I ignored my Dad's advice about saving money and investing until I saw him retire a decade before his peers. Then I watched my Dad retire at least a decade before many of his peers, and my entire perspective changed. My stepmom, on the other hand, never had plans to retire early until she started dating my Dad. Invest aggressively ... and diversifyLike most people, a 401(k) was central to my parents' retirement plan. Because they wanted to retire early, my parents had to have other investments they could rely on for retirement income.

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Persons: Lizzie, stepmom, Dad, there's, they've, doesn't, Get, shouldn't, you've, you'll, Thomas, They've, I've Organizations: Service, Acura Integra —, Invest Locations: Wall, Silicon, South Africa, Germany, St, Caribbean, Europe, Panama