The Big American Dream (Part 1)

A recent Forbes article talks about "the American dream of home ownership."  Housingwire.com asserts that "most view becoming a homeowner as...a chance to put down roots and fulfill the American Dream."  Whitehouse.gov dedicates an entire blog post to how Obama is "Promoting the American Dream of Homeownership."

So when did the American Dream become all about home ownership?  The whole concept must have shifted over the decades.  It used to be about things like freedom, and opportunity, and equality.  Yeah, I know there was never an exact definition.  But I also know that when I was a boy, back in the seventies, it had nothing to do with home ownership.  (Although, I seem to recall it had a lot to do with Farrah Fawcett.)
 

An Olympic Rant

Early retirement affords a lot of free time.  And what's better than wasting it in front of the television?  Like millions of people around the globe, I'm watching the Olympics.  For me, it's..fine.  For my boys, it is almost magical.  The other night, we turn on the television.  Some guy is figure skating.  You know, the one with the sequins.  He's hitting his quad, he's sit-spinning, he's impressing artistically.  And my younger son is amazed.

Sprout: Wow, he's really good!

Deadwood: He sure is.

Sprout: He can even skate backwards!

Rule 3: Invest Wisely (The Theory)

Early retirement requires sound investing.  Figuring out what that means can be tricky.

Let's say some guy is raising a family of four on a mere $300 a week.  And each week, he spends $50 of that $300 on lottery tickets.  Bad decision, right?  Now let's say one particular week he actually wins.  Like, $50 million kind of win.  Hmmm...good decision after all?
 

The Shopping Rant

When you retire, you undergo a whole new set of experiences.  Even the old experiences become new experiences.  Like shopping, for instance.  Before retirement, it was...what's the word I'm looking for...unbearable.  But now, in retirement, it's more complicated.  It's good, bad, and ugly.