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Good thread, just purchased via amazon, I can't wait to read it.

We will be building, we own land in northern CR, away from beaches and any expats. We have friends who live down there comfortably on $800 a month. The $1k a month obviously wont cover the cost to buy and built our or future home, thats going to be our target budget once we are settled in...

Wow... 90%?!

Cycling, kayaking, hiking, playing music, reading... so much to so, so little time!

Has anyone read the all new square foot gardening book? My dad swears by it, and by looking at his garden, I think he is onto something! I have a friend who planted a dozen upside down tomato plants this spring, I need to go check out his operation, i'll report back. :)

I think its only tax exempt if you roll over the gains into another primary residence. I need to research this...

The more I think about it, the more i like the idea of selling the condo and putting the money in different dividend investments. The real estate market here is strong, condos are still selling really fast, price has not dropped much. I bought the place 3 years ago and would be selling it for...

Hi Guys! Long time sense I last posted... Next spring, my wife and I will be retiring to Costa Rica. We own a nice condo that would sell for $200k, or rent for a grand or so a month. We have been playing with a few ideas of what we want to do with our place, the first option, is to rent it...

Hiking is still my favorite hobby, once fit, its easy to add a few more toys to build upon the base. Now I have snowshoes, xc skis, full backpacking setup etc... About $2k for everything, but the actual activity is free. Lots of the guys I backpack with are using gear that is 10 - 20 years old...

Thanks Guys! My pre-penelty payment reset the same day my ARM went up a full 3%. In all, I only held the mortgage for 2 years and 10 days. Long enough for me! Next months household bills: $350.00!

I called and they provided an exact number as long as i got the wire in by a cut off time. I'll call tomorrow to make sure everything went through as planned and for the right amount. They also provided me a daily interest charge on the mortgage ($34.02) if I were to wait a day or two before...

I got my mortgage statement yesterday and noticed that my 2 year ARM rate reset this month. I had already decided that as soon as my ARM resets, I would pay off the mortgage in full. So thats what I did today, walked down to the Fidelity office and wired the pay off balance to the mortgage...

Thanks twaddle! This makes sense, I'll feel more comfortable splitting up my bond allocation 50/50 and holding tips in my taxable account with that knowledge. LOL, I am still self employed, but now don't make any money! I sold my business that was my cash cow, and have only been adding to my...

Now that I came up with an AA I am comfortable with, I need to figure out where to hold my TIPS and Bonds. 87% of my funds are in a taxable account, 13% are in a Solo 401k. I have decided I'm most comfortable with a 50/50 AA. I also decided I want to keep my investing as simple as possible so I...

I love playing with this calc: Retirement savings calculator -- How much money can I save in my 401(k) plan? Congrats on the savings so far, you have time on your side, you may be surprised to see the numbers that the above calculator will toss out. It makes LBYM all that more enjoyable!

I start every morning with a short walk around the block, a 1 - 2 hr bike ride (fixie ride around town yesterday, mtn biking today) and then half an hour of Yoga. My SO and I go night hiking 2 - 3 times a week. Exercise makes me more productive and simply feel better about my life. Its nice to...

Steve's story is inspiring, I hope they find him alive and well.

Thanks for the replies! I'll let you know what I decide to do after I figure it all out. :D

Anyone keep it real simple by going 100% into any individual fund? Is it simply to risky? I have ~$500k in an after-tax retirement account that I would like to draw monthly income out of. The current yield (4.45%) will pay for all my basic expenses. In addition to that account, I have $88k in...

[please delete] [i'm going to re post this in the future]

Aloha once again! Quick Stats: $500k to invest, currently 100% in a money market fund. 29yrs old, want to retire at age 35. I have decided I'm comfortable with 70% in stocks and 30% in bonds. I want to keep my investing really really easy, just a handful of holdings, re-balance my portfolio...

Thanks guys, I'll do some more reading and searching right after I post this. I created an intro thread that tells more of my situation here: http://early-retirement.org/forums/index.php?topic=13458.0 I'll give you guys the numbers, and maybe you guys can give me an idea of what I need to...

Hey guys! Can anyone tell me what I should look for, and look out for when it comes to Variable Annuities? I'm thinking about putting $100k into a VA, I have 30years or so to let it grow tax free, sounds like a great addition to the $50k I already have in my 401k plan.

I finished Bobs book about a week ago. :) I'm meeting with my CPA next week about my options. I think I'll spend a bit more time lurking around the forums before I decide to make any big changes.

Good questions. She has a few grand in assets, none are liquid. We have been living together for 18 months, once we figure out how to live comfortably off investments alone, she will be quitting her job. We both live real simple lives, the $3k budgets includes both of our expenses, we can live...