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Hi, I’m Dave.   Welcome.

 

So you found my shipwreck.  It may look scary but have no fear, it’s a welcoming place. 

My story?  I’m a guy in his late 40’s who woke up one day and realized I’m financially independent, at least according to the 4% rule.  How the heck did I get there?  Well, I worked really hard, spent way less than I made, and I invested the rest.  Religiously. 

I did this without the conscious goal of an early retirement, until that became a sub-culture “thing” (is it a cult yet?) and I stumbled across Mr. Money Mustache one day.  What a wonderful surprise huh?  Many are on a journey striving to get to financial independence, laboriously counting the years, while I was seemingly strolling down the street and tripped over it. 

Thus the name of my blog, it was kinda accidental.  No inheritances, no lottery winnings, no trust fund.  I earned every penny, except for those pennies earned by my hard-working employees (the other pennies) who work for me every day in the stock market. I love those dudes.  I should put them in for an award come to think of it.

So here I am, a self-made FI-guy.  Am I retired yet?  Well, no.  Healthcare concerns and family concerns keep me working for now, but I’m scaled back to part time. 

I’m also side hustling because it’s fun and allows me to learn and use other parts of my brain.  Mainly, I’m focused on living a more rewarding life, one that doesn’t involve a mandatory 40-hour sentence in an office every week dealing with crap.  My version of a more rewarding life includes copious time in the outdoors and in nature, usually doing human-powered adventures.

 

I WANT TO HELP YOU

So dig in, I hope you find some useful musings.  I’m writing from the position of having already achieved wealth and financial independence, and I want to help you get there too. 

My intention is not to re-hash the basics of the FIRE lifestyle or journey.  Others have already done a much better job of that than I’d ever do (see MMM, Mad Fientist, JLCollins, among others).  I like to focus on the behaviors and lifestyle factors that drive money decisions.  Most folks know what they need to do, so how come it’s so hard to do?

And oh yeah, I don’t have all the answers.  But I believe I have unique experiences and insights to share so I hope to add to the conversations, sometimes offer a different point of view, and inject some humor into the dialogue. 

Let’s be honest, the journey to FIRE and life in general are messy, unpredictable, and sometimes exhausting.  Taking time to smile and laugh a bit might just be the elixir you need.