Posts by David Baughier

Hello, twenty-two-year-old Joel! Greetings from a decade in the future. There’s so much to catch you up on: There’s a new Power Rangers movie! Apple makes cell phones now! And we have electric cars that practically drive themselves! But there’s a serious matter I want to discuss today: your future happiness. Let me describe two…

I grew up thinking of money as a means to procure the things that brought immediate satisfaction. As soon as I had it, I used it, and I felt fine doing so. I never lacked the necessities, and so I figured I had all that I needed. There comes a time in many of our…

Dr. Jekyll has Mr. Hyde, Beyoncé has Sasha Fierce, and I have Jade. My FI alter ego was born in 2015, on a quiet, gray evening in Everett, WA. I remember it because it was one of those fork-in-the-road moments that alter your life forever. I was 24, newly released onto the world as an…

My midlife crisis came two summers ago when I realized how close I was to retirement eligibility yet how far I was from retirement capability. I was talking to a colleague and close friend of mine about our years in the education field, and it hit me. I would be eligible to retire from teaching…

This was my first CampFI ever and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I am not a “FI” person per se however, I heard a lot of good things and wanted to see what all the excitement was about. The venue for CampFI Southeast 2019 Week 2 near Gainesville, FL was great. “Miss Sarah” delivered…

My last day working for “the man” was two weeks ago and I am now officially free to lead Above the Clouds Retreats in Ecuador. What a beautiful word—free. I wish I could say I am completely retired, but I still need an income stream. Rather than going to work every day though, I have…

When I graduated from my various professional programs and got my first “real job,” I knew I needed to start saving for retirement. I bought a home, but due to my employment situation, I didn’t have access to any employer-sponsored retirement plans. Instead, I tried to max out a Traditional IRA each year. When I…

Our story seems quite different than most. However, anyone can use the lessons (or mistakes) from our life to better themselves. Lessons: My LifeInFIRE started out when I was 12-years-old. I grew up in a middle-class home, and in many ways I was lucky. I was taught how to save and how bonds and high-interest…

From a very early age, I learned to not ask for money. At 4 years old, I immigrated to the US with my brothers and dad. For four years, my dad was the family’s sole provider – paying for our basic needs while sending extra money back home support a family member. My dad could…