Couple in Their 40s Quits City Jobs to Retire to Their Paradise

Young Retirees Share Their Success Story of Living Their Dream

A couple shares their story of how they raised a family then retired early to retire young and pursue their dream of a life on a panoramic mountain in an income-tax-free state. They tell how they did it, and how others can too.

Teresa and Russell both retired at 46 years of age, and have graciously offered to do this interview after they stumbled upon my article titled "15 Years to Financial Independence—Retire Early" at http://aclnk.com/ar1463568. By some incredible coincidence, the lifestyle, financial plan, and retirement plan of the fictitious "model family" used in that article closely matches the lives of Teresa and Russell's family. Thus, they excitedly contacted me to let me know how well a similar financial plan for early retirement worked for them. Teresa and Russell have asked that their last name and exact location not be used in order to protect their privacy.

Q: Let's begin by asking how you happened to be here for this interview. What actually prompted you to talk about this?

A: [Teresa] A few weeks ago we were searching the Internet for some information, and we happened to find your article on how to retire in 15 years. The family, the financial plan, and the lifestyles described in your article were amazingly close to our own reality. While reading your article, it felt like we were reading about our own lives—a very strange feeling! Since your office is right on the way to our son's home in Pennsylvania, it was very easy for us to stop by during our trip East. Actually, we were thrilled to do this.

Q: How long have you been retired?

A: [Russell] We were both 46 when we retired 4 years ago. We waited until we were finished helping our third and youngest child finish her Associates' degree when we were both 42, then we worked another 4 years to save up as much as we could. After that, we both quit our city jobs and retired to a cabin in the mountains in an area that we consider our paradise. We wake up to breathtaking scenery every morning.

Q: What types of jobs did you hold before retiring? It sounds like you must have had high-paying jobs.