Introduction
The internet is full of advice and self-help articles. Unfortunately, most of those articles are too short to provide much in the way of actionable advice or recommendations. I've also found a lot of the material on the internet to be of "questionable" value, and I think that is putting it in the best possible terms. There is also the issue of "just talking up his (or her) book". A lot of websites are simply trying to sell you something; a mutual fund, an ETF, physical gold, investment service/advice, etc. Finally, you have to wonder about the qualifications of some of the internet purveyors as anyone can write an article for publication or put up a website. I'm not selling anything, I don't have a website, and I think my background and qualifications should give readers some confidence that they, or most anyone, can achieve an early and comfortable retirement.
I retired about 2 years ago when I was just a couple months short of 56 years old. Because of our planning for an early retirement, my family and I live comfortably in a nice neighborhood off the income from our investments. That successful outcome was certainly not a given, based on our rather humble start in life.
Up through my early teens, I grew up living between my uncle's farm and my grandparents' farm while my parents worked at various jobs. Both farms were small subsistence farms, and neither had indoor plumbing. My grandparent's farmhouse was all of 1200 square feet with 5 rooms in total.
Baths were taken in a large galvanized tub in the kitchen with water heated on the gas stove. My grandparents grew vegetables, some of which we sold at a roadside stand in front of the house. They also raised chickens for eggs and an occasional
