"Retirement" is Here

This (photoshopped) Dodge ad shows how I left my office for the last time.

It's taken a couple days for it to sink in, but as of December 24th, I'm "retired." Woo-hoo!

The Obsessive's Guide to Rooftop Solar

We recently installed a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on our house.* As usual, I did an inordinate amount of research before committing to anything and I discovered a few things I think are worth sharing with anyone else considering going solar.

We Bought a House – “Retirement” Imminent

The funky house we almost bought.

I’m not sure we were really ready for this step, but we stumbled upon the right property and now we own it. That means my retirement date is all but set for the end of this year (although my boss doesn't know that yet, so let's keep this just between you and me). Happily, that coincides with my 30^th birthday. Here’s the story of how we ended up with a house long before we planned.

The Personal Finance Blog Charity Challenge (Updated 3X)

Image from Charity Motors

I just read Mr. Money Mustache’s post about donating $100,000 to charity and I got excited. Not just about the money he is donating, which will surely do much good, but also about the publicity he is bringing to the organizations he decided to donate to. I suspect this publicity will multiply the effects of his giving, so I have a challenge for my fellow personal finance bloggers that will hopefully do even more good.

Our Hunt for Affordable Housing

A huge part of our early retirement plan involved selling our expensive home in the Los Angeles area, which has appreciated significantly since we purchased it four years ago, and finding something significantly less expensive. This has proved much more challenging than I anticipated.