It was the first time in probably 20 years that I watched a movie by myself. With the craziness of the holidays it was hard to line up a babysitter, so my wife stayed at home with the boys. I was nervous and scared as I entered the Regal South Glenn movie theatre near our house. My fear did not stem from the incredible movie I was about to watch, Dark Waters, or flying solo at the theatre. My fear was that I knew I was about to watch a movie showing one of the world’s largest corporations knowingly poisoning my family and community for decades.

A common scenario that we see with our clients looks like this: they are mid-career or late-career and have climbed the ladder to a high income. They are compensated well for their skill set and experience, and feel like they have “reached the top”. However, the pace is exhausting. Often they are expected to work unsustainable hours or travel frequently. They may see themselves working at this level for another 5-10 years, or they need to take a step down to a lower income level in order to create a healthy work/life balance. They come to us with the question: can I afford to earn a lower salary?

From my viewpoint as a financial advisor, the Holy Grail of personal finance is finding balance between enjoying today while preparing for tomorrow. While enjoying today doesn’t necessarily require spending money, let’s be honest that it usually does, and often a substantial amount – whether in larger, lump sums or smaller, frequent expenditures. It’s not even just about “fun spending” for hobbies and travel. In the modern era of busy, nonstop lives, we gladly pay for convenience, and sometimes relaxation and rejuvenation, just to keep going on the hamster wheel.

Whenever you read an article about saving money, usually items like “stop buying Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino Blended Crème coffee at Starbucks” are high on the list. That is a real drink, and doesn’t it sound delicious? If you are visiting Starbucks three times a day, then you might want to consider cutting back. But if you enjoy visiting a Starbucks patio on a Saturday morning to read a newspaper (remember those?), I think it will be okay. This sounds like a relaxing time for you. It’s time we revisit our grandparent’s motto: “Don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish.”

The term “FIRE”, which stands for “Financial Independence, Retire Early” is a term that has been increasing in popularity over the last few years. “FIRE” is thought of as a way to escape a life of working in a stressful occupation for 40+ years before finally enjoying retirement. Although it sounds wonderful on the surface, it takes a very low-expense dedicated lifestyle in order to make this dream come true. Every city has a different cost of living. So we have created a case study to provide an example of: What does it take to successfully FIRE in Denver?

Our very own Julie Fletcher McDaniel is quoted in the US News Money article about how we sabotage our finances. Read the article here!