Well Done, Money Magazine

If you were expecting some sort of caustic tirade about something that Money Magazine has published in their most recent issue, you won't find it in this post. As the love-hate relationship with America's number one personal finance magazine continues, today, compliments of Money Magazine, readers are invited to hear the story of a very unusual couple - a couple who have actually saved money, lived within their means, and have retired early.


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At least one thing doesn't quite add up here, but generally speaking this is a wonderful story about how saving, avoiding debt, and maintaining a modest lifestyle can work out quite well in the long run.

Engineers make decent money, but a salary of $145,000 as a 35 year old electronics engineer in 1989 is pretty unbelievable - he must have been blackmailing the company president or something. The average engineering salary at that time was well under $50,000 and today it is near $70,000 - either Ian was much more than just an electronics engineer or he made much less than $145,000 in 1989.

Now, the sailing sounds like fun, but the $800 apartment and the 1988 Bronco do not - unless of course they spend so much time in shorts and T-shirts on their beautiful, well appointed boat that the car and the house just aren't that important - that sounds reasonable.

Look for more pieces like this from Money Magazine in the years ahead as an entire nation goes through the wrenching process of unlearning everything they were taught during the Greenspan era - learning once again how to save money and live within their means.