Blog Feed
Gen X is The Last Lucky Generation
Hey everyone! This will be a short post. I’m experiencing a bit of writer’s block this week. This happens occasionally, but I think it’ll happe…
July 2025 FIRE Update
Hey Everyone! I am back from my California road trip. We had a blast visiting friends and family. We also explored the Central Coast and the Sequoia …
Summer 2025 Road Trip Part 2
Hey Everyone! I hope you’re having a great summer. We are in the middle of a road trip in California. In the first part, we drove down to Santa…
Summer 2025 Road Trip
Hey Everyone! This will be a short post because we are on a road trip! This year, we wanted to visit Yosemite because Mrs. RB40 has never been there.…
June 2025 FIRE UPDATE
Hey Everyone! Did you have a good month in June? I’m a bit late with this update, but life has been hectic at the RB40 household. We’re getting ready…
Declare Your Financial Independence Day
Ahh… I love Independence Day! This is my favorite holiday of the year. Mrs. RB40 and our son love Christmas, but the 4th of July is way better. The w…
The Stock Market Hits A New High
Woohoo! The stock market just reached a new all-time high. It’s party time. In April, the stock market dropped precipitously due to tariffs, uncertai…
Using AI to Help Pay for College
Last week, our son graduated from middle school. He will start high school in a few months. Wow, where did the time go? It feels like he just started…
Retirement Transition is Tough!
Hey everyone! It’s been 2 months since Mrs. RB40 retired from her career. Unfortunately, she is having a tough transition into early retirement. This…
Is It Time to Replace Our 15-Year-Old Car?
How are everybody’s vehicles doing? I hope your car is going strong because new and used vehicle prices are more expensive than ever. The average pri…
May 2025 FIRE Update
Hey Everyone! Did you have a good month? May was another hectic month at the RB40 household. I felt like I was a full-time chauffeur for the family. …
Get Ready for Summer 2025!
Hey everyone! I hope you had a good Memorial Day Weekend. I heard on NPR it was one of the busiest travel days ever. We didn’t do much, though. We ..…
13 Years After Early Retirement
Hey everyone! It’s been 13 years since I retired from my engineering career. Wow, has it really been that long? Hard to believe, but it’s true.…
The Rental Condo is Off The Market
As you may have surmised from the accompanying image, I spent some quality time with the toilet over the weekend. Earlier this year, I heard the toil…
April 2025 FIRE Update
Hey Everyone! Did you have a good month? April was a hectic month at the RB40 household. RB40Jr was busy with school, debate, Ultimate Frisbee, marti…
What if You Always Maxed Out Your 401k?
What’s the surest way to become a millionaire? I can tell you right now – max out your 401k contribution every year. It will take a while, but I guar…
Defying Gravity
Hey Everyone! Have you seen the movie Wicked? We watched it at home last week. It was so good! We saw Wicked on stage about 16 years ago. I loved ...…
Don’t Panic
Whew! Another crazy week in the USA is over; only 197 left to go. Student visa revoked. ICE tracking down and detaining international students. Legal…
March 2025 FIRE Update
Hey Everyone! Did you have a good month? March was a pretty good month at the RB40 household. We visited my brother during Spring Break and had a gre…
Series Binge: Severance
Hey Everyone! I am back from Spring Break in North Carolina. We visited my brother and his family in Cary, a suburb of Raleigh. Wow, that town is inc…