Author Archive
An Expensive Lesson in Boating
I mentioned in my last post that we had trouble retrieving our anchor at the South Santee River anchorage (Mile 420). I thought I might describe this situation in detail for any readers that are boaters or potential boaters in hopes they can avoid the problem.
Hunkered Down In South Carolina
We are currently at the Isle of Palms Marina, which is just off the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW). The Isle of Palms Marina is located on a barrier island of the same name. This island is about 10 miles north of Charleston. We decided to wait out tropical storm “Sandy” here for a few days.
North Carolina ICW
The North Carolina portion of the ICW is the most diverse part of the ICW. You travel through thin canals, wide rivers, large sounds, and coastal islands. When it comes to boats, it seems like there are two North Carolinas. In the sounds of North Carolina there are mostly sailboats cruising around to all the […]
Travelling the Swamp
We left the Poquoson River Virginia area in the lower Chesapeake Bay and then spent a couple days in Norfolk, VA at the Waterside Marina. We watched the Orioles battle the Yankees in the American League Divisional Play-offs. We also spent a day grocery shopping in Norfolk and visiting the main attraction, the USS Wisconsin […]
Heading South
This week we threw off the dock lines from our slip in Annapolis, MD and pointed our sailboat Odyssey south for the winter. In The first leg of our trip we’ll head down the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk, VA, where the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) begins. Our ultimate destination is The Abacos in the Bahamas.
Retirement Planning For Life
In today’s economic environment retirement planning is more important than ever. We are experiencing reduced equity returns, employer provided pensions are becoming extinct, our nation’s monetary policy erodes the value of our currency daily, and our government retirement programs are financially unsustainable, That does not mean that retirement is no longer possible, but it does […]
The Biggest Financial Surprise in Retirement that I did not Expect before Retirement
One reader recently asked a question, “What was the biggest financial surprise in retirement?” You might guess that my answer might be the high costs of health care. But I had done a lot of research concerning health insurance before I retired, so I knew all the options and costs associated with this expense.
Answers to Some Early Retirement Questions, Part II
A couple other questions I received about early retirement were: How much does one need to save each year to retire early? How did my wife and I know we could live on what we had saved?
Answers to Some Early Retirement Questions
I know this will cause much misery (I say with sarcasm), but I am going to start winding down this blog. After all, if retirement planning is truly simple, then there is no need to keep writing a blog about it until the end of time. However, for those of you who are interested or […]
Retiring Early – Our Story
This post is about how my wife and I managed to retire about ten years earlier than the typical retirement age of 65. Some of the things we did will seem inconceivable to some readers, but the choices people make early in their working lives ultimately determine when they will be able to retire. Perhaps […]
