I’ve written a “year in review” post for the last twelve years. I highly recommend you try it. It’s a time capsule that lets you reflect on the past year, appreciate parts of it that were great, and develop a plan for the next year. You can view any of the past 12 years’ posts here: 2010,  2011,  2012,  2013,  2014,  2015,  2016,  2017,  2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Lily enjoying the shade at Memory Grove Park in SLC. 2022 was a rough year. In May of this year, I tore my ACL in my right knee while stepping down fro ..read more

One of my favorite questions in job interviews was always “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”. Not because I had any concrete answer, but because it’s a question that embraces uncertainty. The future is liquid, flexible, and in our own hands to create. My answer to that question changed as much as I’ve changed (which is to say a lot). The view from our Airbnb in Twin Falls, ID. When I look at the past 10 years this proves to be true. I never knew I’d join a startup, or that it would be successful. I never knew I’d move to Salt Lake City. 10 years ago I never even wanted to be married –&nb ..read more

On December 14, 2018, I left my job of almost 8 years to retire early. That was three years ago this month. While a lot has happened in the world since then, our life has been surprisingly stable. I previously shared takeaways from first year of FIRE and my second years of FIRE about this. Going into 2021 suck at home and glued to the news, I wasn’t expecting it to be much different from the past two years. While that’s mostly true, it’s been interesting to see how a few mindset shifts can change everything. October leaves in Salt Lake City When I was working, and even since I stopped, one of ..read more

In July of 2021, a friend of mine reached out with a simple question: “I’m thinking of hiking the Highline Trail in August. Want to join?”. I immediately responded “Yes! I’ve been wanting to hike it for years!”. At that time I absolutely did not know what I was getting myself into. If you’re unfamiliar with the Highline Trail, you’re not alone. It’s less popular than the big three hiking trails in the US (The Appalachian Trail, The Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail). The Highline Trail sits in eastern Utah and travels 101 miles across the highest parts of the Uinta Mountain ..read more

When I left my job almost 3 years ago, I had a bunch of things lined up to do. I had a list of goals, I had Minafi to continue working on, and a whole new state to explore (Utah). What I didn’t realize at the time was how much I longed to use the skillset I’d developed during my career. The difference was I wanted more control of what I spent my time working on. As a software developer turned product manager who also loves to create content, I tended to eschew mastery in favor of being a jack of trades. I very much prefer being able to take a single idea to completion than to require coordina ..read more

You can tell I’m not optimizing this post for SEO by the amazing title. Instead this is more of a life update. At the beginning of this year (and every year) I decided to set a few goals and themes for 2021. This is an update on how these are going and everything else I’ve been up to lately. Me waking up to snow during a hike (more on that later) One of the reasons I write these is to share what a FIRE lifestyle can look like. If you’re new here, we’re an upper-middle class couple (no kids) who retired early at 36 spending roughly $80k a year. We live in an apartment with a lovable pup that ..read more

With Minafi is on break for 3 months, I’m highlighting stories by a few Minafi readers and friends of mine. Todays article comes from Mia Wilson, a financial advisor who wanted to share her story. 2 years back then, I became a victim of my worst investment mistake and lost $30,000 in one day. It was a heart-wrenching day because 90% of the stock was down the drain. I was shattered and flabbergasted by how this might have taken place as I had two partners collaborating in my projects.  Being a business graduate and a professional investment analyst, I was sure that I am running my invest ..read more

I love road trips. I grew up with road trips from our home in Florida to almost everywhere in the US – from Maine to Washington state. There’s still a special place in my heart for being stuck in a car for 12 hours a day for weeks on end. This week’s post by Monica from Planner At Heart highlights some of the best road trips from around the country. There are more than a few on here that I can’t wait to try next time I’m headed that way! Hitting the road to get away from it all and explore new places has never felt more thrilling. These trips offer an adventure for everyone from stunning coas ..read more

I love road trips. I grew up with road trips from our home in Florida to almost everywhere in the US – from Maine to Washington state. There’s still a special place in my heart for being stuck in a car for 12 hours a day for weeks on end. This week’s post by Monica from Planner At Heart highlights some of the best road trips from around the country. There are more than a few on here that I can’t wait to try next time I’m headed that way! Hitting the road to get away from it all and explore new places has never felt more thrilling. These trips offer an adventure for everyone from stunning coas ..read more

Tell me if this sounds familiar. Some days you just feel exhausted. You may not have even done anything productive and yet you wind down at the end of the night and quietly think “why do I feel this way?”. The good news is that everyone has days like that. Learning why you feel that way can help improve your happiness a few points. Who wouldn’t want to shift a few thoughts around and end up 10% happier? As some of you may know, I tried an experiment in 2020 where I set themes every month. My December theme, Enjoy, was focused on intentional happiness. While I’m no expert in this subject, I h ..read more