About Dave Roos

If you’ve read the other articles in our “Retire at 55” Learning Path, then you know what a challenge it can be to save up enough money to comfortably retire at such a young age. We’ve talked about budgeting to lower your expenses and taking on gig work to earn (and save) more each month. […]

In the other articles in our “Retire at 55” series, we’ve talked a lot about “saving” for retirement. But the truth is that you will never be able to save enough money to retire (and certainly not retire early) if you simply stash it away in a savings account. Instead, when we say “saving” for […]

Key Takeaways Ask for a raise, the right way. Don’t bombard your boss with your accomplishments. Pick three that match your employer’s strategic goals. Prepare for a promotion. Visibility and relationship-building are the two best ways to keep your name in the conversation for a promotion. When you switch companies, ask for (a lot) more […]

Key Takeaways Monetize your skills. Your talents extend beyond your day job. Whether you’re a strong writer or a website wiz, you can earn extra money by freelancing, tutoring and more. Turn your spare time into dollars. There are dozens of apps and websites that offer flexible, paid work that fits around your regular work […]

Key Takeaways Super savers push back against “lifestyle creep.” Keeping up with the Joneses will eat up your savings. Instead, identify the activities and experiences that actually make you happy and budget for those. Cut out the rest. Super savers are proactive about avoiding impulse purchases. Impulse buys are not in the budget and online […]

If you read the first article in our “Retire at 55” learning path, then you’ve already taken a key step toward early retirement planning: calculating how much money you’ll need to retire at 55. If that number looks daunting, don’t worry. Follow our 11 budgeting tips and you’ll be in a better position to save […]

Key Takeaways Estimate your retirement expenses: Choose an approach that makes sense for you, whether it’s making a detailed list of necessary and discretionary spending, or using an online calculator. If you can lower your retirement expenses, then you won’t have to save as much to reach your target goal. Calculate how much you’ll need to […]