I created this blog to enlighten, educate, and entertain fellow physicians and other people who may have similar circumstances (high-income, late start, educational debt, etc…). My aim is to help those who want to help themselves and share some unique insights from the perspective of a practicing physician. I hope to leave you informed and inspired to look at life a little differently than you might have before.

I’m a family guy living in Colorado with my wife and two young children. I studied biology and chemistry in college, but somehow turned into a software developer. From as far back as I can remember, I liked to save and earn money. My goal was to build a portfolio of $1,000,000 by February of 2017; 1500 days from the birth of this blog (January 1, 2013). And hey look, I’ve since retired!

I came up with the name “A Purple Life” a little randomly. To me, “A Purple Life” means a slightly different life, a life that involves constant questioning instead of going with what you’re given. It’s doing what makes you happy even if that makes you stand out or seem weird to people. It’s following what’s in your heart no matter what.

Hey there, I’m Joel. I’m 35 and live in Los Angeles. At first glance I’m just an average guy in every way… Average height, weight, looks, IQ, skills, etc. But there’s a few things I’ve been doing differently the past few years that have elevated my life to above average: Every day I’m learning to make better use of my time. I now get up at 5am every morning. Every day I’m learning to make better use of my money. I’m on a fast track to Financial Independence! Every day I get up at 5am and send a short positive message to friends, family, co-workers and strangers from the interweb.

Welcome! Thanks for joining our story as we transition from two mid-thirties career-driven folks who reached FI at 33 to retire early at 35! We’re documenting our experience leaving full-time work, sorting out our financial needs, and our mistakes. All in real-time on this blog!

We are Ali and Alison Walker. We met in 2004, married in 2006, reached financial independence in 2017, and retired in 2018. The first thing we did after reaching FIRE (financial independence retire early) was to create a complete and total change from our career-focused lives. In November 2018 we left our Seattle life behind and made travel our new lifestyle. We enjoyed traveling full time and getting to know people in other places for two years. Then COVID-19 changed the world so we changed direction again. We decided to create a new home base for ourselves in Flagstaff Arizona near family. As of February 2021 we will be adjusting to a new post-FIRE routine that includes owning a home along with traveling internationally and within the USA as well.