Early Retirement
Articles On Early Retirement & InvestmentThe Dramas and Pitfalls of Buying Investment Property in Portugal – Article #3
This is my third post documenting the purchase of our investment property in Portugal and the ensuing renovations. This particular post will mostly show additional before and after photos of more of the rooms and bathrooms. We have put a ton of work into cleaning...
Financial Checkpoint – December 4, 2022 (and FY Update Dec 31, 2022)
2022 was our first full year in retirement and was definitely an interesting start to early retirement. From January 1st to October 14th, the US Stock Market (as measured by VTI - Total US Stock Market) dropped 26.16%! Since that time, it has recovered a bit but is...
The Dramas and Pitfalls of Buying Investment Property in Portugal – Article #2
We purchased the property! The deed transfer occurred on October 3, 2022 and although the price was 285k EUR (Property + Furniture), the cost with all of the transaction fees (IMT Taxes 4.22%, Notary Fees 0.11%, Land Registry Office Fees 0.09%, and Lawyer fees 1.23%)...
The Dramas and Pitfalls of Buying Investment Property in Portugal – Article #1
July 9, 2022 We have signed a Promissory Note to purchase a 5 bed, 3 bath townhouse in the Algarve region of Portugal that currently has paying tenants generating 1,625 EUR/month. There are 7 tenants but 2 of them are couples. The townhouse actually has 6-7 rooms that...
How To Start A Consulting Company
July 7, 2022 In Early Retirement, it often makes sense to create "side hustles" or small businesses that can help sustain or add to your portfolio, especially during bear markets. The type of business you create depends on your particular skills and experience. In my...
Shit! We’re in a Recession!! What Should I Do??
July 4, 2022 “Be Fearful When Others Are Greedy and Greedy When Others Are Fearful." - Warren Buffet A major recession can wreck havoc on your portfolio but it can also be a time of opportunity. If it happens during the accumulation phase while you are working and...
Financial Updates & How We are Managing the Bear Market (Did we retire at the worst time possible?)
June 23, 2022 So much as changed in the last six months! As of today, the US Stock Market is down 22.18% since the start of the year as measured by the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTI). Interestingly, Bonds as measured by BND, the Vanguard Total Bond...
Financial Checkpoint – March 12, 2022
March 12, 2022 We regularly monitor our Net Worth, Portfolio, and Budget and I would recommend this activity for everyone whether you are working towards retirement or already retired. During this chaotic time of Covid and now the Ukraine War, the market has been...
The 7 Best Tools for Early Retirement
As with the Orrery in the photo above, tools can be extremely useful in helping us understand and visualize complex relationships and systems. The Orreries were used to explain the solar system and the movements of the planets as they spun around in space while...
US vs. International Equities
January 13, 2022 Is it best to invest in US Stocks, International Stocks, or a mixture of the two? As you can see from the table below, there were significant periods of time where the World Ex-USA Stocks outperformed the US Stocks. This occurred in the 1970's,...
I Believe Early Retirement Is Within Possibility For The Median Income American Household
January 11, 2022 As my wife says, if you want to retire early, you are doing something extraordinary. Therefore, your savings and approach cannot be average. Normal Retirement Age is considered 67 since that is when you can receive full social security retirement...
The Three Rings to Wealth
As with most things in life, there are only a few key elements to the process of financial independence. These are the three rings and they are the foundation wealth accumulation. First, you must find a way to earn moneySecond, you must save a significant...
Why Portugal? Is it Really the Best Place to Retire Globally?
Date: October 16, 2021 liveandinvestoverseas.com ranks Portugal's Algarve region as #1 best place to retire in 2021 internationalliving.com ranks Portugal as #5 best place to retire in 2021 Portugal is ranked highly due to it's "Old World charm, miles of golden sandy...
How Much Is Enough for Early Retirement?
The crux of this question comes down to the SWR or Safe Withdrawal Rate which is the percentage of your principle you can withdrawal every year, adjusted for inflation, without running out of money.