We met in 1979 when we were in middle school, attended the same high school, and remained life-long friends. We did not date each other, but regularly drifted into and out of each other’s lives. We were always good friends – Mike was considered to be a part of my family, and I’m pretty sure my mom always thought we would get together at some point. However, the timing was always off – and then one day it wasn’t. We were in our 40s when that happened, and we have been together over a decade. We did not grow up wealthy – far from it. When we met, both of us lived in a vast apartment complex that was mostly filled with latch-key kids from single-parent households. Our work backgrounds are in education and local government, which are notoriously NOT high-paying jobs. And yet, in the span of about a decade, we went from thinking that we would work until “regular” retirement age, to becoming financially independent – then, finally, retiring at 55 and 56. We call ourselves “Late FIREs” or “Old FIREs,” but our time is now ours to do with what we please. The time freedom we purchased through the sacrifices we made has been among the best decisions ever!
We are Mike and Kristi, and we spent the last decade getting out of debt, saving money, and becoming financially independent so we could retire early and travel the globe. You can also follow our journey on Instagram at MKAlmostThere https://www.instagram.com/mkalmostthere/ and eventually on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh6VD3QdcfN_2IIHkjk7V-Q