Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
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Update Interview with Dennis and Martha McIntire
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
The last time
we interviewed Dennis and Martha McIntire was a few years back. The market had its meltdown in 2008,
and the McIntires had just retired! Even though the timing was challenging,
they had no regrets about their decision. Now, with a few more years of ER
under their belts, it’s time to have an update interview!
Super Retirees, Dennis and Martha
ready to go on their next trip!
Retire Early Lifestyle: Could you tell
us how things have changed for you since you left your jobs and began to
live the Early Retirement Lifestyle?
Dennis and Martha McIntire: We
have traveled a lot and one of the biggest changes is that we no longer fear
the unknown. We endured a market meltdown while we were in
Thailand. Rather
than getting depressed, we would get a
Thai
massage for an hour or two.
(Smile) Yes, we were roughing it! Ha,ha
We have experienced some
medical
issues overseas without insurance and discovered doctors that were as good as or
better than in the United States. Paying cash for the doctor visits was
cheaper than our co-pay in the US. We now have three precious grandkids so
we schedule a few more trips to the states to enjoy these priceless gifts.
It doesn’t take long for us to get restless and start planning the next
trip.
REL: You have done quite a bit of
travel in your retirement and we understand that you do some
house
sitting
gigs. How has that worked out for you, and what advice would you give to
others who want to try this approach to lodging? Is it 100% free housing or
do you pay unities or other costs? Have you found house sitting to be an
integral part of your Early Retirement Lifestyle at this point?
DMI : We have house sat with and
without the responsibility of animals. Three times we have been to Scotland
and now have many friends there. Hawaii was beautiful and Denver was
special. All the housing was free so we made sure that we left the house in
better shape than we found it. We always had food or a meal ready upon their
return and sometimes flowers around the house. We still house sit sometimes
and recommend it to everyone. It is a cheap way to travel and what a way to
experience life like a local! We don’t seek out new house sitting
opportunities but still return to some previous places.
Now we prefer to have the flexibility to
leave whenever we want and explore places on a last minute whim. We still
wonder what is around the next corner. Ha, I hope we never lose that
wanderlust.
All the male tennis players standing
in line to give Akaisha a hug on her birthday... and there's Dennis!!
REL: What do you average in spending
annually? Does this include health insurance? Do you have
health
insurance?
DM : In the early years
tracking our spending was a daily ritual but now we don’t track our spending on a
spreadsheet as before. This was one of the best ideas that we got from
your
book on early retirement. Tracking the spending kept us on budget and
created a lifestyle habit of always knowing where we were financially.
Now we still live well below our income
which enables us to take that special trip occasionally. I have Medicare and
we have insurance for Martha while in the States. While out of the USA, we
just pay cash for any medical needs. It is always cheaper than at home.
REL: Can you share with us anything
about how your portfolio is structured? Did your retirement affect your
allocation at all?
DM : I have a pension that I
consider the bond portion of my portfolio. The remainder is all stock mutual
funds, ETFs, and individual stocks. My retirement did not alter our
investment allocation at all. Oh, I guess I could have saved and invested
more by not getting so many massages in Thailand, but what the heck, you
have to enjoy life a little!! It is worth the trade off. Smile.
REL: How do you manage your finances
while on the road?
DMI : With the internet today you
can manage everything from where you are enjoying life at the present.
Dennis and Martha with the Tower
Bridge behind them, London
REL: Do you have a home base or own a
home?
DMI : We drop in to see our
grandkids frequently and call this our home base. We are unemployed and
homeless. Ha,ha No one feels sorry for us though. We lost our mind and
bought a house a couple of years ago. We kept it one year and sold it. We just
didn’t have the freedom to travel whenever we wanted. Our travel was more
important than having a house. Who knows what will happen way down the line
but it is not in the immediate future. There are too many expenses with a
house.
REL: Have you left much of your
possessions in storage? Or did you chuck it all?
DMI : We have a few items at our
home base but when we retired we gave everything to our son and
became minimalists. We feel less is better.
REL: Do you
own a vehicle?
DMI : We keep an older Toyota
Corolla for travel while in the states. Public transportation is not
available so we use the vehicle when we return to see the grandkids.
REL: You have children and
grandchildren. How do you balance the mix of travel with family time?
DMI : We travel for a few months
and then go see the grandkids for a month or so. If we miss a holiday or
birthday, we always take a day to celebrate it at another time. They feel
like they get two birthdays this way. Occasionally, we send them a special
present we order from Amazon and they love this.
Dennis with Lorna and Sarah at 10pm
in Scotland. The sun
is still out!
REL: What are your greatest passions
in life?
DMI : Have compassion for others
and enjoy life. Some passions come and go but the basics stay the same.
REL: How do you contribute to the
world?
DMI : There are many small ways
that we contribute and some larger ones. A simple smile at someone and
letting people know you appreciate them. We try to always value people where
ever we are located. We are in
Mexico right now and there is always an older
gentleman on a corner that washes cars for a living. He never complains and
is always working. Frequently we will bring him a coke and chips or
something to eat. He is always very appreciative. Martha and I have financed
3 Mexican girls through college and felt very fulfilled to see them
graduate. Now we have three new families for life. More parties to attend
now!!! Haha There is always some way to help, you just have to look around.
On a global scale, we have a small carbon footprint and not many utilities
to pay when you are homeless!!
REL: What’s the worst thing you deal
with in this new chosen lifestyle? Your biggest challenge?
DMI : Honestly, we don’t worry
about a lot of things now. Maybe the worst thing is a cold shower. So that
is not too bad is it? The biggest challenge is to figure out where to go
next because of all the choices.
REL: What is exhilarating beyond
words? Something you would never trade about your lifestyle to obtain
“security?”
DMI : Probably a big hug and kiss
from a new friend that you will have for life. Experiences and relationships
are much more valuable than things.
REL: What would you say to someone who
is considering tossing the conventional lifestyle and living one of travel?
What advice would you give?
Tea time in Scotland
DMI : 1. Get rid of things
2. Only buy what you need
3. Save a lot!
Invest what you save and before long you
can hit the road. Go for it now!!!! We have been retired for over 10 years
and have never looked back and said, “ I wish we would have worked more.”
This will be a great new challenge and you can find a new you.
REL: What is a secret fact about you?
DMI : Ha,ha I can’t tell you!!!!!
REL: What are you looking forward to?
DMI : Many more travels and
friends. It it always thrilling to meet up with old friends on the road.
REL: What has surprised you the most
about your Early Retirement Lifestyle?
DMI : The way worry about finances
and health has disappeared. This doesn’t stop us from traveling and enjoying
ourselves. The world has opened up to us.
REL: What is your biggest splurge?
DMI : Buying gifts for the
grandkids. Really, we are pretty conservative but will splurge on airline
tickets overseas.
REL: Is there a happiness mantra or
motto that you've found to be very helpful?
DMI: Not so a mantra or motto but
always remind ourselves that we could be back home stuck in rush hour
traffic on our way to work. UGH!!!! Just enjoy and appreciate every day. We
see beauty everywhere now.
Martha and Dennis at Loch Muich,
Scotland
REL: What do you do for fun or
entertainment?
DMI : We are doing it!!!!!!! We
create new entertainment everywhere we go. We still enjoy the typical things
like beaches, mountains, lakes, etc. There is always joy somewhere. In
Scotland last May we hiked around Lock Muick and stopped to have lunch on
the Queen’s front porch of her lake house. Of course she wasn’t there. Ha,ha,
they probably would have shot us.
REL: Where are you going next?
DMI: We are going to follow
the rainbow. But right now we will go see the grandkids and then to
Chihuahua, Mexico for Navidad. (Christmas) After that we will go to
Merida, Mexico
and in the Spring we plan on going to Spain and Italy for 3 months. After
that probably to Thailand and then to_________, Sorry, it never ends.
Billy and Akaisha, we are so thankful
that we found you guys on the internet and bought
your book on
early retirement. It gave us the nudge and confidence that we needed to make the
jump into retirement and adventure. Our paths cross at times and what a
thrill for us to enjoy like-minded friends. Thanks for your help and
friendship. Esto es vida!!!!! (This is the life!!!!!)
We would like to thank Dennis and
Martha for taking their time to answer these questions and for sharing their
lives with us. We truly appreciate your friendship also!
For more information on Early Retirees
and Captivating Characters,
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About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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