It's not easy deciding where to put your money as an early retiree... Big Ern tells us where he puts his!

Karsten (aka Big Ern) retired this year in June and is currently in his forties. After working in finance and saving up, he has quite a few ideas on where to put his money to keep it safe: real estate, options and of course, index funds.

You'll love his story and will probably learn an interesting investing strategy!

We also chat about...

How does it feel to be retired
His travels and plans
The 4% rule
His alternative investment strategy
Becoming an accredited investor

Enjoy this chat with Big Ern, and please subscribe to us in iTunes if you enjoyed it!

Show notes and links from today's episode

Karsten's blog: Early Retirement Now
The DIY Withdrawal Rate Toolbox
Safe Withdrawal Rate Series
Brit + Co's Brit Morin: Women in Tech are underestimated
Blog: The Military Guide

Key takeaways from our chat with Big Ern
1 - The 4% rule is like a pair of shoes
Karsten makes a great comparison of the famous 4% withdrawal rule to a pair of shoes. On his blog, he writes arguments against the 4% rule, explaining that this percentage cannot work for everyone. Like a pair of shoes, each person must calculate the percentage that fits them best. And to make sure you can do that, he's got an awesome spreadsheet (check the show notes above!).
2 - Why not try some alternative investments?
Karsten explains how he invests in real estate: through a private equity fund. This is basically crowdfunding to invest in real estate. The crowdfunders create a limited company and pool all their money together to then go out and buy properties. The best part: Karsten doesn't do any of the picking. He leaves that to the experts. There are a few requirements though:

To be an accredited investor
To start with at least $100,000

But he says it's a great investing strategy for early retirees!
3 - Early Retirement is not always a big surprise
Karsten did not feel a big change from the 1st of June (when he left his job) to the 2nd of June (when he was officially retired). He was happy before, and also after. This is most likely because he did feel his job was fulfilling and he describes it as a 'good gig'. However it goes to show that you probably won't have some epiphany on the day you retire - but you will have achieved the final great dream!
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