Why Retire at Plaza and Main St ?

Why that name?

The name Retire at Plaza and Main St combines two of my passions in life: personal finance and Walt Disney World. It can describe the aspirational future life we are currently working toward. All this hard work needs to pay off eventually.

A Terrace With A View

You didn’t immediately catch the Disney reference in there? It is a relatively esoteric reference to a place that isn’t really on any of the maps or called out in the guide books.  Specifically, it refers to a small terrace outside the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom where people often enjoy the ice cream treats they just purchased. It is a beautiful location right off the hub near the water looking at Cinderella’s Castle. 

The views are fantastic on sunny days of both the castle and Main Street from the old-fashioned parlor chairs under the yellow umbrellas. The fireworks and people-watching in this location are fantastic as well, given the prime location.  

Ice cream makes anything better

Also the ice cream… Did I mention the ice cream (hand-scooped ice cream, too)?  It is a peaceful location where even adults can feel like kids again and the theme is so immersive that it is easy to completely forget the outside world for the moment.

Figuratively speaking, the location is right next to the center of the Magic Kingdom which was designed in a hub-and-spoke model.  The hub is where all guests are funneled to the middle of the park in front of Cinderella’s Castle and can then choose to radiate outward to the various lands of entertainment depending on their desires.  It is a nexus point for decisions on where to go and what to do where all choices are just as valid as the next one, and they all eventually lead back to the hub.  

The hub represents possibility

Personal finance and the path to financial independence is similar in that there is no right or wrong way to do it necessarily, and everyone can make the choices that suit them the best.  The idea that we would be financially independent enough to functionally “retire” at the corner of Plaza and Main Street and sit at this spot whenever we wish (even when not on vacation) implies that we have succeeded.  

Leisurely enjoying a sunny day with an ice cream cookie sandwich while looking at a castle is our idea of a relaxing time.  Yes, we get all philosophical here, too, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously (see adult Disney reference above).

Quick Backstory

We both grew up in Central Florida going to the theme parks with very fond memories of the areas, attractions, and resorts.  We go there regularly even now and enjoy making memories with our family and our son that he’ll carry with him his entire life, too.  It is a place where even adults can forget their worries for the day and just enjoy spending time with their friends and family.  Additionally, we are the weird adult Disney fans you occasionally read about online. Just not the really weird ones.  

Coworkers and friends often come to us for advice on vacationing to Disney, and we used to regularly contribute to one of the larger Disney blogs as guest posters.

Origin Of Retire at Plaza and Main St

I personally liked the idea of merging my interest in personal finance and Walt Disney World because it gives me a platform to talk at length on the topics that interest me the most without going into the aspects of these subjects I’m less passionate about.  While I love news about Disney or the stock market, I’m just not passionate about reporting breaking news on those subjects as much as I’m passionate about sharing what I know about personal finance and vacationing at Disney.  I’ll leave the breaking news to the sites dedicated to that output.

Nobody does Disney & Personal Finance

Mixing the math and logic of retirement planning with the magic of Disney is surprisingly niche content relatively unexplored because I might be the only one odd enough to want to merge them.  While researching the topic I came to the conclusion that blogs that mention personal finance and Disney are doing so in one of two ways: a personal finance blog writing about a vacation at Disney to discuss the best ways to save money in the process or a Disney blog listing the best places to live or part-time jobs to have once you’ve already retired and moved near Disney. None seemed to offer the intersection of both that I’m passionate about, hence the origin of this content.

Come for the “Personal Finance: Path to Financial Independence” but stay for the journey as we work toward our ultimate goal: to Retire at Plaza and Main St.