How Financial Independence / Retiring Early Actually Works: The Simple Dollar's Weekly Roundup

[AWeber Communications]( [retire early]( How Financial Independence / Retiring Early Actually Works By Trent Hamm -- The median-earning American really can retire early -- even in their 40s. But it requires diligently sticking to a low-income lifestyle, and it gets more difficult to achieve the longer you wait to get started. Here's how. [Read More]( [man opening an amazon box]( The Meaning of Financial Success By Trent Hamm -- Achieving financial success isn't about striking it rich or hitting an arbitrary monetary benchmark; that's defining success in terms of other people, not yourself. The only fair way to judge success is by using yourself as a measuring stick. Have you taken steps to put yourself in a better situation than you were in a year ago? That’s all that matters.. [Read more]( [dollar tree store]( Costco vs. Dollar Tree: Does Bulk Beat the Buck? By Jason Notte -- Which is the better deal: Costco or the dollar store? We compare prices to find out. [Read more]( [community]( How Getting Involved in the Community Can Help Your Finances By Trent Hamm -- Community events can offer free entertainment, the chance to build valuable local relationships and discover new hobbies, and even opportunities to build your resume or advance your career as you give back. [Read more]( [planning]( How to Invest for Medium-Term Goals By Matt Becker -- A lot of investing advice is understandably centered on retirement. But what about financial goals that aren't so far off, like saving for college or a down payment on a house? [Read more]( More from The Simple Dollar Reader Mailbag: - [Questions About Potluck Dinners, Roth 401(k)s, Toothbrushes, Having Three Kids, and More!]( More from Trent: - [Books With Impact: 'Triggers']( - [What 'Pay Yourself First' Really Means]( Other popular TSD articles: - [Rookie Real Estate Investing Mistakes to Avoid]( - [When and How to Stop Paying Your Kids' Bills]( - [Don't Get Blindsided by These Retirement Risks]( What we're reading around the web: - [Five Books That Can Help You Retire Early]( (Business Insider) - [Opportunity Atlas: The American Dream Is Harder to Find in Some Neighborhoods]( (NPR) - [Here's What It Would Take to Make College Tuition-Free]( (MarketWatch) - [Cushy Office Perks Are a Trap]( (Quartz) - [Trump Real Estate Fortune Built on Suspect Tax Schemes]( (New York Times) As a reminder, you're receiving this email because you subscribed to our weekly mailing list. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, you can [unsubscribe here]( at any time. Thanks for reading! ​​​​​​​ --The Simple Dollar team 1525 4th Ave. #500 Seattle WA 98101 USA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](