Financial Independence Update- August 2020

We started our 8-week cross country road trip in August and did a ton of driving across the US, in addition to a lot of hiking (about 150 miles in 3 weeks). We were nervous about how sleeping in the van would be on the road trip, but it has actually been really good most … Continue reading Financial Independence Update- August 2020

Financial Independence Update- July 2020

July was a relatively busy month for us with road trip planning, researching vans to buy for the trip, working on the websites, and spending a lot of time in the gym. We eventually found a van that worked for us after spending a lot of time looking. Although it was more costly than I … Continue reading Financial Independence Update- July 2020

2020 US Cross-Country Road Trip Outline (Updated)

*By Whitney* A month ago we wrote about our 2020 Cross-Country Road trip plans, which included approximately 26 states and 31 National Parks! We've since modified our route a little bit based on recommendations we received. We decided that we are going to completely cut out Florida and some of the southeast, because we can … Continue reading 2020 US Cross-Country Road Trip Outline (Updated)

Financial Independence Update- June 2020

In June, Whitney and I spent much of our time at home in Virginia working on our health and fitness. We did at least one long hike per week (we're fortunate to live in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and have access to lots of great hikes right off the Appalachian Trail). We also signed … Continue reading Financial Independence Update- June 2020

Planning Our 2020 US Road Trip: 26 States/31 National Parks!

Our 2020 Plans 2020, what a year (so far)! We had to cancel our 5-month Latin America trip, which led to an unexpected 5 months at home in Virginia, which has led to buying our first house, spending more time with family and friends, and shifting gears to working on lots of other projects! Since … Continue reading Planning Our 2020 US Road Trip: 26 States/31 National Parks!

Challenges in a Post-FIRE Life

Since reaching semi-retirement in 2018 and actual financial independence in 2019, life has been a whirlwind! In the past two years, Whitney and I have traveled to over 30 countries, spending about 9 of the last 24 months in total traveling internationally. We are actually supposed to be traveling through South and Central America for … Continue reading Challenges in a Post-FIRE Life

Financial Independence Update- May 2020

May was not nearly as busy as April for Whitney and I. We mostly spent the month getting things unpacked and set up in the new house. This ended up being a little more expensive than I anticipated, but not too bad overall. Luckily we already had some of the furniture, had some given to … Continue reading Financial Independence Update- May 2020

Cashing Out Instead of Keeping Points for Credit Card Rewards during COVID-19

Covid-19 is continuing to take a massive toll on countries all over the world. In the US, lockdowns and restrictions are beginning to lift, but cases and fatalities are still increasing in much of the world, especially in the southern hemisphere. With things so uncertain right now, it's hard to predict when international travel will … Continue reading Cashing Out Instead of Keeping Points for Credit Card Rewards during COVID-19

Paying Cash for a House Instead of Paying Off Student Loans

Buying a Home with Cash As I mentioned in last month's financial independence update, about a month ago I bought my first house and decided to pay cash for it! This was after about 5 years of saving and investing since graduating physical therapy school in 2015. It has been a wild ride since graduation, … Continue reading Paying Cash for a House Instead of Paying Off Student Loans