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Retired and Inspired at 55
Thoughts and Musings on Early Retirement
Early Retirement Can be Yours
Welcome to my blog on early retirement. It took a lot of planning and discipline but I was able to retire at 55 in February 2020. I'll share how I did it, and my experiences in retirement.
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Getting Back to Life
Note: I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, before the Delta variant flared. I still feel we should be getting back to life, we just...
fhoth3
Jul 26, 20213 min read
My Favorite Music
This post was inspired by the Father’s Day Family Circus comic strip in which oldest son Billy told readers about his favorite “music”....
fhoth3
Jul 19, 20212 min read
Lunch With a Fellow Retiree
Recently I met a friend and former colleague for lunch to catch up after several months. After the initial updates on family, we jumped...
fhoth3
Jun 28, 20212 min read
Why is There Always a Headwind?
First, I hope all you dads reading this had a nice Father's Day! This post was inspired by bike rides during which there seems to be a...
fhoth3
Jun 21, 20213 min read
Reinvent Yourself
Retirement is no longer an end in itself, it is an opportunity to reinvent yourself and do something (or things) that your working life...
fhoth3
Jun 14, 20213 min read
Be A Tumbleweed
The title comes from a nickname for my wife who, when not running her home staging business, tends to behave like those dry shrubs...
fhoth3
Jun 7, 20213 min read
Eldercare After 50
Many in their 50s to early 60’s find themselves sandwiched between high school / college-age kids and elderly parents, and in a balancing...
fhoth3
Jun 1, 20215 min read
Adventures of Parachute Man
This is the story of a travel tradition that started in Newport, RI before my wife and I were married. While poking around in the various...
fhoth3
May 24, 20213 min read
Power to the (Retired) People
This is the story of persistence paying off and it was inspired by a phone call I received after writing a Letter to the Editor of the...
fhoth3
May 17, 20212 min read
Back at the Bar!
A recent rainy forecast caused us to postpone plans to meet friends - whom we haven’t seen other than on Zoom since the Before Time – at...
fhoth3
May 10, 20213 min read
Don't Let Your Brain Retire
Retirement is – or should be – a chance to exhale and relax after all those years working. Time to do what you’ve always wanted to do,...
fhoth3
May 3, 20213 min read
Fridge Fiasco
My wife recently got her 15-year-old wish as our side-by-side refrigerator died a few weeks ago. It had been a bit nosier than usual for...
fhoth3
Apr 26, 20214 min read
Travel Memories
Since I can’t yet plan my Route 66 trip I’ve been going back over past travels and gathering my favorite memories from those trips. I...
fhoth3
Apr 19, 20215 min read
Health Insurance Before Medicare
During lunch with a friend the other day he talked about not being able to retire as early as he’d like because of the cost of health...
fhoth3
Apr 12, 20212 min read
Spring Cleaning
I know spring officially started a couple of weeks ago, but with a little April Fool’s Day snow in my area, it wasn’t until this past...
fhoth3
Apr 5, 20213 min read
Life Changes – Parallels between Divorce and Retirement
Retiring from a long career is in many ways like going through a divorce. The parallel is particularly strong if you have been at the...
fhoth3
Mar 29, 20214 min read
Taxes – Plan for Retirement Changes
We just had our taxes done for 2020 and we weren’t sure what to expect since our financial situation has changed so drastically. I had my...
fhoth3
Mar 22, 20212 min read
All 50 States – the Journey Is the Goal, pt. 2
…Oklahoma was tricky due to flights so I flew into Dallas and drove 90 miles north to Durant, OK, a small rural town with a huge...
fhoth3
Mar 15, 20214 min read
All 50 States – the Journey Is the Goal
I got the bug a little more than 10 years ago when I looked at a map of the United States and realized I’d been to almost 40 states –...
fhoth3
Mar 8, 20213 min read
Wardrobe Change
This post is a follow-up to Cleaning Out Your Closets. While I donated most of my business attire, I retained the “old guy” clothes I...
fhoth3
Mar 1, 20213 min read
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The articles in this blog are for informational purposes only and are not intended as legal advice, financial advice, emotional advice or counsel.
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