Financial Independence Archives

Paying It Forward – An Early Retiree Case Study

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Mark Trautman

I was recently asked to write a guest post for the Can I Retire Yet? blog about my journey to financial independence and what I have done since my early retirement at the end of 2015. This post required a lot of personal self-reflection where I discuss my early Money Mindset, some major inflection points in my financial journey, enlightenment from an unlikely source, and ultimately finding my path to financial independence. Post retirement, I did not have any specific Continue Reading →

CampFI and Encouragement for the Reluctant Financial Participant

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Mark Trautman

I am pleased to introduce the first guest post on MarksMoneyMind. After attending CampFI with my wife, Marge, last weekend, I asked her if she would be interested in sharing her experience. At first she was hesitant, however, shortly after we returned home I found a surprise email with a full blog post attached. So without further adieu, here is Marge’s takeaway on CampFI and her perspective on financial independence… My Experience at CampFI This past weekend I attended Camp Continue Reading →

Portfolio Drawdown Anxiety – Discussions at CampFI

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Mark Trautman

This past weekend, I had the fortunate experience of attending CampFI for my first time. CampFI is a weekend long retreat where people curious about, in their pursuit of, or those who have already attained financial independence (“FI”), participate in discussions and presentations (and impromptu pop-up podcasts!) about any and all subject matter revolving around this concept. First and foremost, for me at least, it is an event where I was able to meet community members “IRL” (in real life Continue Reading →

A Readers’ Guide to Financial Independence

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Mark Trautman

Many people who know me are aware that I am a voracious reader! I am often asked for book recommendations on the topics I am most passionate about: personal finance, investing and financial independence. In an attempt to answer that question, and to offer a response that I can easily direct anyone toward, I have compiled a list of some of the top books that I feel may offer the biggest impact on one’s own journey toward financial independence. The Continue Reading →

Learning the True Value of Financial Independence

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Mark Trautman

Over the past five months, during which I have been absent from posting on the blog, I have had a number of significant life experiences. My father passed away after a long battle with cancer, my daughter graduated from high school and then went off to college – my wife and I are now “empty nesters.” Experiencing these life changes has caused me to reflect on the value of financial independence. When my wife and I originally embarked on our Continue Reading →