Author Topic: Suggestions for future planning, career, location, etc.  (Read 3502 times)

use2betrix

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Suggestions for future planning, career, location, etc.
« on: September 05, 2015, 11:59:18 AM »
The last year or so since discovering MMM it has really opened my eyes to what I want in life. I used to be much more of a consumer valuing unmustachian things as opposed to experiences.

A little about myself. I am 27 and my fiancé is 21. We've been together 3 years. I work in the industrial new construction industry, thus we travel all over the country for work. She occasionally works but often not, as she doesnt make a fraction of what I do and we enjoy having more free time to spend together. On average I make the equivalent of 150-200k a year or so. Since we travel, we live full time in a 5th wheel we tow with my truck. We owe about 95k on these two items. Truck will be paid off in 3 and trailer in 7, interest rates are low enough I'd rather invest than pay off sooner. Plus, the trailer is our house so I look at it like that.

Needless to say, I'm starting to get a bit burnt out. I want a house eventually, I want a big shop that I can put gym equipment and welding equipment in. I used to be a welder by trade and fitness has been a life long passion.

I see a few different options which I'll lay out:

1. Continue doing this another 6-8 years and have enough saved to pay cash for a house and have a good chunk of withdrawal on interest from my investments. I may be able to retire early or Either start a business doing what I love to make an extra 30-40k, or just go and do contract work like I do now for a few months out of the year. I could also do this living somewhere I love.

2. Stop traveling sooner, and get a permanent job somewhere I don't love but pays well, could probably make 100-120k somewhere I am not a big fan of. I could get a house sooner and still have a house, shop, etc. I probably couldn't do the hobbies I want as I wouldn't be in a location I want. Snowboarding, good mountain biking, etc. the locations I'd really like to live I could maybe make half that, and living ERE like or working for 30 hrs isn't too appealing.

3. Travel a few more years, buy a house somewhere I enjoy, but continue traveling for 8-9 months a year, taking 3-4 off. Maybe using that time to try and get a business kicked off.

Either way, I'm not miserable right now as I enjoy my job for the most part and get paid well, I just feel like I'm going to waste these years of my prime living in places I don't care for (the south for the most part, I hate the summers which is like march through november lol)

I just feel like I'm in a tough spot. Either way the best thing I can do now is continue making money and saving. I feel like if the housing market takes a decent dive in the next few years, I'd take advantage of that and buy a house somewhere I'd really like and go from there.

Anyways, just throwing these things out there, looking for some input or maybe ideas I haven't thought of.

mozar

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Re: Suggestions for future planning, career, location, etc.
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2015, 06:17:49 PM »
Depends on how burnt out you really feel, and what exactly you feel burnt out about? If I only had 6 years until FIRE I would stick it out. I would rather never have to work again, ymmv.

2ndTimer

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Re: Suggestions for future planning, career, location, etc.
« Reply #2 on: September 06, 2015, 08:31:12 AM »
Before anything else have a talk with your fiance and find out how she feels about all of this.  Getting everything arranged and then finding out your SO has been reading from a completely different page of life can really screw things up.

Kris

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Re: Suggestions for future planning, career, location, etc.
« Reply #3 on: September 06, 2015, 08:58:57 AM »
Before anything else have a talk with your fiance and find out how she feels about all of this.  Getting everything arranged and then finding out your SO has been reading from a completely different page of life can really screw things up.

This.  Not to mention, she is very young, and since the balance of financial power is very strongly in your camp, I think it's really important to pay attention to whether you are both giving equal input into discussions like this. If you have been together since she was 18 and her life has been basically following you around for work, my concern would be that she has not really thought about what she wants to be/do in the world yet.  I definitely suggest the two of you have many conversations about this over a period of many months before you start making any long term decisions about your own individual career that will affect both of you.

use2betrix

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Re: Suggestions for future planning, career, location, etc.
« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2015, 09:45:57 AM »
We talk about EVERYTHING. We've lived together for over 2 years and are each others best friend. She would be happy with any of the options above. I don't do anything without discussing with her first, and vice versa. We've talked about the future and plans on pretty much a weekly basis.

We have all the same hobbies and enjoy the same things. We like the same foods, movies, working out, biking, skiing/snowboarding, everything. We are both very laid back, a typical "argument" would be who has to decide where we're going for dinner or what movie to watch lol. Because we are both so laid back about those things.

Pretty much as long as we have kids some day she is content. Kids play into the factor a bit but not terribly. We may still have them while we have a couple years left of traveling but not sure. Once they started kindergarten I'd like to be done traveling.

mozar

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Re: Suggestions for future planning, career, location, etc.
« Reply #5 on: September 06, 2015, 10:04:50 AM »
Kindergarten would be at least 6 years from now so I would just keep working. How many kids does she want? If she wants more than 3 you should start soon.

use2betrix

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Re: Suggestions for future planning, career, location, etc.
« Reply #6 on: September 06, 2015, 11:15:56 AM »
Probably 2. Anywhere from 1-3 though so it depends. Nothing crazy lol.

 

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