on them), and froze them off my face. Yikes!
Entertainment
- We spent a lot of time at the end of the summer getting to see sights around our city. We wanted to 1) get in as much with our daughter as we could before she left for college and 2) see places near to us that we haven’t yet explored. Here are some of the highlights we took in: Seven Bridges Trail, the Incline (my second trip up), Cave of the Winds (100% recommend this if you’re traveling here and like caves), Palmer Lake Reservoir Trail, Olympic Training Center, Pioneer Museum (a great little museum and it’s free!), and Seven Falls (another one worth the price of admission).
- In addition to the efforts above, we took in some other forms of entertainment including a free class at REI on how to climb a 14er (a mountain higher than 14k feet), spending a day shopping in Denver (they have a Tesla showroom!), and looking at about 20 houses in the Parade of Homes (we got free tickets from our realtor).
- We’ve seen a fair number of movies in the past six months. Our two main theaters now have reclining chairs, the ability to reserve a seat, and discount days on Tuesdays (which is, of course, the day we go). Some of the movies we’ve seen: Dunkirk, The Dark Tower, Flatliners, Thor, Justice League, The Last Jedi, and The Greatest Showman.
- We have traveled a lot in the past six months: Virginia in August to take my daughter to college, Iowa for mom’s surgery in August, Iowa/Missouri/Illinois in September for my college homecoming, Dallas for Fin Con in October, and Grand Cayman in January. I currently have tentative trips planned in 2018 for the end of February (San Francisco), May (DC), and September (Orlando) with a few more possibilities pending.
- Books I’ve read recently include Side Hustle, Tools of Titans, and Building Wealth One House at a Time. They were all pretty good.
Finances
- My finances remain on FIRE!!!!! How high can the stock market go?
- I’m half done with my taxes for 2017. Always glad when these are over.
- We withdrew as much as we could from our 529 in December. We’re still going to be left with a huge surplus.
- ESI Money is doing well. It’s on pace to generate $25k or so in revenue this year, which is just fine with me. Rockstar Finance (which I bought in December) has a ton of upside opportunity. As of right now, we’re hosting the Rockstar Rumble, a competition to name the best personal finance post of 2017. Check it out if you’re interested in reading/voting. And if you want to get an email every week day with the best personal finance posts, you can subscribe to the Rockstar newsletter.
- I’m still on Facebook and Twitter and have added Pinterest to the mix. I have someone managing it for me since I don’t “get it”. For now I’m testing to see if it can drive traffic.
- I update our retirement budget every month just to keep on top of things. Revenue was higher than expected for last year and costs were lower, so things are good on this front.
- I’m still pulling money out of Lending Club and Prosper. I’m down to about $50k with Lending Club and $20k with Prosper. I will keep withdrawing until nothing’s left.
So, that’s my retirement life so far.
I’m sure I’ve missed something or perhaps wasn’t as clear as I needed to be, so leave any questions below and I’ll answer them the best I can.
The Physician Philosopher says
Sounds like a blast! Must be pretty fun being able to do what you want instead of doing what others want. I’d love to be able to wake up, read my favorite blogs in the am, work-out, and hang out with the family. Things I’ll look forward to when we gain financial independence!
Do be careful with that restrictive of a diet! The point is to stay healthy so that we can be able to enjoy the things we enjoy and be around for family. I actually hurt my shoulder working out too aggressively (gotta get that one last rep!) before it dawned on me that it just wasn’t worth it. I now focus mainly on HIIT (high-intensity interval training) cardio work outs a few times per week to keep my cardio up and my weight down. Like I tell my wife, though… it isn’t about the number on the scale! It’s about your health and how you feel.
Thanks for the update! I’ve really enjoyed reading this blog and I check out rockstar daily, too!
ESI says
Yes, I’m learning that as well. I think I’m past the “I have to be Superman” part of my life! 🙂
Greg says
ESI,
I am reading this several months on so you may have already come across this suggestion, but check out Dr. Jason Fung’s book on Intermittent fasting. He very clearly and in plain language demonstrates why low calorie diets don’t work over time (most diets can work in the short-term). The book is The Complete Guide to Intermittent Fasting and is available on kindle. He also has a website with excellent videos (I think under the resources tab) that give you short snippets of the science, logic and benefits idmprogram.com . Intermittent fasting also has many other metabolic benefits for health, weight loss (fat loss really), heart health, blood pressure, cellular regeneration, anti-aging, cancer fighting benefit, etc. Hopefully you and other readers will find this time well-spent.
Greg
Laurie@ThreeYear says
Congratulations on life well done, ESI. Sounds like you’re making the most of your retirement. 5:30am is my favorite time of the day as well. 🙂 Your living situation sounds ideal–you can walk to your gym? That sounds lovely. I’m looking forward to the post on your trip to Grand Cayman. Is that something you do every year or was this a special trip?
ESI says
Yes, being that close to the gym is REALLY nice. I listen to podcasts on the way there and back.
We’ve been to the Caribbean five times counting this trip — three of them on cruises.
We started about seven years ago, so it hasn’t been every year but quite often. My plan is to get there once a year from now on though!
Jason@WinningPersonalFinance says
It sounds like you are winning this retirement game. This is the type of retirement I dream of one day. Enough “work” to keep the mind busy and lots of travel.
I’m curious what your plan is for the extra 529 funds?
ESI says
Probably just let them ride for 25 years and give them to our grandkids (who don’t exist at the moment). Time will tell if that’s what actually happens.
Lily | The Frugal Gene says
Love the personal touch on this! I never seen any Dave Ramsey tape, and I might be right in my guess, but why do you consider it hard to watch?
You should set up your own version of DR’s empire! But I guess it wouldn’t be consider FIRE then…are any bloggers truly FIRE?! $25k is still quite a feat especially in passive income!!!
ESI says
BORING!
First of all, his presentation level is meant for a first grader. I felt like they were two-hour lectures from my dad.
Second, he’s too much of a know-it-all to me.
Third, the money concept are just so simple.
Fourth, he beats every point to death. Why say something in 50 words when 200 will do?
Fifth, the material is DRY. I’m yawning just typing this out.
I could go on, but you probably get the idea.
I do like him and his books, but the videos were just too much.
As for what is FIRE, I think each person writes their own definition of that. 😉
Kristy says
Maybe because you are on the other side of it. For the people needing to learn how to get there — it is all NEW to them. And the “lectures from my dad” — many of those people who need to learn this stuff, didn’t get any of that from their parents/elders. They’re just continuing to do what they’ve seen.
They don’t live their life like you & I do. (My work place has offered it in the past, and I’ve helped facilitate 3 sessions).
Sounds like your 18 months have been AWESOME. Can’t wait til we get there ourselves. 55 & counting soon…
Jeff B says
Some people need the first grader approach. If they knew how not to be in debt, they wouldn’t be. DR never claims to be complicated.
ESI says
I don’t mind simple. It’s that other stuff that really kills me…
Accidental FIRE says
Great update John, sounds like you’ve got life dialed in pretty nicely. I’ve lived near Montpelier my whole life (just being near DC) but have never been. I’m ashamed of that, I need to go.
And I’ve climbed 53 of the 58 Colorado 14ers, many of them twice and some in winter. I’d be happy to give you guys my tips and tricks and maybe go up one with y’all next time I’m out there!
ESI says
Good for you! That sounds awesome — would love to meet you!
Mrs. Groovy says
Still rising and shining at 5:30 is pretty terrific. I’ve been getting up earlier in increments but have never been a happy camper before 7am.
Glad to see retirement agrees with you. Is there anything about it that has surprised you?
ESI says
Haha! Funny you should ask.
Check this out:
http://www.businessinsider.com/early-retiree-shares-10-things-that-surprised-him-after-he-quit-his-job-2017-4
Mrs. Groovy says
Thanks! How did I miss that? I’m totally with you on #3 as time is just flying by. However Sunday night is my favorite of the week. Mr. G and I have a round, and make a toast to the Monday commuters.
ESI says
That was a good traffic week. 😉
UclaBruin says
One of the best article about retirement. It really inspired and motivates me. Thanks !
ESI says
Glad you liked it!
Kirk says
Since you enjoy movies, go see “Den of Thieves” starting Gerard Butler. It’s a great action flick, along the lines of that old bank heist, “Heat.”
ESI says
Thanks, I’ll check it out!
Off to see Black Panther sometime for sure!
Kirk says
By the way ESI, you’ve inspired me to start my own financial blog, Fore Checklist.
I’ll be working on it all weekend!
ESI says
A few tips once you get it going (if you are serious about it):
1. Sign up for the Rockstar Directory. That way your feed will be seen by me as I select the best posts of the day.
http://directory.rockstarfinance.com/
2. Have a plan to write, write, write. You don’t need to worry about making money at the start. Just focus on writing and then…
3. …promote your writing on social media, comment on other sites (putting your site name where your name is — don’t link it in the comments — that’s bad form), and eventually begin guest posting.
That should keep you busy for a year or so. 😉
Congrats!
Stan says
Thanks for the complete update. It is really helpful to see an update that considers the entire scope of life and not just finances (although I love finances). It sounds very much like you are in a great groove. That is awesome and something that I worry about a bit when we finally pull the trigger.
And I LOVE the year-round Christmas Tree idea!!!! That rocks!!
ESI says
It’s on right now! I LOVE it!!! 😉
UclaBruin says
I can relate to people coming to me for advise on how to become Financial free. I didn’t mind meeting with them in the beginning and let them pick my brain. But after a while, I started realizing they are just “not ready”. I would offer them my advice on what to do, but the problem is that they never execute or follow thru, so it’s a complete waste of my time. Now whenever anyone ask me to meet, I just recommend a book for them to read, and I’ll tell them to ask me any questions after they read the book. I have given out about 20 books so far, I don’t think any of the people I gave the books to read them. It’s really unfortunate 😛
ESI says
We saw the same thing with financial advice. We looked over their finances and gave them follow up tasks to do, but only a fraction followed through.
Apex says
When people ask for financial advice, usually they are not telling you what they are really seeking. They are looking for the …. “secret!” They think you might know it or have some of the details of the “secret!” When instead you tell them about sacrifice, choices, tradeoffs, working harder, spending less, saving, investing. They listen. They nod. They act polite. They are disappointed. Inside, either consciously or unconsciously, they are thinking, “Well that didn’t help. He doesn’t know anything about the secret at all. He is just talking about taking the long road of toil and trouble. That’s no road at all. That’s just a prison of pain. I will have to keep looking. One of these days I am going to find someone who will share the secret with me. Until then I guess I am just stuck getting by. Only suckers would travel the road he is talking about.”
Mike H says
Hi ESI,
Thanks for the update. Two things surprised me:
1. You retired before your parents did! I didn’t realize that.
2. Losing a lot of weight. Did you do a fasting program or intermittent fast? How much weight did you lose, meaning what was your final weight? I know you are a towering 6’4″ or something up there so I’m curious to know.
I’ll still need to do the incline with you. Were you able to do it in under 1 hour with your reduced body weight?
-Mike
ESI says
I reduced what I ate and cut out carbs. I’ve done Atkins-sort of diets before and my body responds well to it. I think I was down to 200 pounds at my low. My trainer says he likes me more at 210.
I just missed an hour. I went with my daughter so I wasn’t really going for time, but at one point I thought we could make it. When it was clear we couldn’t, we relaxed a bit and made it in an hour 10 minutes or so.
But she wanted to be up and down in two hours so we ran most of the way down the Barr Trail. The people at REI told us that it’s actually better for the knees to run a bit (not fast but a slow jog) down a mountain versus walking and having so much force pound into your knees. I can say that I was in much better shape knee-wise when I ran down than when I walked. And yes, we made it up and down in two hours. 😉
MI #30 says
Nice job on the incline. I’m sure you could have done it in under an hour if you pushed it with a partner or by yourself. Still on my mini-bucket list for when I get out there…
Mike H says
BTW, did you ever climb Pike’s Peak?
It would be great to have an ESI post on how hiking Pike’s peak is like the journey to financial independence- the relentlessness of the trail, the fact that every flat section of the Barr trail is followed by an especially steep section, as is often the case with managing a growing career.
I could go on and make more analogies if you wish.
-M
ESI says
No, I couldn’t find someone to do it with and time ran out with my daughter so we bagged it.
I think Mr 1500 has agreed to do it with me this year. He’s in Denver, so not too far away.
Sput says
Let me know if you ever get around to doing the Peak and I might do it with you! I used to run Barr trail a lot as auxiliary training in high school track but haven’t done it at all in the past decade or two. We also like the Stratton open space for shorter hikes with the dog. Gotta love the outdoor opportunities here in the Springs!
This was a fun post to read. Definitely inspirational!
Jason says
Fantastic update and very inspiring!
1) Too funny about the Dave Ramsey course at the church. I offered to teach a group at a local church free of charge so they could avoid the $89/PP fee (or whatever the cost was). They went with paying for the course anyways… I think they liked spending the money 🙂
2) I had squamous cell carcinoma as a very fair skinned individual (at only 32!) despite being extremely cautious and having dozens of moles removed (precautionary). It’s an interesting balance between being an indoor cat (aka hermit), but enjoying being outdoors, which is also typically a big part of FIRE! Moving from Florida in FIRE could also be beneficial (my wife and I expect to hit Fat FI in a couple years), but this would involve moving away from family… so many considerations, but FIRE certainly provides endless options.
ESI says
I now have one of those big-brimmed hats from Outdoor Research that I wear everywhere!
Renae says
Grand Cayman is the best! We will be there for a week this month and I can’t wait! Three things we like about it compared to other non-US tropical locales: 1) We can drink the water, 2) Mosquitoes aren’t so bad (they have them, but you don’t feel like you are a mosquito buffet), 3) There aren’t people on the beaches selling tchotchkes or timeshares. I look forward to your report!
ESI says
Have you been there before? Would love to hear what you’ve done/are doing to compare notes.
Renae says
We have been there three times before. We prefer to stay away from the action, so we have stayed once in Boddentown, twice on the north side (not as far north as Rum Point). This time we are trying a condo on the west side. When you stay away from Seven Mile Beach, you can rent something right on the ocean for a reasonable rate.
ESI says
Wow! You have been all over! How did you like those locations?
We like to be near the action but not too far. We stayed in West Bay just north of Cemetery Beach. It was awesome! Let me know if you have any questions about that area.
Renae says
We are staying near West Bay Beach this time, which is probably close to where you stayed. Any restaurants you recommend?
We like the quietness of the north side. Both times we stayed in a house on a small beach with five other houses. We had the beach to ourselves a lot. We stayed there in January last time, and there were storms along the east coast of the U.S. that seemed to also cause rough waters on the north side of GC. My husband loves to snorkel, so we had to drive to other parts of the island for that. That’s why we’re trying the west side this time.
ESI says
You will be staying not far from where we stayed. Here’s the condo we stayed at:
http://windsong.ky/the-villas
We liked the Boggy Sand Cafe near Foster’s Food Fair.
Also heard great things about Heritage Kitchen and Alfresco, but we never ate at either one (we had a kitchen, the store was close, and we ate in a lot).
You probably know your way around better than we do, but if you have any questions, let me know. I’m happy to help!
Sean @ Frugal Money Man says
I think it’s awesome you still get up at 5:30 in the morning. Like you, I also find the early mornings as the most peaceful time of the day. There isn’t much human activity going on at that time, so it’s really easy to take a moment and just be relaxed.
I am jealous that you get to do the gym in the morning, because I also find that to be the best time to go as well! I could do the gym at 5am, but my body is never 100% ready to do the types of workouts I am accustomed to, so I save it for after work. One thing I look forward to ALOT is the day when I can hit the gym consistently around 8-9 in the morning.
Congrats again on the retirement!
Bob says
Thoroughly enjoying your posts. Similar background/age/financial status. Pulled the plug after 24 years of banking last November. Still getting adjusted to not going to work everyday. Reading The Miracle Morning right now. Reading Stoic-related books and plan to dive more deeply into real estate in my local market. Plan to go to FinCon18 in Orlando this year with my wife to learn and meet FIRE people. Want to add to our three SF rentals but want to be careful since the RE market seems to be heating up once again (it only goes up!). Keep up the good work.
ESI says
I’ll be at FinCon too! Let’s try to find each other!
Bob says
Sounds good. We’ll be driving over from St. Petersburg. Not sure if we’ll be staying in town the whole time or driving back and forth since our daughter will be in 6th grade at the time.
Entrepreneur says
You’re making it sound very appealing. I’m in my late 30’s and almost certainly have enough money to retire. But, I struggle with it. On the one hand, the stuff I’d love to do more of (time with kids, especially) is incredibly important and rewarding. On the other hand, I’m being more professionally successful than ever, my job is interesting, and it feels like with all I’ve been given in life, it’s somehow ungrateful just to relax.
ESI says
I was that way at your age too. I hope it remains fun and interesting, but for many it turns south at some point.
Save now so you can retire if you want. If work remains great: keep doing it. If not: give them the heave-ho!
Caroline says
One of my daughter’s is graduating and doesn’t really know what she wants to do next. She also has a retail job (like your son) and a waitress job. I keep trying to come up with options but nothing seems to be right. I know she will be ok but I wish she would make a decision (travel, work, keep in school).
You wrote “we are working together” What have you tried ? Maybe I missed a few things:)
ESI says
Haha! What haven’t I tried????
I hate to sound like an old man (but here I go anyway), but the current generation wants a lot given to them IMO. Not all, mind you, but enough that it appears to be a “trend” with the younger folk.
I’ve had conversations with other dads my age who are seeing the same in their kids.
For now we’re still looking at options, but you can’t teach/impart initiative, so it’s taking some time.
Ms99to1percent says
Sounds like life is good. When do you have time to do all of that and manage 2 blogs?
About those meetings, good for you for not accepting them. What’s the point of being on FIRE and still have tens of meetings every day? Plus, we are in 2018, emailing should do.
ESI says
I am busy, that’s true, but it’s busy doing things I WANT to do versus I HAVE to do. That makes all the difference! 🙂
Erik @ The Mastermind Within says
I’m on Pinterest and still trying to “get” it. Oh well, some day I’ll figure it out.
I just started a podcast 🙂 I’m going to see where that goes. Focusing on entrepreneurship and personal growth to supplement my blog and provide more value. We will see where I can go with it!!
Happy retirement and have a good weekend ESI.
ESI says
I will have to check out the podcast. I listen to several and am always on the hunt for good ones.
Your site is a perfect fit for the nest Rockstar program launched on Wednesday — let me know if you haven’t heard of it and I’ll provide details.
Ms ZiYou says
I love how busy you are in retirement, I can foresee my retirement being like that also.
Sounds like pro-bono finance coaching would be a great way to spend your time and use your skillset, have you also looked for trustee or non-exec roles in financial organisations?
ESI says
I’ve thought about that, but it sounds a bit too close to work… 😉
Ms ZiYou says
Yeah, quite close but with real, actual do-goodness attached. And minimal commitment if you get a unicorn – well run place that just wants the board to do strategy.
fiberguyr1 says
Nice update, and it sounds like your last 18 months has been rewarding.
Kgrahamw62 says
Hello! I am rather new to this blog. I’ve been following it for about 3 or 4 months. I hav stead through all the posts and all the comments and have found them to be very motivating and inspiring. I am 25 years old and trying to figure out this journey called life. I want to say congratulations to you on your journey as well!
I am recently graduated from college with a bachelors in radiology and am working as a radiologic technologist (x-ray tech). I plan to go back for my MBA this fall. My whole point to this post is that I have done a lot of research on the internet in hope of finding good investment ideas. Obviously I have learned a great deal about the most well known ideas such as 401k, IRA, CDs stocks etc. My question to everyone and anyone who reads this is…..what other investment opportunities are there? From what I understand it’s rather easy to be come a millionaire by investing in your 401k (saying you have a decent paying job and some discipline). Thank you for your input and this blog in general! Keep up the great work, I know everyone here appreciates it!
ESI says
I would suggest you read the posts here:
https://esimoney.com/category/invest/
https://esimoney.com/category/real-estate/
https://esimoney.com/category/millionaires/
Ten Factorial Rocks says
Great update, ESI Money. With my big move, I am now focused on work a bit much. My blog passive income is 1/100th of yours! I need to learn from you how to build your kind of blog income so it becomes another income stream, even if it isn’t big. Any pointers?
ESI says
I’ll be working on a series on this subject for next month. I get so many questions about blogging, I might as well give some details. 😉
Stay tuned!
Mr Defined Sight says
The Christmas tree is up all year around? Hmmmm I like it! We usually take ours down around New Years but I’m always sad to see it go. Might have an excuse now to leave it up for awhile. “Well ESI does it…..” 🙂
Mohammed says
Good blog! Funny enough I celebrated my 18th month as a mini retiree myself.
Looks like you are doing good on many fronts.
JayCeezy says
ESI, fantastic. Really enjoy your updates, both personal and financial.
A question: When you are contacted for ‘meetings’, what do these guys specifically want to discuss? I am curious if they are simply wanting to continue a formerly professional relationship, and become ‘friends’? Or if they want you to invest in something, introduce them to someone, share your Rolodex (I know, but you know what I mean!:-)), want you to listen to their frustrations?
Your approach to ‘guarding your time’ from those who don’t value your time, or don’t understand the ‘win-win’ is interesting to me, and I find that I should *get real* with a few time-wasters. Any insight appreciated. Continued success to you!
ESI says
It can be anything from wanting me to join their MLM company (which I need to pry from them to get them to admit in the first place) to just “stay in touch” or “just chat”.
Note, these are NOT from people that I knew/know well…that would be a different story. There are some I truly want to simply catch up with. But I’m getting requests mostly from people I don’t know at well…
JayCeezy says
Ah, I see. Thanks, that is very interesting. Similar unsolicited ‘contacts’ from people in my past have also been disappointing, once I respond. You are handling it perfectly, and I am taking a note from you.
Something odd has happened with me, in this regard. I would get ‘contacts’ from those who, like you experience, are not close and never were. It is always weird/disappointing to learn that they want to touch base in order to ‘compare’ themselves to me. They want to know how things are going, and there is a detectable tone of disappointment and jealousy. I’m always hopeful that one of these ‘contacts’ will prove to be a genuine friendly outreach; never once has that happened. Thanks again!
Steve Taylo says
If you enjoy movies I highly recommend getting a MoviePass subscription. You can watch a movie each and every day for a year for $90 (via Costco). I got a sub just a month or so ago and have seen 6 movies thus far – my plan is to catch a couple of movies per month for next year – so it should be more than worth it. But I am small time… My brother and his wife each got subs for Christmas and they have seen 19 movies in just a little over a month – their goal is to get the per movie cost down below $1. It is crazy! They sneak in snacks and drinks so they avoid the super expensive concession food. They predict MoviePass will invite them to not renew their subscription next year! But until things change we are going to take advantage of things!
Arrgo says
Good move on repairing the fence yourself. When you have extra time, its not always as hard as it seems once you get into it. Then you realize how much they are gouging you for something that’s pretty simple. I’ve saved a ton learning to fix things myself. Lawn mowers, dryer, electrical, cars, etc. Plenty of info on the net and Youtube. Loved the “Thurston Howell III” mention. Havent heard about him in a long time. Old school! 😉
ThomH says
Enjoyed the 18 month update ESI. Have followed you since your earlier blog (pre-ESI), and you have certainly followed through on your ESI concepts. Something you have every right to be proud of.
I had to laugh several times during you blog above. I continue to be amazed at our life similarities (age, business background, FIRE decisions, healthy choices in FIRE, movie trends, and other interests). I’d swear you were somehow writing about our life experiences in the post above! The Mrs and I are only in month#9 of retirement, but your weekly routine was all too familiar. I decided to build out a gym in my basement over the holidays, and have been hitting the weights pretty hard each morning. I’m still getting my daily steps in too (also a 15k target!), but you’re right, it is tougher with the cold weather. I have a one mile loop walking trail around our lake place, that my Golden Retriever “Jack” and I take each morning (we shoot for at least a couple of times each day). And we also just stopped our own low carb diet for essentially the same reason! I am down 20lbs since retiring last May, but I was starting to lose muscle. And on the “meetings”…I literally just had a very similar conversation with my wife after having lunch with an old colleague on Thursday. After listening non-stop for 15 minutes about his continuing misery at my former mega corp and his finances, I could feel that old familiar stress creeping back in, that I hadn’t felt in months. I love the guy. We were always close at work, but my suggestions have fallen on deaf ears for years. I think Apex and UclaBruin are absolutely right in their earlier comments. I may be limiting “meetings” moving forward too!
Anyway, great update as always. Would love to buy you a beer at one of our great local craft breweries on one of your trips to Virginia. I would imagine our beer “meeting” would be anything but stressful. We can kick back enjoy a great craft beer, the beautiful Virginia landscape, and just enjoy retirement for a few hours! Holler, if you are heading to Virginia anytime in the near future. The beer is on me!
-Thom
ESI says
Haha! Maybe we are the same person! LOL!
I might be in VA in late May — depends on what my daughter does this summer (she’d like an internship in DC, but those are tough to get). If not then, perhaps at the end of August. I’ll keep you informed (if I remember — you can always email me to remind me).
Would love to meet and have a long chat…
timeinthemarket says
Sounds like you’re making the most of your free time. The one thing I’m jealous of is the amount of walking time you’re able to get – that’s sure to be great for your health!
Kevin says
Excellent results and happiness. Perfect combo.
I am going to try retirement, although market has taken 6.4% off the top (1-26-18) including today (2-8-18 – another 850 point drop). Still good. Will be managing my investments and looking for opportunities. Next couple things would be to volunteer (but what – have to figure that out), and learn Spanish (conversational) as I tend to go to Mexico twice a year for 10 days each trip.
Congrats
Mr. Tako says
Seems like your blogs and life are going swimmingly ESI! $25k in blog income is pretty incredible, and Rockstar has the potential to do a whole lot more!
Dave says
I retired at 53 and have been for the last 6 years. I can very much relate to what your going through and have enjoyed your posts. It appears that were heading down similar paths.
I will now be a consistent reader of ESI…. that is if I can fit it into my busy schedule.
Thanks
Brian says
How has the healthcare challenge (or debacle depending on your perspective) impacted your retirement and the affordability of healthcare? That’s the one issue holding me back.
ESI says
Here’s how I handled it:
https://esimoney.com/picking-right-early-retirement-health-insurance-reviewing-options/