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...

  Gulf State Park, Alabama  As much travel my wife and I have done throughout the years, one of the most overlooked states to spend time in was Alabama and quite possibly Mississippi .  Why these two states?  I guess there’s this unspoken rule about the Deep South as being an unsafe and uninviting place for immigrants (from South Korea) like us.  Because of that, it’s a place we hadn’t seriously considered visiting as a travel destination. Of course with our winter cross country road trip going from North Carolina to Southern California, our perception of the Deep South started to change for the better when we got to spend a week in Biloxi, Mississippi .  We were pleasantly surprised and impressed by all the amazing attractions near the city even during the off-season winter months.   We truly enjoyed our time there eating delicious Po-Boys (shrimp and fish), gumbos , and various seafoods!  Oh, staying at the excellent 4 star rated hotel, Beau R...

  Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin Air Force Base, FL I had always been a fan of airplanes as a child.  Some of my favorite memories of childhood was when my family visited an outdoors exhibit of military equipment including tanks, trucks, and most of all, and aircraft in Seoul, South Korea. I had been fascinated by the sheer size of these airplanes, at times impossible to fathom how these heavy steel beasts can take off into the sky and travel at speeds exceeding the speed of sound!  As a young kid, I even dreamed of one day becoming a pilot myself, like so many kids do at that age. Seeing military aircraft is still a treat even as an adult.  About 10 years ago, I had a chance to visit the USS Intrepid , docked in New York City Harbor.  There, I got to see some cool planes plus the workings of an aircraft carrier.  It got me so excited to see that stuff then. Hey, there’s no age restriction for stuff that interests you.  You can enjoy stuff and be ex...