I was scrolling through our old blog posts the other day and didn’t realize how long we have been at this. We started this blog in April of 2019 to document our journey to becoming financially independent full-time RV’ers.

Our goal was to retire early so we could enjoy life on the road. We could have kept working remotely in some capacity, and Mrs. RVF did for a couple of months, but that wasn’t the point. The purpose was to enjoy life and traveling without the burden of financial worry or a work schedule.

At that time we were on the cusp of reaching the coveted $1M threshold in our portfolio. We also had a decent amount of equity built up in our townhouse. Combined we were only about $375k away from reaching our $1.5M goal. Since we planned to sell our house and everything we owned home equity was essentially cash in our minds.

We had other important things to consider as well. Our son was going to graduate high school and couldn’t wait to go to college. We had money set aside for that, but we worried about him having a place to go. Little did we know what was coming with covid and the nonsense that it brought along with it. Delays, frustration, anger and just plain stupidity. I’m skipping ahead because that whole period of time just pisses me off.

Fast forward to 2021 and everything finally started to fall into place. Our son was happy in college and he had told us he is never going back to California. That was great to hear because we weren’t planning on staying there either. The entire state had lost its damn mind by that time and has never recovered.

Since we were all on the same page regarding California we made an agreement. If our son even wanted to get away from Pennsylvania we would fly him to wherever we were camping. Then we could have a family camping trip anytime like the old days!

By the end of February 2021 we had liquidated all of our possessions and started living our dream. We had achieved our F.I.R.E. goal of $1.5M despite all of the obstacles thrown our way through the Covid year. Life was good!!

To say starting our new life was a challenge would be an understatement. After enjoying our first month in the San Diego area to getting acclimated we set out to South Dakota to become residents. The state is known for being friendly to RVers. It’s also tax free state which was great for people who live off investments like us. However we didn’t make it even a 100 miles before our RV got wrecked by a teenager on the interstate who was not paying attention.

The result was that we had to live in a bodyshop parking lot for weeks while repairs were made. It was as if California was the death star and kept pulling us back in every time we tried to get out.

We finally overcame that challenge and got back on track. After becoming South Dakota residents we managed to flee during a spring snow storm and finally got situated in warm Las Vegas. However, that just got us back to where we had planned to be a month earlier. But, at least we made it and life was good again.

They say the worst thing that can happen in retirement is a bad down year within the first couple of years after retiring. Naturally, that’s exactly what happened to us. After the Covid nonsense and getting wrecked it was just our luck!

So in 2022 the markets decided it was time to make things interesting. We suffered a big loss in our portfolio at the wrong time. Instead of riding high after gains in 2021 we ended the year down over 19%. This was a loss of over $300k and put us $120k under our F.I.R.E number at the time. Ouch!

Being somewhat of a market veteran I knew not to panic. We had planned for this and had plenty of cash on hand to see it through. But, I will admit, it was nerve-racking and a little worrisome. Our worst case scenario had become reality and it felt like we just couldn’t catch a break in this new life.

Our market patience would eventually pay off as by the end of 2023 our portfolio had recovered. However, during that year we started struggling with life on the road full-time. We had lost our travel companion Murphy in the Summer while we were in Montana. That loss really seemed to suck the life out of our RV and our travels. Almost 14 years of joy came to a sudden unexpected halt. We were not prepared for it and still affects us to this day.

After that loss we had little desire to do much. We tried to carry on with our plans, but it was never the same. We had work-camped in the winters to stay busy and keep our minds occupied. While we met some great new life long friends the work-camping did more harm than good. Way too much drama for what it was worth.

Soon we found ourselves browsing the homes for sale every time we stopped somewhere. Then we started driving all over looking at properties. That eventually led to the creation of a spreadsheet listing the pros and cons of every city we visited.

It was obvious that our life on the road was coming to an end. As much as we loved our lifestyle we had been put through the wringer every step of the way. It was a blast, but it was not easy.

In December of 2023 we purchased some land in north central Texas. By the Fall of 2024 our house would be done, as was our life on the road full-time. We had come full circle.

2024 would be a year of change, adjustment and big expenses. We commuted between Utah, where we were staying with family, and Texas to see our home build. Eventually we decided to stay in a hotel as the build neared completion. However, two weeks turned into two months as the weather just would not cooperate. That was a very expensive period.

For 2024 our portfolio ended the year up over $40k. Despite the cash outlay to make our home build happen and the expenses incurred for travel and hotels we managed to end the year positive. It felt like we finally caught a break!

Unlike 2022, the timing was perfect for a market run and a badly needed round of good fortune. Our net worth, which is a more accurate reflection with the house factored in, nearly reached the $1.7M mark. It was a long road, but we were back on track.

I won’t spend a lot of time recapping 2025 as we just did that in our last blog. You can find that here. It was a good year, but not without it’s challenges. Our portfolio continued to grow and we ended the year with our net worth topping $1.85M.

Financially our portfolio is stronger than it’s ever been and our net worth could potentially hit the $2M mark in 2026. That would be huge, but we will not celebrate prematurely. As we know all too well, shit happens! Especially to us.

What I would like people to take away from this blog is that despite these challenges we are still going strong. People say the F.I.R.E. movement is a joke. It’s stupid. It’s financial suicide. Just wait until this happens or that happens. Blah, Blah, Blah!!

We heard all of this garbage in 2019 when we started our blog. Before that we heard it from people we knew and had confided in about our plans and our goal. It was just a pie in the sky dream as far as they were concerned.

Turns out, there are an endless amount of geniuses on social media. They like to talk a lot and act like they have it all figured out. The reality is that the vast majority of these people haven’t actually done anything outside of talking on social media. They are more interested in getting a content creator payouts or selling some line of bullshit they claim is the secret to success. And to be honest, most of these people are just regurgitating things that are readily available if you have the ability to do a google search.

In the last five years anything that could go wrong has gone wrong and we are just fine. From selling everything to enduring financial loss, emotional loss, our RV home getting wrecked, buying property, building a new home, repurchasing everything, moving to a new state (twice) and struggling with ever changing circumstances. It has all happened to us. Or to sum it all up, life happened to us.

You can’t escape life’s challenges no matter what you do. What you can do is determine how you are going to live your life. Early retirement has brought us something more valuable than the money. We have been rewarded with time, options and flexibility.

Regardless of how the next five years go we have already had five years of freedom that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. We have had these opportunities because we decided to value time over things. Reaching our F.I.R.E. number and following through on our plans set us free. Despite the naysayers and social media geniuses it is possible.

Sure we could have kept working. And we probably would have had a nice $3-4M portfolio right now. But at what cost? I wasn’t the most healthy person when I was at a corporate job. Mentally and physically I was at a very low point. Working insane hours and constant corporate travel for over 20 years was not easy. I literally walked away from what was possibly a lifelong career position for my own health and for my family.

Mrs. RVF liked her job and she was paid well for it too. But, she realized it was a lot of stress for very little reward. What’s the point of catching bad guys if the State of California will never prosecute them? Years of work investigating fraudsters and documenting crimes just to watch cases get buried by some government lifer cosplaying as a DA.

The point is that you can always make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you are working a job you are getting paid for your time. You give up a piece of your freedom in exchange for cash. We all need to do it, but how long we do it is an individual choice.

Some folks say they will never retire. If work is something you are willing to do indefinitely and it makes you happy, great. No judgement here.

We choose to look at things from a different standpoint. We only get one life and no one knows how long we have on this earth. Spending anymore time in an office or at a thankless job than was necessary to reach our goal was a disservice to ourselves. Time is more valuable than money.

Recently I shared this story about some friends of ours on X. This will be little longer and more detailed version, but for good reason. It’s a real life human experience that can happen to any of us at any time. Please be patient as it’s as difficult to write as it was to experience.

So here it goes:

Our first year of traveling we met a great couple with whom we became lifelong friends. I blame them for getting us into work-camping because they made it fun. It rarely was fun after that first season with them.

They are a couple of years older than us, but close in age. Like us, they are very active and always down for a good time. If you are camping, they are the people you want to be next to.

While we went our separate ways after that season, we always kept in close touch. If we were ever nearby in our travels we would do what we could to meet up. Always at a Mexican food restaurant for margaritas it seemed.

One day we received a call from the husband. He told us his wife had been struggling lately and at times couldn’t remember how to do simple tasks. After some doctor visits and tests she was diagnosed with early onset dementia. A devastating diagnosis for anyone. Even more so for an extremely active outdoors type person who travels full-time.

It was about a year after her diagnosis before we were finally able to meet up again. By chance they started wintering in Texas to be close to medical care and we had just move here permanently. We were only about 25 miles apart.

When we met up, again at a Mexican restaurant for margaritas, we could tell something was a little off. However, to someone who hadn’t know her beforehand there wouldn’t be anything outwardly recognizable. It seemed fairly minimal which was a welcome site. We carried on as usual and we had a great time as usual.

Over the next year we received updates periodically. While there was progression it was still manageable and nothing overly serious. That was until about the time they were preparing to head back towards Texas this past fall. Suddenly things became more serious and extremely difficult.

Upon their arrival in Texas our friend contacted us to let us know they were settled. However, things had become so bad on the trip down that he had to contact a facility to try and get some professional help for his wife. After trying to provide home care it was evident that her mental state had quickly deteriorated beyond his ability to care for her. There was no option left but to get her 24/7 professional care. The news was devastating to hear.

In early December our schedules aligned so we could meet up. Only this time we went with him to a church luncheon. Of course they were serving Mexican food. Only this time there were no margaritas for obvious reasons. We met his sister and a bunch of wonderful people. Honestly, we were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support our friend was getting from the folks at his church.

Anyone who knows Mrs. RVF and I also knows we are not religious people. In fact, the two of us grew up on completely opposite ends of the religious spectrum. But seeing and feeling the love and support from people was about a touching of a moment one could witness.

After finishing lunch our friend asked if we were ready to go visit his wife. Of course we were, but he wanted to give us a heads up first. To paraphrase his words, “she’s not who you remember mentally or physically and just keep that in mind”

We understood, although we were ultimately not prepared for the hard reality. We expressed that we were just hoping for a moment where we could have a connection. Like us, he wanted that too. Although it was for much deeper reasons in his case.

As we arrived at the facility and proceeded to walk through the security doors marked “Memory Care” reality hit us like a ton of bricks.

“There she is” he said.

I was looking around as I didn’t recognize anyone.

“Where, I don’t see her?” Mrs. RVF said

“Over there, standing by the older guy” he said.

That moment was an emotional sledgehammer. The person we saw was just a shell of the vibrant, beautiful person we knew. It was a very difficult and heartbreaking moment.

He walked over to her first to help get her situated. As we walked over, emotionally wrecked, she looked at Mrs. RVF and her face lit up with a smile and her eyes lit up like something clicked inside. Mrs. RVF and her hugged for a moment and it was beautiful.

But then, as fast as the spark happened, it was gone. That was it. The person we knew disappeared and a confused shell of a person reappeared.

The rest of the visit was tough. We will keep those details to ourselves as it’s difficult to even write this much. However, that spark was a priceless moment for us and for our friend. We had at least got what we were all hoping for. Most likely that will be the last time we ever see that spark again. But the memory will live forever.

This experience reinforced that we made the right decision five years ago. None of us are guaranteed another day. None of us are guaranteed that our remaining days will be lived with a high quality of life. Everything we know today could be gone or irrelevant tomorrow.

Two years! That’s the time it took for a vibrant person to deteriorate to the point needing full-time in patient care. I don’t know if that’s the normal timeframe for this type of illness and I don’t want to find out. But I do know that it’s too fast for family and the loved ones left behind.

Our friends spent many years on the road. Much more than we ever did or could have done. They traveled and enjoyed life like no other. Looking back I’m sure those memories will be a very bright spot in this tragic situation for our friend. I know they are for us as we remember those times at the campground.

The point is this. Everyone wishes they could have had one last moment with those that suffer from an illness like this or suddenly pass on. Unfortunately, there isn’t always an opportunity for one last moment. Life can change in an instant. That moment could be today, tomorrow, next month or next year.

Achieving financial independence and reclaiming your life isn’t stupid. It also shouldn’t be diluted to just being a pipe dream. Being able to prioritize time, family, friends, happiness and experiences above all things is how you win at life. Not working yourself to death in a cubicle for a measly couple of years on social security.

The road to financial freedom is not always easy and it can be exhausting at times. But it can be done and we are proof of that. The secret is that there is no real secret. It’s not sold as a subscription by some random social media dork hawking basic financial knowledge as the key to success.

It just takes planning, discipline, patience and time. Anyone can do it if you are willing to make some sacrifices today for a better tomorrow. That doesn’t mean living a life or boredom and seclusion just to save a buck. It means having a budget and the discipline to stick to it. It means having a plan in place to pay yourself first through investments before spending money on things. Most importantly, it means being patient and allowing the plan to develop over time.

That last part is the hardest part. The first years are slow going and can feel like nothing is happening. At some point everyone finds themselves feeling the urge to give up. Then you start thinking about all of the things you could do with that money. This is all natural, but it’s also dangerous.

This is an inflection point where you either give into temptation or forge ahead. It is imperative that you resist the urge to give up with every fiber of your being! Going down that road is where financial freedom goes to die. Staying the course on the other hand leads to ever growing investments through the magic of compounding.

That patience will pay off and you will be rewarded. Eventually your investments will make more money than your expenses. Then they will make more money than your paycheck.

This level is called FU money and it is the day work becomes optional. At that point you are in the drivers seat of your life. You get to decide how much more time you are willing to exchange for money. You are finally in control and it feels amazing!

It’s your life, reclaim it. Win at life!

Let’s get to work!

Joe

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