Early Retirement Extreme Forums

<t>by Benjamin Franklin. <br/> An old book, to be sure, but the principles are timeless and very ERE-friendly. I wish I would have read it in my college years. This book, in my opinion, is on par with another ERE favorite - Your Money or Your Life. A short read - only about 125 pages. I strongly enc...

<t>chilly -<br/> <br/> Don't forget some regular IRA/401(k) withdrawals can be tax free if you only take up to the standard/itemized deduction and personal exemption levels (9,350 for single in 2010, 18,700 for married). This is why I always recommend keeping a bucket of each - regular and Roth IRA ...

I've got the book on my "to read" list, thanks for the mini-review.

Vangogh - how did you "run your numbers"? I'm interested in doing something similar and wondered about the best way to start.

<t>Similar to Maus' advice, try like hell to list it. Maybe an agent (a non-biased third party) can talk some sense in to him. Throwing good money after bad isn't something I'd do unless you have a firm offer in hand that says "fix X or Y or we'll walk". Do you really want to get into land-lording w...

@S - good luck, if you have any questions in the meantime, post them and I'll do my best to answer.

<t>But what if I'm a renter - assuming it also is subject to inflation, that would also cause a decrease in cash flow? Don't forget at some point the mortgage is gone, but rent goes on.<br/> I imagine we could dream up any number of scenarios to favor either side. I certainly appreciate the flexibil...

You should put the back and forth from your original post in an xtranormal.com movie.
Count me (a fellow married guy with 2 kids) impressed you're able to live on $1k/month.

I use Chase Freedom and have no complaints. The minimum accrual needed to get a reward is 2500 points, which = $25. I happen to live near the rewards processing center, so I usually get my check within the week of request.

<t>Mo - if wages don't grow, the mortgage doesn't gain or lose affordability. All else being equal, I'd rather be a homeowner in an inflationary economy than a renter. (We bought an affordable home in a pretty stable Midwest locale that didn't see the value swing wildly like on the coasts.)<br/> <br...

<t>For tax purposes, only your mortgage interest (not the principal) is a deductible expense. However, you can take depreciation, which could make up the difference and still generate a "tax loss". Assuming you qualify to deduct the loss by "actively participating", you will probably cut your taxes,...

<t>Like your correct sense of sarcasm in my comment, your comment of "gee, I wish I didn't have to work" seemed to admonish one who would say that. (If that was not your intent, I apologize.) It is well established on ERE blog and forum that there are many other worthy pursuits besides paid work.<br...

Please enlighten us on "what real retirement is like"? Hopefully not the Money Magazine version JohnnyH referred to. I also don't understand what is wrong with the desire not to work (so long as one is not a drag on society of course)?

To me happiness is day-to-day and somewhat based on external factors. I seek contentment, which can be equally difficult to find.

I second AlexK's comment.

Thanks AlexO and DivGuy, something to keep in mind when wi-fi becomes more widespread.

Because letting it out > cleaning up the mess. And it's the nice thing to do, not so sure about pathetic. I think it's kind of a given when you get a pet it will affect your life in some way. Such as cleaning a cat's litter box or running to the store to buy cat food.

<t>I've had a chocolate lab for 10 1/2 years and it's been fun. I had him from a pup and now he's like a wise old man. The costs have been predictable - just food ($40/month - I buy higher quality stuff) and annual vet checkups. We had another dog that tore her ACL and needed surgery, that set us ba...

<t>Something I wish I would have done at the beginning of my accounting career is stay in touch with everyone I met and get used to meeting people and figuring out if they could use my services. I've only started that the past few years and feel like I could already be on my own if I'd started soone...

<r>Have to agree with HSpencer, I love building - although I use mostly power tools. Time is limited when you have 2 kids under 4 in the house. I built a bookshelf and cool little bench for our porch over the summer and plan to build a bed frame for my son or daughter this year and perhaps another o...