27, finally out of debt, ready to invest...i must* retire early

[jefferson81]

I would have made a great trust fund baby. alas, i must work. I found a vocation that pays modestly and suits my personality. I am desperate to retire early, life is too short for w*rk!

[Grep]

Good for you. Now is a great time to start investing, as the rest of us have already lost our shirts. Next step: read, read, read! Start here, for example:

Main Page - Bogleheads

[CuppaJoe]

Hi, Jefferson81, you've given us just about enough clues to figure out what you mean by "81." Learning how to invest is a useful plan. Also, do you have a plan for enjoying life along the way while working? A job that suits your personality is a good start. Welcome, you will find a lot of ideas here.

[Dawg52]

Congrats on being out of debt! Just stay that way. As far as investing goes, it may be a great time to invest.....but I can't say invest in stocks. I would have been just as well off sticking my money in cd's over the years without the heartaches.

Good luck with your ER goal!

[Bestwifeever]

Count your blessings to have a job--and as CuppaJoe said, enjoy the journey.

[lightspeed]

Great job, stay out of debt and watchout for lifestyle creep!

[jefferson81]

thank you for the warm welcome all, I lived like a pauper for 2 years straight to get out of debt...it was extremely difficult but worth it, I look forward to all of your wisdom and insights.

[newtomn01]

Congrats! I just sent my last student loan payment yesterday and I am now debt free at 33.

[Amethyst]

Just don't do what I did...cheesepared to the bone from ages 23-28 so I could Buy A Home, which was represented to all Young People back in the day as the Ultimate Financial Goal. What a joke. Don't fall for it.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by newtomn01 Congrats! I just sent my last student loan payment yesterday and I am now debt free at 33.

Nice. I'll never forget the day I sent in the check. The letter I got back from them I framed and keep in my office.

DW and I often reflect on how our frugal life started. We wanted to get married but her dad was on Medicaid and I wasn't going to ask my parents. So my fiance and I made up an 14 month goal, to get married, buy a house, and eliminate our remaining student loan debt. MOST IMPORTANT, to do it without using credit of any kind.......

I found the receipts from back then:

Getting married: $10,500
Downpayment on House: $9,000
Student Loan Debt: $7,500

Total: $27,000.00

It was a real sacrifice and a test, but we wanted to start our new life together with no debt other than a home mortage.......

[jambo101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jefferson81 I am desperate to retire early, life is too short for w*rk!

Not all work/jobs fall into your description,some jobs can be really fun,enjoyable and rewarding.
Unfortunately i never found a job like that.

[Frugality_of_Apathy]

Hey welcome. I'm in the same situation, just turned 27 in december though I've got a $153,000 mortgage refinanced to 5% and $18,000 in student loan debt. Make 50K a year. Hopefully it goes up in June but if I can swing 4 days a week making 46K I could consider myself semi-ER'd 10 years ahead of schedule.

I could pay off the student loan debt in a year but I'm thinking it's probably more important to save my emergency fund with this kind of economy going on. In that case I could pay it off in a year and a half while still keeping 6 months in EF.

Good luck