This is an ongoing progression tracker as we empty the jar. Updated monthly with a little less pasta each time (we hope!)
The Jar so Far: Monthly Progress Paying Down Debt.
Forked Feds – Can You Still Get a Pension?
Taking the fork? Think twice before withdrawing your FERS contributions! You may be eligible for a “deferred annuity” if you have 5 or more years of federal service!
Calculating My Savings Rate for FIRE – Why I’ve given up budgeting and still feel confident
Why I’ve given up trying to budget and am just going to focus on my savings rate for FIRE
Coast FIRE: Achieved! 😎
A low-information but high-celebration post, since I’m finally confident we’ve hit our “Coast FIRE” number. What is Coast FIRE? If you’re not familiar with Coast FIRE/CoastFI, what it basically means is “you have enough money invested that you could stop contributing to retirement accounts tomorrow and still be able to […]
Jar 2.0: Taxable Early Retirement Fund
FreedomJar 2.0 – Focusing on the “early” part of early retirement. We need to plan how we’ll bridge the gap between early retirement age and 59½, when you can start withdrawing from retirement accounts.
Investing for Your Kids – Stocks are the new Savings Bonds
How we used ETrade for a modern take on Savings Bonds to invest for “our” kids instead of buying more junk While we don’t have any children of our own, we have something like 10 nieces/nephews/goddaughters. When I was young, my grandma used to give us savings bonds at Christmas […]
SEP-IRA: a 401k Alternative for the Self-Employed
A brief explainer on SEP-IRAs, something like a 401k for self-employed people (and side hustlers!) As a W-2 employee, I did a pretty good job contributing to my 401k, but decided to take a leap into the world of 1099 subcontracting. I knew I wanted to keep the retirement momentum […]
Introducing: Jarhead, FreedomJarFIRE Mascot
Because I was contacted by a super talented young artist that also happens to be interested in the Personal Finance 101/Basics articles, we worked out an arrangement where she’d provide illustrations for articles and help make some of the “basics” content more appealing to the youths. Think of it like Microsoft Word having Clippy, only hopefully less terrible and intrusive.
What is an Index Fund? A Wealth Cheat Code!
(Good) index funds are a low-fee, low-effort way to build wealth. This is part of a continuing series on the basics, where we look at things that probably should have been taught in school if they weren’t so busy having us memorize dates (or dropping out, in my case). While […]
Median vs Average: Bite-Size Basics
A quick explainer on Median vs Average to help when taking stock of your finances In this short post (part of an ongoing series on the basics), we’ll talk about the difference between median vs average, and why it’s important to pay attention to both numbers when assessing your financial […]
4% Rule: The Key to Retirement at Any Income Level
Explaining the basic (but life-changing!) “4% Rule” – which lays out a path to retiring safely at any age. The “safe withdrawal rate,” also commonly referred to as the 4% rule is simply this: You can withdraw 4% of your invested assets…forever! It’s not a particularly new or complicated concept, […]