A True Introduction

Alright, alright.  Enough with the numbers.

While I had that backlog of monthly updates to get out of my drafts folder upon finally launching the blog, I realized that I should probably introduce myself (albeit anonymously) before rambling any further.  Provide a little context to the anonymous spreadsheet-worshipping you’ve become accustomed to thus far.  After all, who cares about somebody else’s finances if you can’t compare their age, location, and life goals to your own?

An accountant by trade, I currently work in the governmental sector in the greater Twin Cities area.  Though I’m a CPA, the goal of this blog remains the same:  to document our journey to financial independence and beyond purely for entertainment purposes.  This blog is NOT meant to be construed as any sort of financial advice, and anything I write about is only meant to describe our personal experience, not any sort of recommendation for others.

Sorry.  Back to the intro.

I’m about to turn 31 in a few short weeks, and my lovely, globe-trotting wife is about to turn 30.  The Spreadsheets that we (I) so diligently maintain project us to be able to retire from the working world within the next 3-4 years with a portfolio value somewhere around $1,250,000.  Hence the name: FIby35.

Mrs. FIby35 and I live with our dog in the suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota, in a house that is admittedly too large for 2 people and a dog.  Personally, we don’t subscribe to the “professional” one-size-fits-all recommendations you see elsewhere on the internet proclaiming that housing costs should make up 30% of your overall spending – it’s closer to 50% for us, and we’re okay with that.  We make up for it by doing the best we can to monitor the housing costs we do have and being mindful of our expenses in other areas.  We should be able to spend on the things that make us happy, right?

Speaking of things that make us happy, we love to travel.  In fact, that is the genesis of our FI journey – we want to be able to retire as soon as possible so we can travel the world on our own schedule, at our own pace, and see all the amazing things it has to offer.  Who wants to wait until they’re 70 to lug their geriatric hips over the cobblestone streets of Rome when you can do it when you’re 35?

Other interests of ours include brewery hopping, sports, and live music, so you may come across the occasional money-related post on those topics as well.  There are plenty of other blogs out there written by people far smarter than I am.  If you’re looking for an in-depth breakdown of the tax code related to 1031 exchanges, I’m not your guy.  My goal for starting this blog is to hopefully provide a little bit of entertainment while documenting our journey in real time, in a way that is conversational and relatable.  I’d love for you to join me on our path to FI by 35.