How much is enough in life?

[norton9478]

Living in squalor while not working is basically admitting to be white trash. I truly don't get the point of early retirement just to live like a deadbeat. How is that a luxury?

$80,000 per individual is living in squalor?

 

[madman]

$80,000 per individual is living in squalor?

Well, I never said that. And now the goal of FIRE is to make 80k per year? You've based this on your large sample set of:

And for the record, the only FIRE retiree I know (retired in his mid 30's), digs through strangers basements.

Go back to digging through trash and telling us that it paid for your vacation.

 

[evil wasabi]

Show us your lambo, Tom.

 

[Rocko]

The point of FIRE isn't to live a life of luxury, it is to not have to work.... Which is probably the greatest luxury of all.

This. FIRE is mainly about shedding the non essential expenses you don't really need, saving and investing the money and then in the end continue living the same way without working. Then you need a lot less in savings. Basically shedding stuff for time.

Acquiring $2M of assets by yourself isn't something everyone can do that easily and quick anyways, not unless you take big risks financially, which may eventually set you back instead.

 

[theMot]

Show us your lambo, Tom.

Charles, even if it did 10x, my humble Amarok is enough for me.

 

[TonK]

Plus there’s the idea of the snowplow parent. If you provide too much, will your kids adapt to the world around them?

Your kids won't adapt. Ask me how I know.

 

[evil wasabi]

Charles, even if it did 10x, my humble Amarok is enough for me.

Never heard of it. Must be some bufty crap.

 

[Lastblade]

Maybe 30 copies of Kizuna Encounter Euro AES

 

[Alphabet]

$ 60k / year or $2.5 M without interest and compounding. Living in a regular town not too expensive.

 

[norton9478]

Well, I never said that. And now the goal of FIRE is to make 80k per year? You've based this on your large sample set of:

Go back to digging through trash and telling us that it paid for your vacation.

I also said $80,000 a year.

I'm pretty sure the only FIRE guy I know makes far more than $80,000 a year from his investments.

Some people enjoy digging through other people's "junk". Where do you think the video games you buy on ebay came from?
I know people that are independently wealthy that do this shit.
I know a guy with a math PHD and lucrative defense department Contracted research job that do this shit.
I know a guy with a Engineering PHD and consulting firm who gets flown all over the globe that does this shit.

 

[norton9478]

Acquiring $2M of assets by yourself isn't something everyone can do that easily and quick anyways,.

I sure as hell couldn't do it. I don't make enough.

 

[evil wasabi]

I also said $80,000 a year.

I'm pretty sure the only FIRE guy I know makes far more than $80,000 a year from his investments.

Some people enjoy digging through other people's "junk". Where do you think the video games you buy on ebay came from?
I know people that are independently wealthy that do this shit.
I know a guy with a math PHD and lucrative defense department Contracted research job that do this shit.
I know a guy with a Engineering PHD and consulting firm who gets flown all over the globe that does this shit.

Most FIRE success stories are engineers as far as I have seen. They live lean in ways I refuse. Like taking industrial toilet paper rolls from work, or not using AC or heat. And it doesn’t stop there. They eat at home. They aren’t buying things outside their interest. They’re gamers, but not collectors or obsessive about it. Somehow the penny pinching will add up.

 

[NeoSneth]

You definitely need some level of success to FIRE in your 30's. Most of those stories are FIRE couples who had a combined income over $150k in their twenties. This would seem near impossible to find a partner into FIRE as well, but I think many of GenZ people were more affected by 2008 which is why that generation is much better savers than Millennials.

 

[norton9478]

Most FIRE success stories are engineers as far as I have seen. They live lean in ways I refuse. Like taking industrial toilet paper rolls from work, or not using AC or heat. And it doesn’t stop there. They eat at home. They aren’t buying things outside their interest. They’re gamers, but not collectors or obsessive about it. Somehow the penny pinching will add up.

I've always been under the impression that most of them were first or second generation metropolitan asian kids working in finance and living with thier parents.

 

[norton9478]

You definitely need some level of success to FIRE in your 30's. Most of those stories are FIRE couples who had a combined income over $150k in their twenties. This would seem near impossible to find a partner into FIRE as well, but I think many of GenZ people were more affected by 2008 which is why that generation is much better savers than Millennials.

Kind of like Dave Ramsey success stories. They are mostly all people who make like $100-$200 combined or had some big windfall.

 

[norton9478]

Anyways, look at the traditional upper middle class road to success.

1. Get out of college
2. Get a fat job
3. Get married
4. Have a bunch of expensive kids.
5. Move to long island and buy a house you can barely afford and taxes you can't afford.
6. Join a country club.
7. Die of a heart attack at age 50.

 

[evil wasabi]

I've always been under the impression that most of them were first or second generation metropolitan asian kids working in finance and living with thier parents.

What do the Asians say to the job they love?

Me love you short time.


You’re welcome, Fish, for this self fulfilling prophecy.

 

[LoneSage]

I've always been under the impression that most of them were first or second generation metropolitan asian kids working in finance and living with thier parents.

Along with filial piety, pragmatism also plays a big part - the idea being why the hell would you give some random stranger you don't know money when you can stay at home for free and save up? Why pay for some jackass stranger's mortgage.

Of course this goes at odds with the 'rugged individualism' that is part of the American mythos.

 

[neo_mao]

After graduating I lived at home until I got married. It was great, not only did I save a ton but I went straight from my mom taking care of me to my wife taking care of me. I like being taken care of.

 

[pixeljunkie]

Yikes - I just need to get some decent automatic streams and am totally cool living modestly in my mountain compound. City life is grossing me out as I get older.

 

[LoneSage]

City life is grossing me out as I get older.

how so?

 

[max 330 mega]

how so?

Too many fucking humans? They breed like rats.

 

[LoneSage]

Too many fucking humans? They breed like rats.

Black hole sun, won't ya come, and wash away the rain

 

[RAZO]

Yikes - I just need to get some decent automatic streams and am totally cool living modestly in my mountain compound. City life is grossing me out as I get older.

I don't hate cities but growing up near one and living in one made me appreciate living far from them. I'll still goto a city to enjoy some food and have some fun on occasion but I'm glad I don't live in one.

The noise, people living on top of another, the trash, road rage. I totally get why someone would want to get out of the expensive city and move to the burbs.

Unfortunately I work in a city so I still have to experience this almost on a daily basis.

 

[madman]

In most cases I'd prefer to live in a smaller rural town than a GD suburb. Most burbs are pretty boring and just chock full of shitty chain places, nothing you can't get in any other burb across America. But that's just IMO. I'm staying, enjoying my city life.