Episode Summary:
In this week’s episode, we interview Landshark. Landshark is the pen name for a lawyer, father, husband, and now early retiree. He’s in his early 40s and lives in Colorado with his wife and two elementary school-aged kids. He spent nearly two decades as a practicing lawyer, and early on in his career, he realized he wanted more freedom and family time in his life. Landshark has been saving and investing aggressively for years and recently announced his retirement. We talk with Landshark about how he grew up, the concept of enough, the recent Marshall wildfires, early retirement plans, and much more.
Episode Notes:
In this discussion with Landshark, we cover many topics, including:
- Where he came up with the name LandShark.
- How we grew up financially as the child of immigrants.
- His parents instilled in him the idea of being smart with his money and not wasting it.
- His career as a lawyer and how he was initially inspired to seek financial freedom.
- His early influences in the FIRE space.
- The concept of what enough is. How much does someone need?
- His career as a lawyer has been successful and has allowed him to have the means to retire.
- He transitioned from an equity partner in a law firm to a consultant/contractor as he eased into early retirement and finished his cases.
- His initial early retirement plans and what he wants to focus on. Four areas he plans to focus on: exercise, creation, learning, and family time.
- What he learned from the Marshall Wildfires and how he’s now helping his community through it.
- The problem that many people are underinsured. Double-check your insurance policy to ensure you’re ensured enough to truly replace your home.
- Life is short, and we’re not going to live forever. It’s so important that we live mindfully and focus on our values.
- “We’re not as important as we like to think we are. To our employers, we’re all replaceable. You don’t need to ask yourself for permission to live the life you want to live; you just need to do it. A lot of people don’t because it’s easier to stay in the situation you’re in.”
- How making a change is hard and living your life without regrets.
- Think about the things you value in life and prioritize those values.
- He’s benefiting from Wife-FI, which is that his wife is still working so he can stay on her medical benefits.
- How he talks to his kids about money.
- His biggest life lessons and advice.
Show References:
- www.landshark.org
- https://twitter.com/iamlandshark
- https://www.facebook.com/iamlandshark
- SNL (Saturday Night Live) Landhsark Skit
- Mr. Money Mustache
- Vogleheads forum
- Mint – Free budget tracker and planner
- Personal capital
- Book: Vogleheads guide to investing book
- Netflix show: Inventing Anna
- Stockpile (we said Splitwise accidentally, but we meant stockpile)