Mr. Tako Escapes – Mr. Tako's Adventures in Early Retirement (with Kids)

5 Years Of Freedom

October 25, 2020October 26, 2020 Mr. Tako 17 Comments

While I’m not normally a nostalgic person, October marked something of a major milestone in the life of Mr. Tako. This was my fifth year of freedom from the corporate world!

Although my blog was started back in December of 2015, my last day of work at a “corporate” job was September 30th, 2015. It took me a few months of unemployment before I finally decided to start writing the blog you see here today.

It’s been an interesting 5-year journey to say the least. Filled with all the ups and downs, and strange fluids you might expect from raising two kids…

Investing Ideas Uncategorized

The Last Hurdle: Investing With Industry Trends

October 19, 2020October 19, 2020 Mr. Tako 16 Comments

As investors, we often hear the siren call of “being a contrarian” — The stories of bucking the trend, buying stocks at low prices, and then reaping incredible gains are the stuff that contrarian dreams are made of. As such, many investors like to fashion themselves as contrarians.

Unfortunately, real life isn’t quite as easy as in the stories — It takes a lot of guts to buy a stock when it’s down at the bottom of a dumpster. During the best of times, making these buy or sell decisions can be tricky…

Investing Uncategorized

The Wacky World Of Close-End Funds

October 11, 2020October 11, 2020 Mr. Tako 12 Comments

Imagine for a moment, you’re a carpenter. You build houses for a living. The tools in your toolkit are everything to your profession. These tools are used to shape, size, and fasten together all the raw materials needed to build a house.

But what if you restricted yourself to only a hand-saw, a hammer, and bunch of nails? (Perhaps you forgot the power-tools at home.) Suddenly, building that house just got a lot harder…

Investing Saving Uncategorized

September 2020 Dividend Income And Expenses

October 4, 2020October 4, 2020 Mr. Tako 22 Comments

Wait, what? September is over already? How did that happen?

With the kids now back in school (well, OK… virtual school) and my focus on keeping the kids focused on their studies, September absolutely flew by. It was here and gone in a flash!

The Tako family mostly stuck to home and kept to ourselves in September… which I suppose is pretty normal life these days. You know, because of the pandemic.

Investing Kids Saving Uncategorized

Settling Into Fall

September 27, 2020September 27, 2020 Mr. Tako 17 Comments

It’s officially fall here in the Pacific Northwest. While warmer weather may still linger in certain parts of North America, the shift in seasons here in the Pacific Northwest is quick and decisive.

After 3 glorious months of summer we’re officially back to the wet and the damp. Take a look at this pic I snapped from my kitchen window on Thursday morning…

Investing Uncategorized

Kicking Yourself When You’re Winning

September 20, 2020September 20, 2020 Mr. Tako 24 Comments

Have you noticed? The internet makes everything look easy. Just DIY yourself a home remodel in 24 hours! Sure, no problem! Done in a jiffy! Start your online business today and you’ll be making millions in mere weeks!

Simple as pie! And that’s how the world works on the internet.

Unlike in the real world, absolutely everyone on the internet is incredibly confident, with super amazing skills and talents…

Investing Investing Ideas Uncategorized

The Stock Sector I Like Best (Right Now)

September 13, 2020September 13, 2020 Mr. Tako 16 Comments

With plenty of cash on-hand, I’m always on the lookout to add to my existing stock positions… or find new stocks in which to invest. Generally speaking though, I don’t consider myself a “sector” style investor. I don’t buy sector ETF’s or sector index funds… but sometimes the market will put entire sectors on-sale.

It happens because investors take-on a kind of “group think” around certain industries. This lemming-like behavior can sometimes be completely right…

Dividends Food Investing Saving Uncategorized

August 2020 Dividend Income And Expenses

September 6, 2020 Mr. Tako 15 Comments

August is normally a month for travel… but 2020 is anything but a “normal” year. Despite the crazy pandemic situation, the Tako family did manage to do a little traveling this August.

With hot temperatures blanketing most of the Pacific Northwest, we first decided to escape the summer heat by heading out to the coast…

Saving Travel Uncategorized

Escaping The Summer Heat

August 30, 2020August 30, 2020 Mr. Tako 9 Comments

Like most families, when school lets out for summer, that’s when the Tako family does most of our traveling. This year the world had other plans for us. COVID-19 happened, and our summer travel plans were canceled.

Instead of visiting the national parks of the American Southwest (like we planned), we settled for a quiet summer at home. It was a bit of a bummer to be honest… but we tried to make the best of it.

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