I haven't purchased any of his books but I do get his emails and I have read a bunch of his articles. Overall I think he gives very sound advice.
But the reason I'm posting this is because his article for today was about "How anyone can retire in 10 years or less" and lo and behold, about half way down the page is a link to this very website as an example of people who are already doing what he suggests in the article!
Just thought I would share that with the community.
financialmentor.com
I too read his article, and the linked one about why early retirement is a bad idea for most (http://financialmentor.com/retirement-p ... /myth/5169). I found myself irrationally defensive against this last one, which usually means I'm getting ready to do some good thinking. 
I think I agree with the core of the message, just not how he delivered it. The core was something like "don't use early retirement as an excuse to put off your dreams", i.e. it's an unnecessary barrier so you don't have to take any risks to try and achieve your goals. Which is a good point.
But I know ER(hopefully E) is for me, for a lot of reasons. I grew up with a frugal, one income family. I know how to have a lot of fun (and self-improvement, and healthy socialization, and community involvement) for free. I've never had a problem filling my spare time; we homeschooled from grade 3 onwards so I think of "time = mine" as NATURAL. I know how to structure my own time, learn independently, and apply what I learn. I have always had projects.
In fact, entering the workforce full time was one of the hardest parts of "grown up" life to accept, and adhering to the rigidity of a 40 hour work week is still one of the hardest things I do every single day. (Any of my employers will tell you: I do an amazing, excellent job...when I show up! The performance reviews are filled with "exceeds standards", right up until we get to Attendance.)
I think I agree with the core of the message, just not how he delivered it. The core was something like "don't use early retirement as an excuse to put off your dreams", i.e. it's an unnecessary barrier so you don't have to take any risks to try and achieve your goals. Which is a good point.But I know ER(hopefully E) is for me, for a lot of reasons. I grew up with a frugal, one income family. I know how to have a lot of fun (and self-improvement, and healthy socialization, and community involvement) for free. I've never had a problem filling my spare time; we homeschooled from grade 3 onwards so I think of "time = mine" as NATURAL. I know how to structure my own time, learn independently, and apply what I learn. I have always had projects.
In fact, entering the workforce full time was one of the hardest parts of "grown up" life to accept, and adhering to the rigidity of a 40 hour work week is still one of the hardest things I do every single day. (Any of my employers will tell you: I do an amazing, excellent job...when I show up! The performance reviews are filled with "exceeds standards", right up until we get to Attendance.)
I agree with your points about that article you linked to. His message gets a little watered down but I think you adequately summarized it. I also felt the same feeling rise up in my when a friend of mine sent me a link to that specific article. The bottom line for me is that no one's dream is to work at their job until they die (at least no one I know) so it would seem that early retirement or at least financial independence would be everyone's dream whether they know it or not.
I can totally relate regarding your workplace adaptations. When I was young, I completely resisted getting a job until I absolutely had to. I think something inside of me knew that trading time for money was a losing proposition. It wasn't until many years later that I realized that wasn't the only option...
I can totally relate regarding your workplace adaptations. When I was young, I completely resisted getting a job until I absolutely had to. I think something inside of me knew that trading time for money was a losing proposition. It wasn't until many years later that I realized that wasn't the only option...
@JasonR: Yes! Push vs. pull describes it perfectly! Now, granted, everyone is going to feel, at least a little bit, sometimes, that they want to "get away from" their job. Heck, even if you're doing something you're passionate about, there are some Really Not Good Days where you just want to run from it.
But if you don't have anything to look forward to after you're done, if you're not used to or just plain don't like structuring your own challenges and your own definition of success, then yes, you will retire bored and empty -- at any age. It will be difficult.
I don't think of retirement as a time of ceaseless lazing about, nor do I think of it as finally getting to live my dreams. It's about gaining fuller control over my time.
But if you don't have anything to look forward to after you're done, if you're not used to or just plain don't like structuring your own challenges and your own definition of success, then yes, you will retire bored and empty -- at any age. It will be difficult.
I don't think of retirement as a time of ceaseless lazing about, nor do I think of it as finally getting to live my dreams. It's about gaining fuller control over my time.