David,
I love your blog and I’d just like to share with you that my husband and I just retired. 30 years ago when we were in our 20s, we bought our first house and made it (our) number one priority to pay off our mortgage. 10 years later, with one more mortgage payment to go, we refinanced and bought a vacation home. We paid that off a few years later, and have owned the house free and clear ever since.
My husband and I only make around the median income, but ever since then we started living off one salary and saving the other. There were many times when we wanted to use our money that was saved up but we toughed it out and lived within our means.
Now at the ages of 54 and 52, my husband and I are totally debt free, own our home and a vacation home outright and can retire. We did this because we had our goal of being financially free all along. Without it, we would never be able to keep ourselves from taping into our savings when times got tough. We are so happy now that we have reached our goal that I want to share this with everyone. I hope that can help.
Sincerely,
MoneyNing Reader
Whether you are in your 50s with no retirement savings or in your 20s and need some financial advice, we’ve got you covered over here at MoneyNing.com.
The good news is that you can always improve your financial situation and it’s never too late to get started. With some adjustments, you can reduce your debt, appreciate the simplicity of frugal living and create a retirement plan for a better future.
Financial freedom is possible, and we are here to help you get there.
Have a prosperous year!
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I have a habit of reading old magazines – it is amazing to see how thrift became the new fashion in such a short time. People were still talking about spending over 100k on remodeling projects 1 year ago…
There is a simple formula that relates savings rate to the number of years one needs to work. At 50% it’s 15-20 years. For the usual recommended 15% savings rate, it’s 30-40 years. Since many people want to work that long, 15% is number that is usually given by financial planners, but it does not need to be that way.
WOW, what a cool letter you received from a reader. Delayed Gratification will definitely get you to your goal.
But what about those that want to smell the roses along the way. Any hope for us? The answer is to create additional income streams….
Greg
That’s fantastic. The family home and holiday house full paid off. It’s amazing that they saved the second income. Most people splurge the second income as soon as it comes in because it is seen as “extra”.
They didn’t say if they had children….braces, cars, their cells, etc. I have a similar mindset and goals but kids can take a chunk out of the budget.
That’s something I never thought of, two income earners but living off one income.
What a novel approach but certainly a wise one.
Yeah. And then you get divorced and then what? Somebody’s going to be bending over to accept the Probing Thruster of Justice right up the bum, that’s what.
That is a great letter and a good example of how disciplined planning and execution of one’s finances can end up in a rewarding pot of gold, or in this case, financial freedom during one’s golden years of retirement.
-Jean
congrats , congrats, well done
Earn – Save – Invest – thats the law
when u add in frugaility and more income – you retire earlier..
well done
This letter should be shown to all recent college graduates. 1. It gives hope that, even in this economy, financial freedom can be accomplished. 2. It gives great insight/ideas on how one can obtain financial freedom.
It’s amazing how people never get into details how much they make or how much did the house cost…it’s pretty much ..We bought a house in our 20s and retired. No mention of layoffs or major medical bills
They seem to have a steady income for 30 years how nice!
I think it is a great accomplishment that these two were able to do together. Temptation to waste money is all around us. And now because they saved their money and paid off their home they can retire comfortably.