Way back in the 2011 edition of the Ohio Chronicles we shared that we had just started on a journey to improve our financial health using Dave Ramsey's method. Over the ensuing years we completed his baby steps and then dove head-first into the FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early). Peter retired in February to focus on his health while I finished out the school year. We have been enjoying this new phase of our life!
Zack and Sarrah have been in Maryland for over two years now and upgraded from renting an apartment to renting a home. They, along with Mochi and Matcha, are loving the larger space and newfound freedoms. Zack has picked up a new hobby in 3D printing where he creates both fun toys and functional parts for around the house. Sarrah has learned 3D modeling and is able to create custom objects for them to print when a model does not already exist. Zack has continued to smarten the home by adding more smart lights, notifications for the washer and dryer, and even a custom security system that detects if any of the exterior doors have opened when they should not have. Sarrah has elevated her baking prowess to higher levels with the new kitchen and additional appliances. Her friends and co-workers rave about her delicious pies, macarons, donuts, and cookies.
Zack graduated this past summer from Johns Hopkins University with an M.S. in computer science with honors. He is currently one of the team leads in his organization driving requirements and design decisions and is still enjoying the work since starting full-time in 2020. Sarrah, an alumni of the Elia-Ramsey program, is excited to announce she has paid off all of her student loan debt and looks forward to a future of investing! She also began a new remote job in December for a near-double raise where she is a project manager.
Jackie is currently a sophomore in Accounting at Miami University, doing spectacularly well and earning a spot on the President's List each semester. She was even awarded an additional departmental scholarship which was a very pleasant surprise! Last spring she was hired as a TA for the Business Computing class (Python & SQL). She is doing it again this semester and plans to continue in this position in future semesters.
After her freshman year she secured a summer internship and really enjoyed it! It's always nice to confirm that your major is actually a good fit for you in a real work setting. She accepted that position right after we retired, and would often shout “Well, SOMEONE in this house has to work!” as she walked out the door. Have I mentioned that she inherited her father's sense of humor?!?!
Her internship offered to have her continue to work during the school year, but the logistics didn't seem feasible since it's about an hour from her university. However, she did work right up until school started again, and diligently funded her Roth IRA each pay period. She is excited about the long time horizon for that money to grow.
Jackie had her choice of internships for summer 2023, and accepted one that seems very appealing to her. She is thrilled to have that set in advance, and is looking forward to another great experience. Thankfully Miami has a super long winter break - about six weeks - so she'll get to enjoy some down time at that point. She has no class on Friday next semester, so that is nice as well.
After a bit of a hiatus, Jackie has renewed her interest in crocheting and even joined the crochet club at school. She's been making a variety of items for friends, family, and Misty (of course). She's now way beyond my limited “granny square” ability and makes the most beautiful items.
Peter has been spending a lot of his retirement living in fear of the other retiree in the house. He hides out in the basement working on his aquariums, practicing his drums, and, in nicer weather, working outside on the yard and puttering around in the garage on small projects.
Reluctant at first, Peter picked up a hobbyist version of a 3-D printer. There's been a HUGE learning curve, but the true nerd in him has fully embraced this geeky new hobby. He's printed all kinds of cool things he never knew he needed, from solder spool holders and step-stool hooks, to aquarium filter strainers and Raspberry Pi cases. Also on the tech side, the long time Mac fan happily kicked Windows to the curb and has migrated his media server to Ubuntu. Sometimes these computer nerds just love to over-complicate things!
I happily continued my virtual teaching gig this spring and was delighted to finish out my teaching career in this manner. I joke that virtual teaching ruined me for in-person teaching, but it's actually the truth. It was a wonderful niche for me and I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity.
After deciding to retire, I initially wanted to keep all my teacher stuff... just in case. We used a fancy pulley system Peter created to hoist my great quantity of school stuff into the attic above the garage. After much thought I decided to give it all away instead of having it disintegrate in boxes. Getting the boxes down easily proved a little more difficult, but of course Peter found a way.
My fascination with all things financial continues and now I have a whole new topic to learn about - finances and taxes in retirement. I have also enjoyed getting to help others this year get started in learning about personal finance. On a fun note, Jackie has joined in the mission, texting me one day to send her some finance info she could share with one of the employees at her internship.
Peter and I have made a loose pact to not do any paid work for at least two years to really give us a chance to try out full retirement. I think I will eventually volunteer at school but haven't done so yet. It's kind of like the kid who graduates high school and then comes back and hangs out at the high school the following year… I didn't want to be that kid. Plus, going back into the schools would really inhibit my day drinking.
Despite being a year older, Misty is as crazy as ever and keeps us laughing with her antics. She is still best buds with Jackie and will run to the door to greet her when she comes home. I love that, unlike our previous cat Zoey, Misty is very patient in the morning and doesn't wake us up at 5:00am with incessant meowing for food!!! She has a love/hate relationship with the local birds and squirrels and especially loves to watch them from her stroller on our walks. Misty continues to be spoiled with too many toys. Jackie loves crocheting items for her, but Misty only tolerates wearing them for a short time.