The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Post-FIRE => Topic started by: arebelspy on February 21, 2016, 11:52:51 AM
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Before FIRE, I updated spreadsheets. I made projections. I worked, and reworked numbers.
Now, there's nothing to project. Sure, I have a few estimates around what my FIRE spending will be, or income around my rentals, but that's mostly just waiting to see what the data comes in as. There's no "what if..." tweaking. There's no "if I change THIS variable."
I miss that tinkering. The projecting. It was fun to do that, and then see the progress, and to update those estimates with data, and make new ones.
Just me? :D
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New goal: become billionaire philanthropist. And go!
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I think it is just you. Maybe there is a 12 step program for that though.
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You could project your net worth by the time you kick the bucket?
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Or start some spreadsheets for babyspy? :-)
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Not just you. My poor boyfriend - I really want to tweak and plan his entire financial life. Luckily he' s a good sport.
Also the reason I intend to be a financial planner, for either profit or fun. Probably profit first, then fun later. I can only analyze my own situation so much. Then it's just saving and waiting. I need other lives to plan and monitor.
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Or start some spreadsheets for babyspy? :-)
Maybe babyspy's college fund?
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No way that's just you. Spreadsheets can be so addicting, they should make a game out of it. Oh, wait... they already have (http://uo.com/) :-).
Maybe make a commitment to donate an additional slug of your income and/or assets, and then start tweaking the numbers to figure out how to make the rest of the finances work?
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I would run the retirement calculators once in a few weeks. I already knew the answers, but just to have fun. It seems that no full-time job might be a serious problem.
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I miss the spreadsheets too. I enjoyed it, it was like a game, how to solve the problem using creativity. I really miss it.
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I got married and FIREd at about the same time. I always had spreadsheets going, monitoring my progress to FI, then RE. Now, DH does all the banking and bill paying and I love having that off my plate. I can honestly say I don't miss any of it, but it did take a while.
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Or start some spreadsheets for babyspy? :-)
Maybe babyspy's college fund?
LOL!
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@arebelspy - I definitely relate. I was so focused on working towards my financial goals that when I finally reached them it felt kinda anti-climactic. "You mean I don't need to check my FI progress every day? Umm... Now what?"
It took a little while for that to really sink in and wear off. Eventually I found a new outlet for my spreadsheet fetish, which has been fun. There are always new goals you can set. They don't all have to be financial, though.
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Before FIRE, I updated spreadsheets. I made projections. I worked, and reworked numbers.
Now, there's nothing to project. Sure, I have a few estimates around what my FIRE spending will be, or income around my rentals, but that's mostly just waiting to see what the data comes in as. There's no "what if..." tweaking. There's no "if I change THIS variable."
I miss that tinkering. The projecting. It was fun to do that, and then see the progress, and to update those estimates with data, and make new ones.
Just me? :D
I'm not yet FI/RE, and I have plenty of math to be done (both my personal finance and completely unrelated mathy-ness). If you miss it that much you could take over my stuff.... :-)
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I miss that tinkering. The projecting. It was fun to do that, and then see the progress, and to update those estimates with data, and make new ones.
Just me? :D
I'm in the middle of all that fun right now! Oh how i love my spreadsheets and tinkering.
Can't you just live vicariously through all the people on this blog tinkering with their own spreadsheets?
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Well, I bloody hate spreadsheets and the related tinkering, and I doubt I'm the only one. So I see volunteer / side gig opportunities for you here...
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You aren't still doing spreadsheets for your growing empire of RE? To echo JJNL, I would be more than willing to let you tinker with my spreadsheets.
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I can relate.
I wonder what will happen with my coding proficiency when I FIRE. I'm hoping to get involved in some open source projects, which I've done in the past, otherwise those honed skills may likely atrophy.
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I make spreadsheets for everything... I'm sure you'll find new things to obsess about in retirement!
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Seems like someone needs to dabble more in the case studies section. ;)
Or just play with "what-ifs" for gits and shiggles.
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Before FIRE, I updated spreadsheets. I made projections. I worked, and reworked numbers.
Now, there's nothing to project. Sure, I have a few estimates around what my FIRE spending will be, or income around my rentals, but that's mostly just waiting to see what the data comes in as. There's no "what if..." tweaking. There's no "if I change THIS variable."
I miss that tinkering. The projecting. It was fun to do that, and then see the progress, and to update those estimates with data, and make new ones.
Just me? :D
Not just you:
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/post-fire/what-i-miss-most-after-fire/
(and read the last post on that thread, I guess you found something to miss ;-)
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My wife hates my spreadsheets. I see a blank stare gloss over her eyes when I start discussing them. I love Math (probably the Engineer in me)
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And this weekend I decided to educate some R&D engineers im my org how to calculate flowrates and pressure requirements for high temperature exhaust systems.
Not only did I get a math fix in I also demonstrated I am smarter than they are!.. I mean how absolutely orgasmic is that?..:)
Of course it means I have to keep my hobby job as a result..:)
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Before FIRE, I updated spreadsheets. I made projections. I worked, and reworked numbers.
Now, there's nothing to project. Sure, I have a few estimates around what my FIRE spending will be, or income around my rentals, but that's mostly just waiting to see what the data comes in as. There's no "what if..." tweaking. There's no "if I change THIS variable."
I miss that tinkering. The projecting. It was fun to do that, and then see the progress, and to update those estimates with data, and make new ones.
Just me? :D
Oh God, I'm a numbers freak. I have the precise month of my FI and my RE forecasted. I'm only 3 months into this FI thing...
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I'm interested to see how this applies to me. I've never created a spreadsheet for anything related to FIRE (most of my FIRE math was a bunch of scribbled notes in the margins of unrelated paperwork!), but I am a bit compulsive about running a calculation, even a rough estimate, if I think it will help me come to a better outcome. There should still be plenty of that in FIRE between my hobbies and traveling...
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I'm a programmer, so I guess it is easier to solve my problem of missing my work activities.
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Not having to update spreadsheets is one of my main driving forces to FIRE. I hate Excel and every variant there of.
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Before FIRE, I updated spreadsheets. I made projections. I worked, and reworked numbers.
Now, there's nothing to project. Sure, I have a few estimates around what my FIRE spending will be, or income around my rentals, but that's mostly just waiting to see what the data comes in as. There's no "what if..." tweaking. There's no "if I change THIS variable."
I miss that tinkering. The projecting. It was fun to do that, and then see the progress, and to update those estimates with data, and make new ones.
Just me? :D
Sounds like a part time business opportunity helping others do the same... :)
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I'd be happy to send you ours to tinker with! lol - My husband is totally not into it and although I like playing around with the numbers and spreadsheets, I have NO idea what I am really doing! hehe
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I miss it too - even though I'm not FIREd yet. Mostly I miss that excitement and sense of wonder I had the first couple years while I was discovering and learning about the whole FIRE ideas. I've been on autopilot the last couple years and took a new job that I'm still mostly excited/interested in. That lead to me completely losing interest in running the numbers and I pretty much completely stopped following the blogs/forums that had captured my attention so completely for a time. It's still an important aspect of my life - but, now that I have it figured out, it's no longer interesting for me to study.
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I spent a ton of time initially with spreadsheets but... now I just let it run on autopilot.
We update our budget/tracking sheet once a month when we reconcile monthly. I don't find I need to do anything more than that, to be honest.
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Spreadsheet your travel expenses :)
I spend way way way too much time on spreadsheets to optimize my travel budget.
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Before FIRE, I updated spreadsheets. I made projections. I worked, and reworked numbers.
Now, there's nothing to project. Sure, I have a few estimates around what my FIRE spending will be, or income around my rentals, but that's mostly just waiting to see what the data comes in as. There's no "what if..." tweaking. There's no "if I change THIS variable."
I miss that tinkering. The projecting. It was fun to do that, and then see the progress, and to update those estimates with data, and make new ones.
Just me? :D
I love spreadsheets too, so,no, it's not just you. That said, there are soooo many things you can put into a spreadsheet...it's hard for me to imagine missing them. I make a new one weekly, it seems ;) But, another way to get your fix might be to share the spreadsheets you used to FIRE and help others set up their own? Like another poster noted, i think this could be a good side hustle and way to share your wisdom. Your own success would be a huge selling point. You could even do it on a volunteer basis.
Since I FIRE'd I've been volunteering twice a week with a local cancer non-profit. I quickly became in charge of reorganizing their databases. I started with our client database, then helped them run stats on who they'd helped for better grant pitches. I'm now working on the donor database and helping create more efficiency in how/when they ask donors for money by tracking giving patterns more easily. No one else wanted to do it, but it was NEEDED and I've LOVED doing it. Both are just big Excel spreadsheets. A lot of nonprofits could really use your skillset - maybe check out volunteermatch.com and find one?
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An amusing thread from ARS? So befuddled. I have so much math in my daily life that my FIRE life (full of simple math) became unfulfilling long before RE. In fact, the higher math and long exercise routines (aka the 'fast life') is what keeps me at my job. But apparently that's just me, so I won't pollute this space with a whole lot of my opinion.
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the internet retirement police (IRP) say if you are fiddling with spreadsheets then you can't really be retired.
/s
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But apparently that's just me, so I won't pollute this space with a whole lot of my opinion.
Huh? Feel free to share. Always enjoy different perspectives, and hearing your opinion. :)
the internet retirement police (IRP) say if you are fiddling with spreadsheets then you can't really be retired.
/s
Guess I qualify as retired then. :(
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Unfortunately, I haven't used a spreadsheet since I first learned Excel like 20 years ago. Ugh. I've started one of the online tutorials several times, but haven't been able to stick it out (something always comes up). Perhaps when I'm retired . . . on potentially faulty math!
ARS, perhaps you can start a little cottage industry of doing the math for others?
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Before FIRE, I updated spreadsheets. I made projections. I worked, and reworked numbers.
Now, there's nothing to project. Sure, I have a few estimates around what my FIRE spending will be, or income around my rentals, but that's mostly just waiting to see what the data comes in as. There's no "what if..." tweaking. There's no "if I change THIS variable."
I miss that tinkering. The projecting. It was fun to do that, and then see the progress, and to update those estimates with data, and make new ones.
Just me? :D
Nope, not just you. I have grad degrees in engineering and math and used the methods for modeling throughout my career. The best I can think of, without going back to a full-time job, is tutoring or becoming an adjunct prof.
I feel your pain. I read some math every now and then out of simple interest, but I can feel my Excel skills rapidly slipping away. It was fun, just like constructing something physical.
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I've barely put my hair fire out to start down the exponentially fun path, but I totally understand this. I think for me, and maybe for others, it is not the math that is missed, but the tangible goals and tinkering with how to meet and exceed those goals.
"If I just get to 8% returns I'll cut an extra 4 months off FIRE!"
"If I cut an extra $60 a month, over 8 years, that's another $45 bucks a month for life!"
That's the fun of it (for me), and I imagine I'll have to fill that void too when it is gone.
I've adopted (stolen?) someone's comment I ran across once that said finances and saving was their gardening hobby-you plant your seeds, tend to them, watch them grow, and then enjoy the harvest.
This has become my hobby, and I imagine that simply enjoying the product without the process will take some getting used to.
That being said, I'm not exactly wringing my hands in sympathy for you, or in empathy...yet.
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Go back to work, weirdo.
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you are not alone in the universe...
spreadsheets were a horrible invention for whose of us who are 'list inclined' and I struggle with it too , love to model, create graphs, see how adjusting budget changes distributions, see how investments link to spending ,etc. all of the items personalcapital starts doing but at much deeper level of data..
we should create a proper * anonymous organization and 12 step program as others mentioned..
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ARS, why not become a consultant and do cash-flow analysis for n00b rental investors to help them follow in your footsteps?
I'm in the thick of a massive growth phase and I'm enjoying the forecasts so much that I've started to fear I'll hit FI and want to keep investing for its own sake instead of living....
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You just need a new goal to obsess about.
Example: Write a book and spreadsheet how much time you spend writing each day.
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See how fast you can pay off your rentals. If paid off then it's time to find another rental :-).
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See how fast you can pay off your rentals. If paid off then it's time to find another rental :-).
I can pay them off now. I don't want to, because math.
:)
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Hey Rebs, sorry 'bout the slow reply. The namesake to our hometown Elementary school passed away on the 29th and it has been an emotional weekend for the community. He was an amazing man, involved in Boy Scouts, education, business, politics... It has also been fantastic weather here which might not last, so we are outdoors, and my son went away camping so I had to check his packing and busy when he returned... So much happens when you think nothing is really going on!
When I first clicked on the subject line, I totally thought you were being facetious. Sounds like you were serious? I suppose I've been colored by other retirees I had read about (Bogleheads, E-R.org) who followed up a semi-math related career with math-heavy early retirement and deeper application and learning post-career. Once you are relying on math for your 'livelihood' I would think you'd want to ensure you stay sharp, for a while. The basic math is behind you, but optimization allows for endless manipulation and leverage and understanding of new ways to ensure that the math is working for you.
Unfortunately the sites I was trying to link to are gone (bobsfinancialwebsite, gumby's math at Bogleheads, and my own 'sophisticated' withdrawal strategy / math that I outlined on my now defunct site). Oh well, as long as the missing of the math does not result in a bad outcome, I'm not sure why I'm championing it :) I guess personally, I love math and will always have it be a juicy part of my life, but I understand that some folks don't feel this way. I also sense people feel the same way about difficult literature - symbolism, abstraction, metaphor... They are not necessary, but to me oftentimes worth the effort. Do you want black and white or do you appreciate shades of grey?
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See how fast you can pay off your rentals. If paid off then it's time to find another rental :-).
I can pay them off now. I don't want to, because math.
:)
Got it...because of the low interest rates?? I guess I would think more about the cash flow but that wouldn't be optimizing in your case.
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I guess personally, I love math and will always have it be a juicy part of my life
Ditto. That's why I miss it.
do you appreciate shades of grey?
Just the first 49 of them.
See how fast you can pay off your rentals. If paid off then it's time to find another rental :-).
I can pay them off now. I don't want to, because math.
:)
Got it...because of the low interest rates?? I guess I would think more about the cash flow but that wouldn't be optimizing in your case.
Right. The money is much more effective elsewhere.
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@Arebelspy I just noticed your location says "Traveling the world"...lol. I'm currently selling my house so at the end of Apr I'll be homeless and unemployed...I'm such a loser :-). I'll have to remember to change my location because that's my plan, to just roam the earth.
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@Arebelspy I just noticed your location says "Traveling the world"...lol. I'm currently selling my house so at the end of Apr I'll be homeless and unemployed...I'm such a loser :-). I'll have to remember to change my location because that's my plan, to just roam the earth.
Yup, we're homeless bums. :)
I put that as my location, because I didn't want to have to update it every time we moved cities. I do have a journal thread though that stays updated with my current location.
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@Arebelspy I just noticed your location says "Traveling the world"...lol. I'm currently selling my house so at the end of Apr I'll be homeless and unemployed...I'm such a loser :-). I'll have to remember to change my location because that's my plan, to just roam the earth.
Yup, we're homeless bums. :)
I put that as my location, because I didn't want to have to update it every time we moved cities. I do have a journal thread though that stays updated with my current location.
There's also that GPS tracker chip the NSA installed in all of us.
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@Arebelspy I just noticed your location says "Traveling the world"...lol. I'm currently selling my house so at the end of Apr I'll be homeless and unemployed...I'm such a loser :-). I'll have to remember to change my location because that's my plan, to just roam the earth.
Yup, we're homeless bums. :)
I put that as my location, because I didn't want to have to update it every time we moved cities. I do have a journal thread though that stays updated with my current location.
There's also that GPS tracker chip the NSA installed in all of us.
Right, we still have to schedule the baby's appointment to get that installed when we're in the States in May. Thanks for the reminder!
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I sympathize. A few people have accused me of being a cover model for this magazine
(http://www.phwadsworth.com/Spreadsheet_Enthusiast.jpg)
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I wonder how many people under 30 have ever used a dot matrix printer like that.
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I wonder how many people under 30 have ever used a dot matrix printer like that.
Such a distinctive sound.
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I wonder how many people under 30 have ever used a dot matrix printer like that.
Such a distinctive sound.
So many hole ribbons on the side to rip off.
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I wonder how many people under 30 have ever used a dot matrix printer like that.
One of my funnest random jobs in college was as a temp in an office that did customer service and had lots of records. For some reason I never understood, they would print monthly reports that size on a dot matrix printer and then never use them. One of my responsibilities was to sit in the warehouse and shred them in a big industrial shredder. Basically, I was paid to feed one end of the stack in the shredder and then sit back and occasionally replace the trash bags to catch the continuous stream of paper. I always liked shredding days.
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@Arebelspy I just noticed your location says "Traveling the world"...lol. I'm currently selling my house so at the end of Apr I'll be homeless and unemployed...I'm such a loser :-). I'll have to remember to change my location because that's my plan, to just roam the earth.
Yup, we're homeless bums. :)
I put that as my location, because I didn't want to have to update it every time we moved cities. I do have a journal thread though that stays updated with my current location.
I've seen other post from you and I've always liked your objective insight. I clicked your journal thread and the first thing that came up was Camino de Santiago de Compostela...no time to read tonight but that is freaking awesome! I so want to head to New Zealand (My dream for the last 20+ years) for a couple of months but I would rather go when it's warmer. So now I think I'm heading toward Europe and Asia. I'm doing it alone so I have some anxiety about it but I'm going to force myself to do it just to see what happens.
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We're about to leave Europe (well, in a month), but then we'll be down in Australia for the summer (their winter), and New Zealand around August/September, and Asia for the 6-8ish months after that, so if you end up in those areas, let me know, we should get together. :)
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Sent you a PM!
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You will probably enjoy this conference - http://www.eusprig.org/horror-stories.htm
Basically a conference devoted to managing inherent risk with spreadsheet errors. That link is a fun list of normally really expensive "oops" mistakes in spreadsheets that cost thousands or millions.
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I wonder how many people under 30 have ever used a dot matrix printer like that.
Such a distinctive sound.
BREEEET BREEET BREEET BRROOVE BROOOVE (Choking lion) (choking lion) BREEET BREEET (barfing dog)
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Wait a second, it could be a daisy wheel printer too! The one we had was louder than any dot matrix printer but had the ribbons!
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I wonder how many people under 30 have ever used a dot matrix printer like that.
Such a distinctive sound.
BREEEET BREEET BREEET BRROOVE BROOOVE (Choking lion) (choking lion) BREEET BREEET (barfing dog)
That's surprisingly accurate.
Wait a second, it could be a daisy wheel printer too! The one we had was louder than any dot matrix printer but had the ribbons!
That one's more CLACK CLA CLACKATA CLACK CLA CLACK <whhhheeeeppp> CLACKATA CLACK CLACK CLACKATA CLA CLACK <whhhheeeeppp>
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http://forupm.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/er-take-pension-now-or-later/msg1066311/#msg1066311
Arbelspy, will you take your awesomeness over there and enjoy some math for me?
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http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/er-take-pension-now-or-later/msg1066311/#msg1066311
Arbelspy, will you take your awesomeness over there and enjoy some math for me?
Done!
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I guess I would think more about the cash flow but that wouldn't be optimizing in your case.
You're almost always gonna increase cash flow more by buying new leveraged property than paying down existing loans.
If not, you may be in a crappy market.
ARS, think about my consulting idea? ;)
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ARS, think about my consulting idea? ;)
That sounds suspiciously like a job.
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ARS, think about my consulting idea? ;)
That sounds suspiciously like a job.
Not if I don't pay you to consult me. :D
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ARS, think about my consulting idea? ;)
That sounds suspiciously like a job.
Not if I don't pay you to consult me. :D
* it, you're close enough, take the leap.
That'll be $0, please.
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ARS, think about my consulting idea? ;)
That sounds suspiciously like a job.
I am seriously thinking about setting up a second rental partnership just to have more investment deals to do (the first one, our cash is all in and we're waiting on some renovations and subsequent restructuring before we can procure). Keep in mind, before this first one even starts paying out, I'm probably FIREd. It's less than 10% of my total invested NW. A 2nd would be even smaller.
I'll make money spinning up a second company, but I basically know I'll never need it... so, is it a job? Or am I just having fun while coaxing some other n00bz into the business and mentoring them?
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That's for you to decide, I guess.
I'd need more details on the amount of time and effort involved before I'd make a decision of "retirement hobby" versus "career change". (I, unlike MMM, don't buy into the "if you are FI and call yourself retired, even if still working, you're retired"--though I'm not going to join the IRP and go around and call people on it, but you asked. Except EFB. I'll call him on it, cause gods, we gotta get that guy out!).
But what I think doesn't matter, it's what you think.
And actually, what you think (retired or not) doesn't matter either. Do what you want to do, and who cares about how it's labeled?
If you want to start an investing partnership and work with people, and it's a job, or not... so?
Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think.
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That's for you to decide, I guess.
I'd need more details on the amount of time and effort involved before I'd make a decision of "retirement hobby" versus "career change". (I, unlike MMM, don't buy into the "if you are FI and call yourself retired, even if still working, you're retired"--though I'm not going to join the IRP and go around and call people on it, but you asked. Except EFB. I'll call him on it, cause gods, we gotta get that guy out!).
But what I think doesn't matter, it's what you think.
And actually, what you think (retired or not) doesn't matter either. Do what you want to do, and who cares about how it's labeled?
If you want to start an investing partnership and work with people, and it's a job, or not... so?
Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think.
.
That was an interesting post from the perspective of an ER on work, but what did you mean by 'it's later than you think'?
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what did you mean by 'it's later than you think'?
Well, that depends on who's reading it, I suppose.
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I love it, can I use it?
To me it means DON'T WASTE ANOTHER MINUTE!
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Yikes everybody, what is all of this 'don't waste another minute' business? As a fun sideshow, I'm listening to Neal Stephenson's latest 'Seveneves' which depicts a possible demise of the human race. But that is all fiction! We (being the privileged) will most likeley live to 90 or 100 (or far longer, as I postulated here (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/off-topic/we-have-to-start-to-think-about-eternity/msg1036463/#msg1036463)). I totally don't buy in to the idea that time is fleeting, other than our attention spans.
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Yikes everybody, what is all of this 'don't waste another minute' business? As a fun sideshow, I'm listening to Neal Stephenson's latest 'Seveneves' which depicts a possible demise of the human race. But that is all fiction! We (being the privileged) will most likeley live to 90 or 100 (or far longer, as I postulated here (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/off-topic/we-have-to-start-to-think-about-eternity/msg1036463/#msg1036463)). I totally don't buy in to the idea that time is fleeting, other than our attention spans.
Time isn't fleeting perhaps. But prime health and mental acumen? Those sure might be.
The idea of living to 90 or 100 vs 70 or 80 matters a lot less if you are unable able to fully enjoy those years.
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Yikes everybody, what is all of this 'don't waste another minute' business? As a fun sideshow, I'm listening to Neal Stephenson's latest 'Seveneves' which depicts a possible demise of the human race. But that is all fiction! We (being the privileged) will most likeley live to 90 or 100 (or far longer, as I postulated here (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/off-topic/we-have-to-start-to-think-about-eternity/msg1036463/#msg1036463)). I totally don't buy in to the idea that time is fleeting, other than our attention spans.
Time isn't fleeting perhaps. But prime health and mental acumen? Those sure might be.
The idea of living to 90 or 100 vs 70 or 80 matters a lot less if you are unable able to fully enjoy those years.
I guess that's it. Health outcomes from 40 onward are really screwy. I've seen people die of heart attacks at the same age that I've seen people fun world record half marathon times, so maybe that is the message?
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Yikes everybody, what is all of this 'don't waste another minute' business?
Everybody? One person said that. Maybe that was the message for him. I don't see anything wrong with that takeaway, at all, in any case, but who is "everybody" you are addressing that to? :)
We (being the privileged) will most likeley live to 90 or 100 (or far longer, as I postulated here (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/off-topic/we-have-to-start-to-think-about-eternity/msg1036463/#msg1036463)).
90 or 100 years (or 10,000 years) is nothing. A blink of an eye.
Eternity are in the seconds, but the years are nothing.
I totally don't buy in to the idea that time is fleeting, other than our attention spans.
I don't know if anything isn't fleeting.
I guess that's it. Health outcomes from 40 onward are really screwy. I've seen people die of heart attacks at the same age that I've seen people fun world record half marathon times, so maybe that is the message?
Cool. Maybe that's the message for you:
what did you mean by 'it's later than you think'?
Well, that depends on who's reading it, I suppose.
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We (being the privileged) will most likeley live to 90 or 100 (or far longer, as I postulated here (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/off-topic/we-have-to-start-to-think-about-eternity/msg1036463/#msg1036463)).
90 or 100 years (or 10,000 years) is nothing. A blink of an eye.
Eternity are in the seconds, but the years are nothing. ...
One thing that I always respected about a former friend of mine was that he steadfastly maintained that he would live forever.
It's actually not as far-fetched as it sounds, especially if we adopt a generous definition of "live forever". One of the relatively clear approaches to eternal life would be to develop technology that is able to scan a person's brain and extract the algorithms and memories that make them who they are, and then reimplement those algorithms in a different medium not subject to the frailties of the human body.
Personally, I've generally assumed that I will die at some point, but maybe that just means I'm not taking on a challenge. Maybe assuming that we will die makes us wussypants. Instead of just accepting death, perhaps we should rise to the occasion and beat it. This project might just be worthy of your time in retirement.
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Instead of just accepting death, perhaps we should rise to the occasion and beat it.
I don't see anything that needs beating. Death is not an enemy.
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Write a book on the math of real estate investing and FI. I would buy it.
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I would borrow it. 😉
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We aren't even FIRE yet and I already sort of relate. At this point our savings habits are pretty well ingrained and while we do still make efforts at tweaking and optimizing further, the fact is that we are past the point of being able to make huge money saving changes like switching to a bike commute instead of driving or cutting the grocery bill by eliminating booze and filet mignon. It is still fun to challenge myself to make small tweaks--I remind myself that even a savings of $50/month on a regular basis is a $15k decrease in required stash, so it is worth it to look for those kinds of reductions, especially if they are relatively painless. But our current situation is more like "just don't do anything stupid and you'll be fine", so there isn't quite the same thrill as there was a few years ago when I first started really socking money away.
All that said, surely there are other things you can turn into a spreadsheet? I feel like I have quite a bit to keep track of that isn't FIRE!
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Do what you want to do, and who cares about how it's labeled?
Oh, I'm with you 100%, and that's why I figured this might be relevant to your missing the math. I'm sure there's a way to get that mental exercise without feeling like you went back to the rat race.
Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think.
I love that line. I get it.
I don't see anything that needs beating. Death is not an enemy.
FIRE has turned you into a muhfuggin' Zen master.
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That's for you to decide, I guess.
I'd need more details on the amount of time and effort involved before I'd make a decision of "retirement hobby" versus "career change". (I, unlike MMM, don't buy into the "if you are FI and call yourself retired, even if still working, you're retired"--though I'm not going to join the IRP and go around and call people on it, but you asked. Except EFB. I'll call him on it, cause gods, we gotta get that guy out!).
But what I think doesn't matter, it's what you think.
And actually, what you think (retired or not) doesn't matter either. Do what you want to do, and who cares about how it's labeled?
If you want to start an investing partnership and work with people, and it's a job, or not... so?
Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think.
Hey I'm out!.. Well in 3 weeks I wil be.. Just one more sheckel to add to the stash.. Ca I pay for the SE Asia trip for the 17th time in the next 3 weeks.. maaybe...:)
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Before FIRE, I updated spreadsheets. I made projections. I worked, and reworked numbers.
Now, there's nothing to project. Sure, I have a few estimates around what my FIRE spending will be, or income around my rentals, but that's mostly just waiting to see what the data comes in as. There's no "what if..." tweaking. There's no "if I change THIS variable."
I miss that tinkering. The projecting. It was fun to do that, and then see the progress, and to update those estimates with data, and make new ones.
Just me? :D
Haha, I am playing with spreadsheets currently, and I really do enjoy it... I didn't even think of how much I enjoy messing with them until you mentioned this. I guess it is an engineering nerd kinda thing...
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He he, I was just reading this thread sat in a coffee shop on the outskirts of Shanghai when I had one of those "WTF are you doing?" Moments.
Oh wait, never mind I am sat contentedly in a Chinese coffee shop typing on a Kindle.. Life is good... :)
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That's the dream.