About

Hi! I’m Deb, and I’d like to welcome you to FI (and life) After 50.

If you’re not familiar with the FIRE movement, it means Financial Independence/Retire Early. I’m focusing on Financial Independence (FI), as I’m too late for the Retire Early part!

I LOVE many of the blogs and podcasts out there about FI and have learned so much from them – but most of those resources focus on young people working towards retiring in their 30’s or 40’s.

I couldn’t find much that spoke to the unique strengths and challenges facing those of us over 50, so I decided to start this blog.

If you’re interested in saving money, increasing your income, investing wisely, and living a full and meaningful life past the half-century mark, you’re in the right place.

As a single mom to two awesome daughters – one in college and one in high school – I spent many years focused on two things: my kids and the preschool I used to run.

I was doing exactly what I wanted to do, but other important things in my life fell by the wayside. I didn’t pay much attention to my finances and neglected to save and invest like I should have. I made some bonehead mistakes, and ended up with about $30,000 in home equity debt, which I’m working now to pay down.

I did a few things right – including buying a two-family home where the rental covers my mortgage, taxes, and insurance – but I still have work to do before I reach FI.

At my age, I don’t want to spend the next 15 years sacrificing for the ability to buy my freedom in the future. No time left for that! Instead, I want to live intentionally, save on expenses wherever I can, but still live life to the fullest, now.

I hope you’ll join me on this journey!

Check out my financial coaching website:

A little bit about me:

I like nothing more than hanging with my kids – more and more a rare occasion as they get older (sigh …).

In addition to the preschool I owned and operated for 18 years, I also edited a book, did some writing, worked as a parent coach and preschool curriculum consultant, and presented at education and adoption conferences.

Since then, I’ve taken everything I’ve learned about personal finance – and I’ve done a deep dive – and have opened Money Smart for Life, a financial coaching business. My goal is to help people transform their lives and achieve their goals.

For a laugh or two, you can follow me at 60to60.com, where I chronicle my adventure quest (not a very frugal endeavor, but it makes me happy). Covid interrupted the quest, but I plan on picking it up again when it’s safe.

I love reading, writing, movies, and traveling – with travel hacking, I’m hoping to do more of it. Also sharing good food with friends, being outdoors, kids (of course), and dogs – although I wish my anxious boy would calm the heck down!

I’m looking forward to changing my life – and maybe yours, too – as I work towards FI and explore ways to age with purpose and joy.

If you’re interested in learning about my money backstory, I was profiled in the Late Starter to FI series on latestarterfire.com.