Wandering Money Pig - A journey of early retirement and FIRE (financial independence retire early)

  Ocean City (MD) at sunrise  Aesop:  “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” It has been awhile since I wrote a blog post about thanking things (and people) I’m grateful for.  Practicing gratitude is one of those things that’s really hard to find these days in this hyper-consumption world of buying things and taking exotic vacations just to impress others you don’t really have a deep connection with. I see less and less happy people these days as many of them won’t ever be happy unless they’re emulating their favorite social media influencer who’s always going on exotic, international trips, or buying expensive stuff constantly, to show off.  I hear many Gen Z young adults are taking more anti-depressants than the past generations.   Social media has ruined so many lives, I’m afraid.  Only the rich and famous celebrities used to do these fancy things (international travel, driving in exotic sports cars, etc), but these days, way too many social media ...

  Martin Luther King Jr.: “You don’t have to see the whole staircase; just take the first step.” It is that time of the year everyone!  It is time to reassess, reevaluate, and to take into consideration everything that happened the previous year. For my wife and myself personally, we had a very good 2024 overall.  We embarked on another road trip during the last winter (December 2023-February 2024) to the American South, stayed in Ocean City, New England, and also spent good amount of nights at hotels in the process. Looking back, we are reminded daily of how much we appreciate our early retirement and amazed by how quickly 4 years have passed on by since we said adios to the rat race!  Each day brings awesome realization that we no longer have to go to work, dealing with ever more demanding, difficult and entitled humans we must face these days… Saying goodbye to the rat race and being able to enjoy this ride of early retirement is one of the absolute best things w...