Early retirees who saved $1 million share their 7 best resources
For investing basics …

For an easy way to track your spending and investments ...

The early retirees use the free app Personal Capital. "We have numerous accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs in addition to several checking accounts in different banks, investment accounts, etc.," Carl writes. "Personal Capital allows you to link them all on one site, which helps you keep track of all your money more easily than logging into and out of numerous sites." An added bonus: Personal Capital offers adviser tools, including a 401(k) fee analyzer, which Carl says saved him "more than $100,000 by warning me of nasty, high-fee mutual funds that I mindlessly invested in."



Mr. and Mrs. 1500 Source: Mr. and Mrs. 1500

For a cheaper cell phone bill ...

Mr. and Mrs. 1500 use Republic Wireless, which uses your wireless connection for calls and texts to reduce costs. "If you like Android, RW is for you," Carl says. "Our RW phone on the unlimited 3G plan runs about $30 a month." Not bad considering the average bill for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile users can be more than $120 a month. If you're loyal to the iPhone, consider Ting.com, suggests Carl: "Ting works over the Sprint nationwide network, but does the billing themselves." The rates depend on how you use your phone — how many texts you send, how much data you use — but the average Ting customer pays $23 a month.

For a better deal on car rentals ...

Booking a car online is one of the rare times you won't have to enter your credit card information. "Autoslash takes advantage of this to save you money," Carl explains. After you book your rental car through Autoslash, the site checks rates and will automatically rebook you when it finds something cheaper. "I booked a car once and by the time I picked up my car, Autoslash had rebooked me four times at a rate that was half the original," he writes.



For cheaper everyday items ...

Head to the retail giant Costco, which sells pretty much everything. "We do a lot of comparison shopping and even Amazon usually doesn't beat their prices," Carl says. "If you drive a lot, Costco may be worth it for the cheap gas and great tire services alone." The wholesale club has a membership fee, "but we think it's worth it," says Carl, who shares the executive membership ($110 a year) and the Costco American Express credit card with his wife.



Mr. and Mrs. 1500 Source: Mr. and Mrs. 1500

For an easy way to save $60 to $80 a year ...

Skip Microsoft Office, which can cost $80 a year, and use Google Docs. "I see folks spend hundreds of dollars on Microsoft Word when Google Docs would serve them just fine," Carl writes. "It doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of some of the Office Suite, but most people don't need all of that stuff. ... Perhaps best of all, your work is saved to the cloud so all work isn't lost when your hard drive goes belly up."



For early retirement inspiration ...