Tag: retire early

A Fresh Start

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That’s it! For the first time in my professional life I am not employed by someone or relying on an employer for a paycheck. I don’t know that it has fully hit home yet as my last week of work was a whirlwind that ended with an awesome gathering with my now former co-workers. I wasn’t expecting anything except the usual goodbyes and good luck that comes with being in management. What I got was a full blown celebration that lasted the whole day and continued after hours and late into the night at an offsite location. It was a very humbling experience that I am still in shock over.

My new venture is off the ground and I’m officially open for business. I’m still working on my final certification and should have that wrapped up in the next day or two. The next step is to make sure all of my lose ends are tied so I can spend some time getting out and networking with other businesses. I’ve never been in the position of having to network and hustle for business. The old adage of “fake it until you make it” keeps coming to mind as I will have to portray confidence in doing something that I really don’t have any experience doing. I think my years in the business world will help me with this process, but I can’t help but feel a little nervous about the thought of walking into businesses and trying to connect with folks. Continue reading “A Fresh Start” →

Countdown To Freedom

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As I head into my last week of work before setting out on my own I have to admit that I am nervous as hell. There is a lot to get done this week and it’s not easy to focus when I still have to go into an office every day and put in twelve hours. On top of all this I have another certification to get so I can make sure to reach my full earnings potential.

A couple of good things that have come up in the past week. First, after doing some market research I realized that my initial pricing was too low so I’m giving myself a raise before I even get started. Another good thing that happened is that I made an agreement with a local business to refer people to me. It doesn’t cost me anything and they will keep some of my business cards on their countertop. In turn they have someone that can service their clients when needed. Continue reading “Countdown To Freedom” →

10,000 Views

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We reached a nice milestone today by getting to 10,000 views.

When we started this blog just under five months ago I didn’t think we would get a thousand views in a year let alone ten thousand in less than five months.

Thank you to everyone that takes time out of their day to read our blog and follow our journey. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Joe

I Quit!

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As readers of this blog are already aware of, I can’t stand my job. Well, rather than complain and be miserable every day it was time to do something about it. Or as my dad would so elegantly say “either shit or get off the pot.” Continue reading “I Quit!” →

August 2019 Financial Update

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Is anyone else happy the month of August is over? I for one am happy to be moving into another month as August was a roller coaster both professionally and financially.

I started off the month by committing to moving on in my career. This required me to make plans to take a state exam so I could get a certification. It also required me to have a difficult discussion with my employer. I am excited to report that not only did I pass my exam, I aced it! Ok, I missed one question, but I got a much better score than I ever thought I would. As for my current employment status, it has been more of the same. The good news is that every time I start second guessing my decision to move on and go in my own direction something happens at work to remind me that I am making the right decision. Continue reading “August 2019 Financial Update” →

Life Update

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School is about to begin. This will be the final year of school for our son. It is a day we spent years thinking about and it’s a surreal moment as well as a milestone of sorts. Even more surreal is the fact that he has begun applying for admittance at colleges. But in reality, only one College matters to him. The others are back up plans that he has no intention of pursuing unless absolutely necessary.

While we prepare ourselves for this next year we are also trying to prepare and plan for the next steps after this school year. Over the past few years we have downsized our lives in many ways, like selling our 3000+ square foot home and moving into a small townhouse. However, we have also taken on a lot of extras in place of what we have given up. Some of these decisions, like purchasing a large and costly new RV, have been expensive up front but were done with an eye to the future. Other decisions have been made in the moment which isn’t usually the best way to make sound financial decisions. We are prime examples of impulse buyers and that has cost us quite a bit of money. One thing is for sure, we need to find a way to further cut back our monthly expenses and increase our savings rate which is currently topped out at 22%. Continue reading “Life Update” →

Winds of Change

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Times, they are a changing.

In a previous blog I gave some insight into my current working environment and expressed the possibility of going out on my own. Since that blog post I have been working and getting in position to do just that.

In the last week I have taken a state exam to get a required certification. I am responsibly confident that I did well enough to pass (fingers crossed). Also, because I have an amazing relationship with my direct manager, I have given an unofficial heads up notice to my employer that I will be moving on soon. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have gone out on that limb with my employer. However, my manager and I have a very close relationship and I’m trying to give him as much time as possible to get prepared and find a viable replacement. In addition to these steps I have also spoken with my tax accountant to get some guidance on proper business structure to make sure I don’t get a massive tax bill when tax season comes around. Continue reading “Winds of Change” →