This could not only be it’s own forum, it would make all of Pinside look like a single tweet.

1. Early retirement is not in my plans as I really enjoy my work. I have prepared for unplanned early retirement with disability insurance and savings.

2. I am unaware of any health insurance hacks. The challenging reality for most is that we get less healthy as we age so the cost of our health care goes up. You can’t change your DNA, but you can exercise, eat healthy food and avoid known unhealthy habits.

3. Getting to retirement quicker is a combination of saving more and spending less. There is no solid consistent shortcut outside of random twists of fate.

4. Slow and steady wins the race. Start early with retirement plan funding. Learn to truly understand what compound interest is and how to use it to you advantage. If you have debt, pay on it consistently and pay extra principle to decrease overall interest payments in the process. Use retirement opportunities to put away money. Small amounts now make big differences down the line.

5. Unexpected things are difficult to predict. A market crash, for example, will hurt you less if you have slowly changed your risk tolerance to less volatile products as you near retirement. The time to grow your funds is before retirement.

It’s pretty obvious by my answers that I’m conservative financially. My wife and I share a vision and work toward it together. We don’t always agree on spending habits, but we both agree on spending the money we have each month after debts are paid and retirement payments are made.

DadofTwins may I ask how old are your twins? In my experience kids get much more expensive before they leave home.

A common theme here is reading. We have different circumstances and talents, but we all benefit from learning. Take in several opinions and theories before you declare the one you just read to be the answer. You are never too old to learn.

I get it. Live below your means. Pay off you debt. Don’t acquire new debt. Use index funds to avoid volatility.

These are all very reasonable principles that most can’t or won’t follow. I often say that most people have the same problems with money, just different numbers of zeros in the problems. I think there are many ways to achieve the goals of early retirement, but most require structure and discipline. I don’t really want early retirement, as I enjoy my work. I do want financial independence. I will have that by following goals suited to my situation for many years now.

Yup

I’ve used it for years. With 4 kids, I have a never ending list of things to use it. Glasses, braces, wisdom teeth etc. plus, the other reasons listed before this. No reason to turn down tax free money.

If you switch to Geico while staying at a Holiday Inn Express, E. F. Hutton listens to you.