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- Thread starter The Ancient Mariner
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Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Maybe it's not the retirement. It's the big money making in corporations.
I'm not really into "corporations", or "corporate work". I'm less into making loads of money in corporations. And I'm even more less into making so much money in corporate business, in such a short time that quitting working is possible at 48. Making money, a lot and quick, in a corporate business? Hm.
I guess I rather start clapping for people with a minimum of income, trying to come by every month.
That's judging someone's income...a lot. Most people have to work for corporations, because there's not a lot of options. Some people manage money better. Some have made smart investments. Whether or not we like the concept of the world, should not stop us from trying to live within it.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
If the world is set up in a way to allow people to retire early, how can we blame them for seizing the opportunity and enjoying themselves? We can be upset that the world allows for some people to achieve this while a good majority of others will toil every day and never retire, but I don't think it's fair to judge someone for taking advantage of a system that takes advantage of so many.
Also, we're throwing a ton of assumptions around just having this discussion.
Also, we're throwing a ton of assumptions around just having this discussion.
Jer
'Til Tomorrow
If it helps, most of the money making came from market gains over the past several years, paying attention to where things were moving and having a combination of luck and skill in when to get in and out of certain things. Technically anyone who doesn’t spend all of their income is able to invest, and investment is the key to building wealth no matter who you are or how much you earn. Growth over time with reinvestment of your gains can snowball pretty quickly if you’re paying attention.
We also limited our spending to a level that was comfortable, but not ostentatious, and we didn’t scale up our lifestyle as our income increased. That freed up more money for investment and also kept our spending needs in retirement to a lower level, both of which made it easier to work toward financial independence.
If you count stock investment as part of “big money making in corporations”, then I don’t know what to tell you — as long as people pay for their existence with currency, business is going to be the engine for generating wealth, either directly or indirectly. There’s no escaping it.
Yes, neither am I. That’s why I was so focused on getting out of it as soon as possible.
I’m all for cheering on hard work and perseverance, but which is more admirable — someone who works themselves to the bone every day of their lives to scrape by while never getting ahead, or someone who starts with a minimum of income, working themselves to the bone to scrape by, and then makes the most of their hard work by advancing their careers, carefully managing their money, and eventually freeing themselves from the chains of their economic masters entirely?
Say what you will about the United States, but this outcome is theoretically possible for anyone here, and that’s one of the country’s strongest positives, alongside free speech and (mostly) free elections.
Jer
'Til Tomorrow
Funny that you mention this, because I’m still nowhere near the point where Biden’s proposed tax hikes would actually impact me. He’s truly targeting the super-rich, not the “just wealthy enough to get off the hamster wheel” types.
Yeah, you have to make a lot of money to be impacted by his changes - 400k, if memory serves - and I think that's fair.
It wouldn't be necessary if people with more money than they can spend would invest it instead of hoarding it on the Caymans.
Then again, none of this would be necessary if we realised that we've been off the gold standard for 50 years and we can treat money differently. MMT FTW!
Then again, none of this would be necessary if we realised that we've been off the gold standard for 50 years and we can treat money differently. MMT FTW!
Jer retiring inspired me to buy lottery tickets more often.
____no5
Free Man
Sometimes corporate business is like this. Like football players or rock stars. You may make loads of money quickly. And frankly there's nothing wrong with that, quite the opposite.
Why having negative feelings about someone's early retirement? I chose to be inspired by such stories.
Why having negative feelings about someone's early retirement? I chose to be inspired by such stories.
giratina
Educated Fool
bearfan
Ancient Mariner
Congrats @Jer I will be a bit beyond you, but planning on retiring between 55 and 58 depending on how a few things work out. Kids are essentially through school (at least I have it paid for). Not getting divorced a long time ago or not having kids would have gotten me to retirement around 45-ish .. but good tradeoff (the kids part) in my book. In any case, really looking forward to it and doing a ton of travel/working on some hobbies/interests
Magnus
currently discounted
Stay on this forum and you'll never notice when they went.
Magnus
currently discounted
Haven't been to Poland yet, regrettably. But the very first book I read on my own was Przygody i wędrówki Misia Uszatka (the Bulgarian translation obviously
There are of course other and more serious aspects in which Poland was significant to us in the Eastern Bloc but that's two of the things I tenderly remember.