Hi there! We are Mr. and Ms. Vine, professionals working full time, traditional jobs. During the 2008 recession, we withstood a big test: the eight-month unemployment of one income earner. We emerged financially and emotionally stronger than ever. A few years after that, we managed a great financial feat: one income earner attended grad school without incurring any additional debt. Through these two defining experiences, we realized that smart personal finance and substantial savings relieves much stress. Our next step is growing our money to the point where we could retire at ages 49 and 43.

We are working towards a goal of financial independence so we no longer need to trade our time for money. As of our launch date in April 2018, our nest egg is about one-third of the amount that would comfortably sustain us at our present lifestyle in perpetuity. We expect to reach our target number by December 2024. Six years sounds far into the future now, but as they say, time flies when you’re having fun. Along the way, we’ll provide regular updates on how that nest egg is growing.

What we’ll do when we reach that financial milestone is still up in the air. We may, in fact, retire years earlier than the average American and embrace full-time exploration: of our city, our country, our world. Or we may continue our professions to support something crazy like buying a yacht. Time will tell.

In the meantime, we enjoy the present. We live in a place that offers plenty of cultural attractions, entertainment, and dining options to keep us occupied. We also travel, cook, and appreciate good wine. We’re also always looking to spend less and simplify our life, so we’ll talk about that, too. Ms. Vine has some energy around fashion for female professionals, so you may see an occasional outfit post. Mr. Vine is a tech junky, so expect posts on how to get the latest gadgets without breaking the budget. Our overarching goal is reaching financial independence, so we will always write about how we structure our daily lives to reach that milestone.

To comfortably share as many details as possible about our financial lives, we’d like to remain anonymous for now. As we get closer to Financial Independence Day, we will likely reveal our true identities. Stay tuned!

We’d love to have your company as we document what we’re doing to reach financial independence and how we enjoy the moments along the way. If you would like to subscribe by email to receive updates, click to the top left of our title for the slide out menu and complete the subscription form. Thanks for reading!