In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

Still traveling the world together

Do you have what it takes?

Decades ago, one of the first dates Billy and I went on was a 50 mile hike through the Santa Cruz Mountains in California called the Skyline to the Sea Trail. One hikes through these beautifully rounded coastal mountains with views of giant redwoods and the Pacific Ocean weaving in and out on the path.

We both enjoy nature and physical activity, and I think underneath the idea of doing this 5 day camping/hiking trip so early in our relationship was to see if either of us – or both – had what it took to complete it together as a couple. Could we handle weather changes and the unexpected along the way? How would each of us deal with fatigue or stress? Or long hours together with “no escape”?

Differences in style

I was confounded and surprised to find that Billy packed a whole frozen chicken and a bottle of white wine for our trip. The frozen chicken kept the wine cool and we ate the bulk of the meal the first night. The remaining nights he prepared delicious 3 course meals via our little folding aluminum mess kits.

Personally, I was used to things like trail mix, energy bars and canned beans so this new approach to camping food delighted me. We were both young with vigorous bodies but there was still the daily pounding on our knees and blisters on our feet. Not to mention pitching our tents nightly and cocooning in our sleeping bags on the cold ground.

We were able to entertain ourselves with the striking beauty of the hike, conversation together and self-reflection. At the end of the hike we were both satisfied that we could go through the unexpected and long physical tasks together and come out the other side as friends.

The unknown in retirement

Some of our Readers write to say that they are still afraid to take the leap into retirement. They want to prepare for and support every possible circumstance so all bases will be covered. Their idea is that "no surprise is the best surprise."

But that is not always a realistic approach.

Entering into retirement is similar to beginning a long hike together. You are on the edge of the unknown and must rely on partnership, creative solutions to problems as they come up, communication with each other, a sense of humor and self-reliance. If you have taken care of yourselves for this long in your lives, it’s not a far reach to think you’ll do fine in the new circumstances of retirement too.

Whether there are ups and downs, you still know that you can pull through.

And that’s a satisfying feeling, isn’t it?

What's Your Number? - How much money do you need to retire?

About the Authors

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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