Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Thefed is checking in! Long time no see! Divorces, kids, new business update
Old 03-17-2014, 06:56 PM   #1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
thefed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,203
Thefed is checking in! Long time no see! Divorces, kids, new business update

So it's been a while since I've been on the boards...a long while! Some of you may remember all the trials and tribulations I was going thru...namely a dirty divorce and custody battle...the start-up of a new company...some rehabbing houses. Well, here's the low-down for anyone who cares!

  • The divorce was finalized Nov 2012. Just last week, I won full custody of my 3 boys...Sunday night to Friday night every week! Cost me my entire retirement savings plus a little more....but it was worth it! The boys drive me nuts, but my ex is certifiably crazy. It takes a lot for a mom to lose custody.
  • Some may recall the updates on my inflatable bounce house business which morphed into a full-fledged mobile entertainment company? Well, last year was our 3rd full season after the re-branding and we did about 750k in sales. We are on pace for a $1mil year!!! Very excited about that. Ohio Mobile Gaming.
  • The air duct cleaning biz I had for years is defunct...sold it and the equipment after the divorce. My ex wouldnt let me get to my equipment and I lost a lot of business and contracts. Same for the landscaping biz

So....I'm ready to start saving again. I cant believe I found these boards almost 10 years ago! I was farther ahead at age 21...shoot 18 even...than I am now. I'm getting back to the basics of paying off credit card debt and putting a few bucks a week back into my IRA's. It's rather upsetting when I look @ my 4 figure retirement that was once nearing 6...but it's now or never!

Hope all has been well
thefed is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 03-17-2014, 07:29 PM   #2
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
samclem's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 14,404
thefed
Thanks for checking in. It sounds like things are going great now, though you've certainly been through the wringer. Are you done with house rehabbing and instead concentrating on the inflatables?

Regarding the restart on retirement savings: That's a kick in the butt. The silver lining: you already know about this board and the LBYM stuff, you've got the mindset to do it again. Lots of folks who are your age will go another decade--or maybe never--before figuring that part out and getting started.

Don't be a stranger!
samclem is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2014, 08:16 PM   #3
Administrator
Gumby's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 23,037
Welcome back, Fed. I always enjoy hearing how things are going with you. Sounds like the entertainment business is really going well.
__________________
Living an analog life in the Digital Age.
Gumby is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2014, 11:24 PM   #4
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Htown Harry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,525
Glad to hear from you, fed. Great news on the custody win.
__________________
No doubt a continuous prosperity, though spendthrift, is preferable to an economy thriftily moral, though lean. Nevertheless, that prosperity would seem more soundly shored if, by a saving grace, more of us had the grace to save.

Life Magazine editorial, 1956
Htown Harry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2014, 07:23 AM   #5
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
travelover's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,328
Good to hear from you. Getting custody of your kids is amazing.
travelover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2014, 07:44 AM   #6
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
Quote:
Originally Posted by thefed View Post
Cost me my entire retirement savings plus a little more....
I've known several friends and acquaintances who went through long, expensive divorces, usually made longer by the offensive offending party in the issue. The sad thing is that once the money is all gone, the divorce magically happens...

Anyway, glad all that is in the rear-view mirror. Nothing but sunshine and lollipops from here on!
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire

...not doing anything of true substance...
HFWR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2014, 08:13 AM   #7
Moderator Emeritus
Bestwifeever's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,774
You should sell your story to Hollywood, Fed. It would make quite the entertaining sit com, especially going forward with three little boys growing up with bounce houses!
Bestwifeever is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2014, 08:42 AM   #8
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bestwifeever View Post
You should sell your story to Hollywood, Fed. It would make quite the entertaining sit com, especially going forward with three little boys growing up with bounce houses!
Something like...

__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire

...not doing anything of true substance...
HFWR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2014, 08:59 AM   #9
Moderator Emeritus
Bestwifeever's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,774
Quote:
Originally Posted by HFWR View Post
Something like...

With the fun family in the movie Overboard
Attached Images
File Type: jpg image.jpg (68.1 KB, 17 views)
Bestwifeever is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2015, 11:26 AM   #10
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
thefed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,203
Update: almost hit $1mil in sales in the bounce house business last year! Bad news, my new partner and I had a 'divorce' of sorts and split the company geographically. This year, we'll be back around $450k, but my work load is 25% of what it was before...so that's a win!

Kids are still mine, mom is still a clown, and we're in a new home in a great school district! Living the dream, or so they tell me...
thefed is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-30-2015, 06:28 PM   #11
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
JPatrick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,610
Good to hear from you Fed. I thought you might have forgotten to nail down one of those bounce houses and were..well, elsewhere.
Hope your better luck continues.
JPatrick is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
UPDATE: Mrs. Thefed's inflatable bounce house rental business... thefed Other topics 83 01-27-2013 12:18 PM
An update on TheFed's popular "Should I Get Married" thread thefed Other topics 54 11-04-2012 11:53 PM
UPDATE: TheFed's most recent rehab....finally done, with PICS thefed FIRE and Money 13 11-29-2009 05:58 AM
Mrs. TheFed is starting another business..... thefed FIRE and Money 31 07-08-2009 09:40 PM
See @ Last, See @ Last, Thank God I Can See @ Last Beachbumz Other topics 24 02-18-2005 07:16 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:08 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.