Anyone Hear of Darrow Kirkpatrick?

[jdmorton]

I am on the e-mail list for the Oblivious Investor, and got an e-mail today that linked to the site of Darrow Kirkpatrick (www.caniretireyet.com). The specific item linked on that website was a blog by Kirkpatrick that basically said financial plans are pretty much dubious attempts to predict the future - you need one but don't be wedded to it. I poked around his website a bit and he seems to advocate a lot of the same ideas here - live below your means, have a plan - but be flexible about it, use asset allocation (don't put all of your money into one or two investment options), and live life and not be wedded to a j*b just for the money.

According to his website, he grew up in a Navy family where he learned "integrity, economy, and the value of work", got an engineering degree, developed and then sold a business (which I think is how he was able to retire at the age of 50).

Anyway, I just wondered if anyone here goes to his website or has heard of him.

PS: He has a free ebook available on his website titled "Can I Retire Yet? - The Journey to Financial Independence". I did not sign up to get it, but I probably will.

PPS: I did a search here at early-retirement.org, but it came up blank for his name, so if he or his website have already been discussed, I apologize for any double-post.

 

[arky]

The guy seems to make sense from the brief description you provided. Many here agree that asset allocation is a key part of a retirement plan (before and after retirement).

I've never heard of the guy, but free is good !

 

[rescueme]

I believe the Oblivious Investor is run by Mike Piper, who posts under the Oblivious Investor name over at Bogleheads.

You might check there. BTW, I got the book (written by Mike) when it was issued a couple of years ago.

It just might be that it's the same person, but using a pen name for publishing/public contact.

Update: I just checked your reference and it's two separate people, with two different books (one with "yet" in the title). Just my opinion - if Mike is references the other site, he probably finds it of value.

 

[Nords]

I am on the e-mail list for the Oblivious Investor, and got an e-mail today that linked to the site of Darrow Kirkpatrick (www.caniretireyet.com). The specific item linked on that website was a blog by Kirkpatrick that basically said financial plans are pretty much dubious attempts to predict the future - you need one but don't be wedded to it. I poked around his website a bit and he seems to advocate a lot of the same ideas here - live below your means, have a plan - but be flexible about it, use asset allocation (don't put all of your money into one or two investment options), and live life and not be wedded to a j*b just for the money.

According to his website, he grew up in a Navy family where he learned "integrity, economy, and the value of work", got an engineering degree, developed and then sold a business (which I think is how he was able to retire at the age of 50).

He was profiled last month by USAA. I'm hoping he's invited to one of their blogger conferences so that we can significantly boost the average age in the room:
USAA Winter 2011

For those who scan without reading, I feel obligated to point out that he grew up in a military family but never actually served in the military. His retirement has nothing to do with military benefits, other than being a USAA member with cheap(er) vehicle & property insurance.

 

[traineeinvestor]

Thanks for the link.

I had a quick read of his e-book (19 pages). It's intended for people with no real understanding of what it takes to retire and how to prepare for it financially. That said, I did like the idea that if you plan on cutting expenses post-retirement, you should do so before retirement so that if you don't like the experience you can carry on working for a bit longer to close the gap.

 

[Nords]

It's intended for people with no real understanding of what it takes to retire and how to prepare for it financially.

He's writing for a national audience...