Author Topic: When you've won the GAME!  (Read 20469 times)

Ozlady

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2025
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #50 on: March 14, 2018, 05:14:51 PM »

The point that resonated most with me on the MMM blog was that when people are free from financial pressures is when they do their best and most meaningful work...unless they burn themselves out on their day job first.

My grandmother retired from teaching and wrote some very successful books, my aunt retired and learned an Inuit language and got a massive grant to live up north and work on cultural projects, my mom retired and became a dog breeder and dress shop owner because she likes dogs and clothes, my dad retired from being a shop owner and became a political campaign manager, my friend retired from government and became a university lecturer, and another friend retired from dentistry and opened a school in Ghana.

I’m surrounded by people who left day jobs and went on to bigger and better things. I personally find that stage of life to be the most important to invest in, which is why I’m skipping most of the day job step and going straight to the “wait...what do I actually *want* to do???”


Thanks for this!!   really resonates with me...my problem is if i walk away now (or rather DH)..the opportunity cost is nearly half a mil....so altho we have won the game so to speak, the temptation to pad that stache is so much so that it freezes you:(
« Last Edit: March 14, 2018, 05:22:12 PM by Ozlady »

gerardc

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 767
  • Age: 40
  • Location: SF bay area
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #51 on: March 14, 2018, 10:05:32 PM »
Not giving up yet/can't walk away because -
-it's easy (people tell me all the time how easy I have it and why am I whining)
-don't yet have something to RE to
-I'll miss the 2 hour lunches
-I can keep adding to stash
-miss office gossip, drama
-have few friends outside of workplace

I'm the same -- on paper, perfect cushy job, $350-400k comp, flexible hours, etc. yet I'm pretty unhappy and complaining. I feel bad about it because some of my friends make 10X less literally but don't seem to mind.

Most people tell me to ENJOY, YOU DESERVE IT, splurge, etc. (spending more, basically) but doing that doesn't make me happy and I just want freedom to do my own thing and not have to go in everyday sit my ass on that chair.

londonbanker

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 251
  • Age: 44
  • Location: London, UK
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #52 on: April 27, 2018, 02:21:38 PM »
Following

dude

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2369
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #53 on: April 30, 2018, 08:17:21 AM »
Not giving up yet/can't walk away because -
-it's easy (people tell me all the time how easy I have it and why am I whining)
-don't yet have something to RE to
-I'll miss the 2 hour lunches
-I can keep adding to stash
-miss office gossip, drama
-have few friends outside of workplace

I'm the same -- on paper, perfect cushy job, $350-400k comp, flexible hours, etc. yet I'm pretty unhappy and complaining. I feel bad about it because some of my friends make 10X less literally but don't seem to mind.

Most people tell me to ENJOY, YOU DESERVE IT, splurge, etc. (spending more, basically) but doing that doesn't make me happy and I just want freedom to do my own thing and not have to go in everyday sit my ass on that chair.

good lord, THIS! my comp isn't quite that high, but higher than most, and I feel the same way. I CANNOT WAIT to be unchained from this burdensome state we call "work," because it saps the life energy out of me every damn day! Work bears on everything I do. Last night, I was feeling it acutely -- had shit I had to get done late last night, and was fretting about it because, fuck, now I'm only going to get 5 hours of sleep because I have to get up for work tomorrow. I HATE that feeling. Of the 108 or so hours I'm awake each week, more than half of them are spent at work/getting ready for work/commuting to and from work. That sucks.

EscapeVelocity2020

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4815
  • Age: 50
  • Location: Houston
    • EscapeVelocity2020
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #54 on: May 01, 2018, 12:56:16 AM »
A wake up call was an all day hiking Trek on a Pategonia glacier that restricted the tour to 18-50 year olds.  WTF...our hiking club has 80 year olds that hike up mongolian mountains. But regardless, the travel budget money will get less valuable as we hit certain ages.

Just couldn't help but laugh.  I mean, if some activity doesn't want me at 51, although I still expect to be running 8 minute miles and competitive half marathons, then whatever.  I know I've let myself go from my sub-7 minute miles and full marathons, but I'm just starting to have fun is all! 

I'm active in our Boy scout troop, and there are a plurality of 12 - 18 year-olds that can't run 8 minute miles or hike 13 miles straight.  And this is a self-selected group that puts this up as a requirement!

physdude

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 18
  • Age: 48
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #55 on: May 01, 2018, 08:49:09 AM »
I'm in this situation as well. We could downsize and have a great stash with great income.

But it's a trade off. For some, it's worth it to live in a LCOL area. I'm sure it's doable but I have yet to find an area with the advantages we have in our HCOLA. Unfortunately it costs more to live in a place where all ammenities are walkable, where there's easy access to public transit and transit to airports, where there's lots of parks and easy access to hospitals, libraries, community centres, farmers markets, where there's cultural diversity, people who care about the community, streets that are safe and quiet, left leaning politics, well educated, not homogenously or overly religious, etc.

That's pretty much my list. I'm still looking for a community that has all this at a lower cost, and it could be out there but so far have not found it. It may delay retirement (retiring in 5 years instead of right now) but I don't want to retire to a community that I don't fit in to.

Does this place have to be in the US? I have most of the things you mention in Kuala Lumpur (except possibly for the library bit which requires a US$4-5 ride to get to) - 5 minutes walk to the MRT station (very nice, immaculately clean with pleasant restrooms etc), a straightforward if long public transit ride to the really nice and well connected KLIA (it is more than 40 miles away but easy to get to), hospitals are a short train ride away, pretty nice social clubs are about 30 minutes away by public transit, small farmers markets are there every morning just 5 minutes walking distance away, large ones twice a week within 10 minutes walking distance, a lot of cultural diversity around with Malaysia being itself very racially and culturally diverse and there being large expat communities in the immediate neighborhood (mostly Arab and West African), the streets seem very safe and fairly quiet (there is a strong meme that KL streets are not safe but I have frankly felt more at ease and safe here than, say, Hong Kong where I was last and, of course, Chicago) and the people staying here are fairly well educated as it is a middle class neighborhood but the poorer people who work in the eateries/shops and the farmers coming to the markets are not but have grown up in a very multi-ethnic and cultural environment for centuries.

The politics, however, are a complete mess and pretty much everyone here agrees on that. Some people might not be too happy with the prayers from the mosque which are loud enough to hear with the windows open but the simple expedient of closing the window eliminates that. There are also Hindu and Chinese temples and churches in the neighborhood which is not surprising given the diversity around. There is little overbearing religiosity and beer is freely available at the many 24 hour stores and eateries in the neighborhood and the neighborhood spa has little problem offering "extra services" if you want (and no, I don't use it for that - just the normal massage - but it shows how little effect the official religion has in practice whatever the theory maybe).

For a couple, the cost of living here in my condo which has a nice infinity pool with a very nice sunset view, gym, sauna, badminton courts, a rooftop garden with nice views etc in a fully furnished 3 br/3 ba apartment should be well under US$2k a month and less than US$1.5k if one is willing to eat out most of the time and have the ubiquitous local or West African food. A British friend of mine who is retired spends way less than either figure locally and his expenses only reach the latter figure after including the roughly once a month vacations that he takes. He, however, does live in only a 1 bedroom apartment.

bayarea_dude

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 6
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #56 on: May 06, 2018, 12:47:23 PM »
When I finally cash out the cash cow (house in bay area), I need to find another place but still in the west coast.  Where in the west coast is 1/2 COL as the peninsula?  1st thoughts are Yosemite, lake tahoe (NV side), seattle, portland

Mrs Brightside

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 89
  • Location: a Cinnabon in Omaha
  • What one fool can do, another can.
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #57 on: July 17, 2018, 06:55:37 AM »
I must admit I'm envious of the over $200,000 per year crowd. Seems they showed up around 3 years ago here on MM, I think.

Ten years ago, everyone was making less than $100,000 here, most probably below $60,000.  Or at least that how it seemed.

I maxed out at $80,000 per year as a programmer in 2001, and I thought I was overpaid.

I just can't imagine making $200,000 per year, although I would have happily accepted such an offer. Who is worth $200,000 per year? Gadzooks.

Just a thought: $80,000 in 2001 adjusted for inflation equals $113,344.37 in 2018. These people making over $100,000 today are in the same boat as you.

soccerluvof4

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7161
  • Location: Artic Midwest
  • Retired at 50
    • My Journal
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #58 on: July 17, 2018, 03:26:19 PM »
For me the trigger was I just one day came in and said I dont want to deal with the shit anymore and that was it. I was self-employed for 25+ years and had it with incompetent employees to customers who always tried to short pay to lawsuits and worry. If I didnt get out 3.5 years ago I dont know if I'd be around right now. So that was my trigger.

Ocinfo

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 313
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #59 on: July 17, 2018, 06:49:19 PM »
I must admit I'm envious of the over $200,000 per year crowd. Seems they showed up around 3 years ago here on MM, I think.

Ten years ago, everyone was making less than $100,000 here, most probably below $60,000.  Or at least that how it seemed.

I maxed out at $80,000 per year as a programmer in 2001, and I thought I was overpaid.

I just can't imagine making $200,000 per year, although I would have happily accepted such an offer. Who is worth $200,000 per year? Gadzooks.

Just a thought: $80,000 in 2001 adjusted for inflation equals $113,344.37 in 2018. These people making over $100,000 today are in the same boat as you.

It’s been a great economy for at least 5-6 years with a lot of money to be made. When I started reading Get Rich Slowly, I made $25k, started reading MMM around 2011 making $80k and now around $200k total comp. Its been a good run from an economy (2008) where any job was a good job. Things will probably change around here whenever the next inevitable recession hits and folks are more focused on frugality like the early days of MMM.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

biggrey

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 21
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #60 on: July 18, 2018, 07:54:23 PM »
A couple more thoughts about folks who can retire but don't.

The talented and honest car mechanic who retires leaves me with one less honest and talented mechanic to go to. I would prefer he or she keep working. This is the mechanic who knows what your problem is and actually tells you what it is so you can fix it yourself. Don't disappear on me, dude !!   

The overpaid sinecure guy making more than $200,000 per year just to show up (can you feel my envy?)  will have even more money, if he keeps showing up to the office,  to buy something from me on Craigslist or Ebay at my high asking price, so that's a win for me. If he retires, he will still probably pay me my same high asking price, I hope.     

Yes, but we need you too.  It's a huge win for us.  From our perspective, your used stuff on Craiglist, eBay and Kijiji is a bargain!  We are happy to pay your "high asking prices".  We've spent so much money in the past that paying you feels like scaling way back to prudent and thrifty.

gerardc

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 767
  • Age: 40
  • Location: SF bay area
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #61 on: July 21, 2018, 01:44:03 PM »
It’s been a great economy for at least 5-6 years with a lot of money to be made. When I started reading Get Rich Slowly, I made $25k, started reading MMM around 2011 making $80k and now around $200k total comp. Its been a good run from an economy (2008) where any job was a good job. Things will probably change around here whenever the next inevitable recession hits and folks are more focused on frugality like the early days of MMM.

Are salaries that volatile with the economy / stock market? How much of that increase is due to simple career progression?

Ocinfo

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 313
Re: When you've won the GAME!
« Reply #62 on: July 21, 2018, 05:37:52 PM »
It’s been a great economy for at least 5-6 years with a lot of money to be made. When I started reading Get Rich Slowly, I made $25k, started reading MMM around 2011 making $80k and now around $200k total comp. Its been a good run from an economy (2008) where any job was a good job. Things will probably change around here whenever the next inevitable recession hits and folks are more focused on frugality like the early days of MMM.

Are salaries that volatile with the economy / stock market? How much of that increase is due to simple career progression?

There is some correlation. Up to around 2012 it wasn’t uncommon for people to have their pay froze or receive very low raises. In my case, as the economy picked up, I received job offers that my company matched. All in all, those job offers resulted in about $50k of the $175k growth. When we are hiring engineers, it’s common that they have multiple offers and we’re having to offer about 25% more than we would have 5+ years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk