Author Topic: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...  (Read 340061 times)

CowboyAndIndian

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #100 on: December 02, 2016, 08:43:50 AM »
Awesome pictures. He mentioned that he takes  his pictures with an iPhone (not sure if he changed to a regular camera when they switched to an RV.)

Go thru all of the posts for great pictures.

MOD NOTE: Removing picture shared in private journal section.  Click link heading this quote to see it.

 Edit: He is still using an iPhone.
« Last Edit: December 04, 2016, 08:28:32 AM by arebelspy »

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #101 on: December 02, 2016, 11:28:37 AM »
Definitely GrimSqueaker's phrase "fornication donation" upthread. Made my day.

Posting to follow along.

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #102 on: December 18, 2016, 06:47:17 PM »
Spork's advice on keeping a brokerage account safe:

Some of these have been mentioned already:

* A complex password.  Not a dictionary word.  I use a password generator that minimally does 16 character (and guarantees upper/lower/special characters).  It has options for longer/shorter/etc because some sites have ridiculous, bad password requirements. 
* since it is a random bunch of characters, you'll have to use a password manager, as mentioned
* Don't re-use that password anywhere
* Don't re-use your userid (if there is one).
* Don't re-use your email address either.  If you get an email from Vanguard, it better damn well go to the email address you expect it to.  If you get an email address from spammyguy and it comes to the Vanguard email address you've never used anywhere else... this is a flag that something dastardly is going on. 
* Because you're using multiple email addresses, these will also have to be folded into your password manager.  For my many multiple email addresses, I use a combination of dedicatedmail@mydomain.com and sneakemail.  Sneakemail is a paid service that will generate unique email addresses and tag them.  They will then forward to one or more back end accounts with the reply-to rewritten.  If you reply, it goes back through sneakemail and rewrites it to the original sender.  Highly recommended.
* for account reset questions: ALWAYS LIE.  These are usually stupid questions that are public knowledge.  Use a different one for every account.  "What's your mother's maiden name?  Blackwoodpecker"   Add these to your password manager.
* I actually use an entirely separate browser instance for financial institutions.  For normal browsing, I try to use plugins to limit scripting and ads (both of these are slowly becoming impossible to limit these days).  For financial institutions, I pretty much allow everything.  Minimally this keeps cookies separate.  If nothing else, it makes you think:  I'm using the financial browser... think before you click.  It also keeps things like tabnapping from happening.
* I don't actually believe in changing passwords often.  I think this is a bad practice that tends to make people make bad passwords.  Instead of a password like "1fF1F4dnP1I1oHv4" ... you end up with "MyPassword01" that changes to "MyPassword02" ... etc. 
* Two factor auth is awesome.  I'd take it further and make sure you keep it 2 factor.  In other words, if you're browsing on your phone and the 2nd factor is SMS... it's really not a second factor.  You already are holding both factors on the same device.  (I worked for a company with a complicated login process, but every single factor was controlled by your Windows credentials.  If you had those, you owned every 2nd factor in the system: email, desk phone options, etc.)
* As much as automated stuff is cool... I'd say do not use it for financial data.  I am not a fan of web sites (Mint, etc) that log into your financial institutions and download data.  The primary mantra of computer security is "least required privilege".  The least required privilege for those sites is "none". 
* Keep your computer up to date.  "Do you want to update/upgrade?" is a question you cannot refuse.  Don't run on out of date platforms.  If Windows XP is not supported, upgrade or buy a new computer.  (The same goes for smart phones.  When Google/Apple/Moto/etc stop supporting your model, you pretty much have to upgrade.)
* Stay away from shady web sites.  Even on-the-level web sites tend to sell ads that can run javascript on your machine.  Bad actors have become pretty smart.  I try very hard to limit javascript... but that really is becoming difficult.  If you're going to play around on those sites... use separate machines (or VMs) for those sites vs financial sites.
* It's not a bad idea to learn Linux.  It can be more secure, IMO.  (But: it's totally possible to make a insecure mess with Linux just like it is with any OS.)  If nothing else, you are a smaller target.  Large scale hacks tend to go towards the mainstream.  The IoT is slowly changing this, as a lot of IoT is embedded Linux.  It is becoming a larger target over time.

edit to add:
* Never use a user id on your computer that has administrative privileges.  Use a "normal" userid for daily use.  When you need admin privs, it should require a (strong) password to escalate your privs.

CowboyAndIndian

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #103 on: December 19, 2016, 07:59:08 AM »
Great post on making friends.

Since it is a journal, I'll just give the ref to the post
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/%27i-was-in-the-pool!-i-was-in-the-pool!%27-shrinkage-is-real/msg1345887/#msg1345887

Edit: Removing the quoted post and just adding a ref.
« Last Edit: December 19, 2016, 08:15:42 AM by CowboyAndIndian »

CowboyAndIndian

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #104 on: December 31, 2016, 07:21:37 AM »
Looks like I am becoming a big fan of FIRE_at_45.
Great post on dressing well.

On Dressing Better

This year I decided it was time to make a change in the way I dress.  Part of my motivation was to do better in the dating scene.  The other part was just learning more about how to shop effectively.

I have always tried to shop with purpose but I had no direction.  Since I am fairly slim Calvin Klein stuff fit me fairly well so that was my go to store.  I did okay with my method of just sticking to one store that fit me fairly well.  Okay, not great. 

I first went through my wardrobe once and set aside everything I had not worn for 6 months.  Then I went through everything that was left and made hard decisions on what was left.  I probably donated half my wardrobe that I had accumulated over 5 years or so. 

I then decided that I needed to learn more.  This was actually my introduction to blogs prior to finding MMM.  The only difference was these blogs teach you how to spend money and in some cases you could spend wildly. 

The first blog I found was a guy who is shorter in stature.  This one was good for me because at 5 foot 8 inches it is harder to find clothes that fit in comparison to the average build.  I learned that the fashion industry generally caters to the average to taller build.  It makes sense.  They do not want to carry too many sizes. 

It has always been hard for me to find pants with the right inseam length.  I thought I did sometimes but really I was creating a look of bulky fabric at the hem. 

Through my reading I learned a huge amount of things I did not know about previously. 

- Types of shoes that look good with dress pants and jeans
- How your pants should be hemmed
- How to layer your clothing
- To avoid t-shirts at all costs
- To wear long sleeve shirts rolled up, instead of a sleeveless button up shirt
- Dark wash jeans look best with no extra detailing
- White dress shirts seam to make you look most dressed up
- Pocket squares should not match but compliment your tie
- Dress shirts should be hemmed & sometime darted
- Close fitting clothing makes you appear slimmer

And the list goes on and on.

The best blog I found that fit my style aspirations was this one.  He has designed what he calls a Lean Wardrobe.  Basically, you do not need a lot of clothes in your closet.  You just need ones that are easy to mix and match to create different looks. 

http://effortlessgent.com/

The one for short dudes.

http://www.themodestman.com/

Armed with this information I started to gradually change my wardrobe.  I had several nice pairs of dress pants, suit, ties and other items.  The problem was that nothing fit me properly. 

This leads into the single most important part of looking stylish.  Wear clothes that fit your body.  Most clothing that you buy off the rack will not fit you properly unless you happen to have model physic.  When it does not fit the best thing to do is go to a good tailor.   

So that is what I did.  I looked up on google and found a tailor in my area.  I called her up and took in a handful of clothes.  The experts say you should take 1 pair of pants and 1 dress shirt.  After the tailor makes their adjustments then you decide if you are happy.  I took more of a risk and had her do about 4 pairs of pants and a couple shirts. 

The results were amazing.  Suddenly the hem of my pants fell in the exact right spot on my shoes and the legs were no longer baggy.  With the dress shirts she hemmed them so they do not all bunch up or pull out.  They also fit slim to my body and arms. 

Here is an example of how most men wear a dress shirt.



This is how a dress shirt should fit (ignore the belt).



It makes a huge difference in how you look and really you could be wearing the exact same shirt that is just tailored properly. 

This pictures shows the difference between pants that fit poorly (left) and ones that fit well (right).



So after I trusted my tailor I took her the majority of my clothing.  She charged me $30 for dress shirt alterations (hem & slimming), $30 for pants (hem & slimming) and $125 to fully alter a suit.  It was not cheap but this made the biggest difference in my appearance. 

When I went shopping I was meticulous about what I was looking for and I did not settle.  It was a pain in the ass actually because I do not like to shop.  I did some stuff online and other stuff in person.  I looked for sales wherever possible.  I also experimented buying some stuff from China direct.  That saved a lot but I am not sure I would do it again.  My jean jacket for example cost $45 and it fits me perfectly.  Only problem is the rivets are cheap and I have broken two already.  In comparison this would cost $115-$125 or more in a store. 

So what are my observations of this process?

When you consume all this information you absolutely create wants for yourself.  I did not buy half of what I was trained to want. 

Dressing better did have a significant positive impact on my confidence level.  People took notice at work.   I went into 1 department at work to meet someone for a meeting.  The department is all women.  When I get there she says 'wow, you look fantastic!'...and drags me into a few offices to show her colleagues.  Then when we are meeting she says 'Can I give you a compliment?'  Of course I say yes.  She says 'you look good always but today you look so dapper...like out of a magazine'. 

How can compliments not boost your confidence?  That day I literally had 15 people stop me and give me a compliment and a lot of them were actually from men.  One male colleague I was walking by literally stopped me when I was walking by and said "Seriously, where do you buy your clothes? You look fantastic!".

I have also been stopped in stores by women who want me to help them pick out clothes for their husbands.  That was probably one of the most flattering experiences.

Did it help with dating? 

I am not sure because I met my ex-GF right about the same time.  I know she loved it. 

This was not a mustachian move by any means!  I ended up spending about $2,000 as outlined below.  I will now wear the crap out of these clothes and in 2017 I probably will spend 25% of that amount to replace worn clothes and upgrade a few items.

   

I am curious what people think?  Does the way you dress impact the way you feel?  If you were dating do you think that you notice how your date is dressed?

My go-to date attire for a restaurant: brown dress shoes monk strap, matching belt, dark wash slim fitting jeans, white dress shirt, gray blazer.  I did get to wear this once before I met my GF and my date actually commented on how I was dressed (in that she liked it).

markbike528CBX

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #105 on: December 31, 2016, 09:10:37 AM »
[quote author=TheOldestYoungMan link=topic=64980.msg1324095#msg1324095 date=1480610304
......huge snip".........
It isn't that they are bad people, it's that government sucks at everything.
[/quote]

Sort of self-referential to this thread, but it was The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums.   mostly posting to follow and apparently to get into an infinite DO loop of thread self-referentiality.

CowboyAndIndian

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #106 on: January 23, 2017, 02:13:12 PM »
...
Quote from: AJ41
Can you explain what it took and how your consulting firm got started?
After college, I spent a year looking for work. Getting the first job was the hardest. I got a job with the State doing IT support for 32k a year - got a high score on the written test, then waited a year for them to work through the people with bonus points (at the time, our state gave bonus points to veterans and minorities, and there was a lot of competition for the jobs). It was a 37.5h a week job, and I got great benefits. But I was bored out of my mind.

I spent two years there, then I got introduced to two guys doing client-server database consulting work. They wanted to write some software to solve problems common to most of their clients. So I traded in my 37.5h a week job for an 80-100h a week job for the same money and half the benefits, wrote software, then transitioned to consulting work. I did a lot of good work in a short period of time, and got rewarded with raises. Within six months, I was billing out at $150-200/h and making $50k, so they only needed to book me about one week out of eight to make money, and I was writing software for them the other seven. I traveled for them about one week out of three or four.

I spent a lot of my time with one partner, and he took me under his wing. He showed me how the marketing and sales worked. They taught SQL training classes, then they'd keep in touch with their students and offer free advice, and the consulting offers would mature naturally out of that channel. They spent a lot of time on the training material, and keeping it up to date between software releases, but they wanted to control that and wouldn't allow anyone else to teach it. I think they would have done better to license the content. The company wrote a few nationally-available books, and we had a deal with Sybase where they steered clients our way sometimes. 

After two years with the company, the partners had a falling out. So they broke up the business, and the partner I liked offered me a 1099 role subbing through him for a client in Atlanta. Part of the breakup was to divide the clients, and we'd already been working for this one for a while. This gave me a chance to learn how to build a consulting business of my own with a mentor to guide me. He connected me to his lawyer and I formed an LLC (if I had been smarter, I would have formed an S-corp right from the start, but this is what my mentor suggested). I was 24.

I spent about a year working with the good partner until we had our own falling out. By that time I knew enough to keep my head above water. I knew how invoicing worked, and I had seen enough of what they had done to build my own marketing plan. Mostly my clients came from word of mouth, and if I'd been smart, I would have spent my time selling, hiring and training, and building the business. But I didn't really have the skills for that at 25.

I shut down my first consulting company after Little Axe was born. It was a combination of a client canceling work on short notice (leadership change, all projects canceled) and a desire to travel less and be around my infant daughter more. So I took a job and relocated to the NoVA area outside of DC, spent two years with a failed .com, and tried to relaunch my consulting practice in the shadow of the Internet crash. I had learned some things, but not enough. I had worked my way into a team lead role at the company and had learned a little bit about team leadership.

After a year of scraping by and spending down our savings (one week I'd bring home a $30,000 check from a consulting client, then I'd spend three months trying to find another one) I took whatever job I could get. Mrs Axe was working as a realtor and introduced me to a friend of a friend who needed an IT support person for their email compliance application. It was easy work but I was making half what I made at the .com. I spent less than a year there. I had decided that I didn't know enough about leadership to build a company, and I needed to learn by doing. So I went looking for a Fortune 500 company who would give me a chance to lead.

I found that job and spent seven years there. I got promoted and had 110 FTE's on my team at one point. Learned a lot about leadership and staff development. Also learned how to write proposal responses for $300m-$1b government procurements, present at orals, and win the big projects. Enough so I could build my own business to work in that arena.

That division got sold, so in 2010 I found a different job, and moved out of NoVA back to Hometown. Specialized in Healthcare and Project Management. Got my PMP cert (very helpful for public service procurements), and learned everything I could about the Affordable Care Act. That led me into a dozen different consulting deals for state healthcare planning work. Left that job to help build Health Insurance Exchanges, wrote a proposal and won a $141m deal for my firm in Hawaii, and spent a year in Honolulu leading the project.

When that job was wrapping up, I decided to take my third run at building a consulting company.

So how did I get here? A combination of:
* Hard work - years of extra hours, 60, 80, and 100 hour weeks. Especially with new technologies, if you are working with something 80 hours a week, you're an expert in it before anyone else is, just by virtue of the time you spend on it. A year of 80 hour weeks can make you a national expert on something if it's new.
* A mentor early in my career - helped me a lot, but also showed me through counterexamples what I didn't want to do.
* Using The Man to train me to lead
* Constant network management - my professional network is good, because I work hard to keep it that way. Keep a spreadsheet with every person you've ever met in your professional life, and make contact with them once or twice a year, forever. You never know when that will come in handy.

My advice for folks who are just starting out in this business, spend two years working for a big company to learn the ropes, pay attention, and never say no to anything. Work hard. Large consulting firms are great for learning opportunities just coming out of school, but don't end up spending your whole life there. Use them to learn, then forge your own path.

Keep your day job while you build up some clients whom you service nights and weekends. When the day job interferes with your ability to deliver, quit your day job.

Here's my standard advice for building a consulting company from scratch.

Axecleaver's Steps for Starting Your Own Consulting Business
WHAT
1. Cut your minimum monthly living expenses as deeply as possible.
2. Build up a transition fund to pay your expenses for 6-12 months.
3. Write a business plan: visit www.score.org for templates.
3a. Set your services and rates (1/1000th of your annual salary is a good starting point).
4. Identify customers.
5. Set meetings to sell your services. If you sell everything you pitch, then you're not pitching to enough people. Shoot for a 25% close rate.
6. Keep your day job and deliver on nights/weekends until you have at least 20-40h/week of deliverable work sold.
7. Incorporate your business.
8. Once your day job is impacting your ability to deliver, turn in your notice.
9. Purchase insurance: errors and omissions/professional liability, general liability
10. When your sales exceed your ability to deliver, add staff.
11. Hire a payroll service, HSA and 401k providers. (Caveat: explore Solo-K and SEP-IRA if you never intend to have staff.)

WHY
1. If you run out of money, you're going back to work for The Man for the rest of your life.
2. Most consultants bill monthly at the end of the month, on net 30 terms. Clients can take up to 45 days to pay. Large checks take seven days to clear. This means a job you start working on June 1 may not make funds available to you until August 22 - nearly 12 weeks.
3. A business plan template will ask you questions you haven't thought to ask yet - what are your services and what is your rate, who are your customers, how will you market to them, what does your staffing plan look like, will you offer products or just services, what margins will you use?
4. Use every resource at your disposal to find customers: your rolodex, temp agencies, headhunters, Craigslist, etc.
5. Pipeline management is a critical skill in the  consulting business. You should be selling services at least three months out, but this takes time to develop. You should always be selling.
6. Building a reliable customer list takes time. Deliver against your core services while keeping your day job. Get used to 80-100h work weeks.
7. S-corps are popular choices for consultants because it allows you to pay yourself distributions, which avoids payroll taxes on a portion of your income.
8. Ease the transition into consulting by keeping your day job while you build your experience and customer list.
9. Protect yourself and your company with liability insurance. Many customers and prime vendors require it. Look for a million per instance in coverage as a starting point.
10. Hire staff as your company grows. Always be selling.
11. Outsource the administrative tasks that make the most sense.

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #107 on: January 24, 2017, 09:17:09 AM »
Emotion and reason are not mutually exclusive.

In other words, just because emotion plays into a decision doesn't make it irrational.

This from ARS.

Lagom

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #108 on: January 29, 2017, 01:42:41 PM »
Really liked this one by Sol re: how to advance science on a limited budget. Great activity ideas for retirement (or before!).


"Pioneering new fields of science" isn't something humanity does very often, so you'd be hard pressed to do it alone in your retirement.

But there are LOTS of ways you can use a scientific background to advance humanity, on a limited budget.  Just giving this 30 seconds of thought...

1.  I know a handful of amateur astronomers who have digitized their backyard reflector telescopes and who use their home computers to scan each night's images to look for changes.  These are the people who routinely discover new comets and such, or find unexplained variances in star brightness.  They are part of online communities for reporting and discussing what they see.

2.  People with GIS experience are in high demand in virtually every field of useful applied science.   Learn to download and automate the processing of free google earth imagery.  These folks find previously undiscovered archaeology sites, or track deforestation in the amazon rain forest, or the melting of greenland's ice cap. 

3.  More hand's on folks are currently changing the world with consumer grade electronics.  Spend a month watching maker videos on youtube, learn to program a raspberry pi, and you can design and manufacturer your own smart_whatever hardware.  Just look at the explosive growth in smart home technology, the field of wireless connectivity and phone integration is ripe to upset a hundred different established industries.  With cheap ministick computers plus a sub-$1000 3D printer and you can reproduce thirty different startups already valued at >$1million.

4.  Apply technologies that are currently research experiments to residential use.  Read up on algal biofuels and then build a reactor in your back yard, build a methane digester to go with it, figure out how to integrate the two and make it cheap and reproducible and you'll have thousands of people building them.

5.  Unprofitable genetics.  Seriously, for about $15k in laboratory equipment you can do basic genetics research in your kitchen, of the type that nobody else is doing because there's no money in it.  We have fifty labs working on how to make photosynthesis more efficient, and nobody at all working on why wiener dogs have short legs.  That person could be you, for six months worth of work.  Or if you're the evil type, you can weaponize influenza and wipe out half of the planet's population.  Nothing says "going down in history" quite like "evil genius who started a global pandemic".  So easy an undergrad could do it!

There are huge amounts of unanalyzed data available to the public, waiting for the right person to come along and dig into it.  Each year the google science fair produces at least three or four potentially world-altering technologies that some high school kid came up with on a shoestring budget.  You can do that, too.  It's not "pioneering new fields of science" but it is making a difference.

With This Herring

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #109 on: February 01, 2017, 12:58:54 PM »
Diane C revealing in the tiny kitchen thread that refrigerator doors are made to be reversed with minimal effort:

Wow! That is an incredibly efficient kitchen.
It sure is! Do you know you can reverse your fridge and freezer door handles to open on the right side for even more efficiency? That's why there is a white plastic dot on the right hand side of the door. Just takes a screwdriver and a few minutes time. Easy-peasy. If you're unsure, I'm sure there's a dozen You Tube tutorials. More life-changing than Marie Kondo.

Yes.  I've looked at it, but the fridge came with the rental so I don't want to touch it!  I suppose I could mention it to the landlord. Hmm.
Don't waste their time. It's so easy. Check out You Tube. Really. Just be gentle so you don't scratch or over-torque anything. I'm amazed at how often I see an "after" with the doors opening bass-ackwards. I think people just don't realize how easy it is to change. Looks like your LL might be one of them. You can do this!

APowers

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #110 on: April 04, 2017, 10:25:19 PM »
Laura33's use of "For the love of Pete"! Because this is the MMM forum, and we all know who our patron saint is...

I am going to tell you the same thing I told myself when I was in my horrible, horrible job:  no job is worth your self-respect and mental health.

That's it.  Done.  Nothing more to discuss here. 

Quit.  Breathe.  Then go look for another job if you need to for the sake of your relationship (I, too, am working largely due to DH's desire for a more spendy lifestyle, so I get that particular frustration).  But for now, for the love of Pete, quit for your own sanity and well-being.  Now.  Today. 

Then go post all the details on the "Epic FU money stories" thread.  We will be waiting with bated breath.  :-)

aspiringnomad

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #111 on: April 05, 2017, 08:46:11 PM »
Great thread. Posting to follow.

nereo

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #112 on: April 18, 2017, 05:47:16 PM »
This post by Sol on why free markets, including healthcare, function best with balanced regulation.

Yeah.  I believe in free markets so I must be a nut.  What the fuck ever.

Nah, man.  Free markets are great!  But what you're asking for is TOO free, and has historically resulted in worse outcomes for people.  Markets need rules, like "no stealing" and "no blackmail" and "no monopolies".  People need to have the protections required to participate in a market, which includes the power to have their contracts honored, their disputes resolved by a higher authority, and their means of payment protected. 

The US economy has been so wildly successful precisely because it has been able to thread that narrow path between too much regulation and too much anarchy.  Markets where strongmen and criminals rule the roost do not generate huge profits for everyone.  Markets where the government takes all profits also fail.  You (we) need to find that middle ground, to seek out the path that helps everyone succeed.

Lots of countries don't have fiat currency, or a court system, or police to deter crime.  Lots of countries don't have any taxes or market regulations at all, and as a result they rapidly have no widespread profits to protect because they have no capital to invest, no companies to generate revenue, and no shareholders to turn those profits back into the demand that drives more sales, more revenue, and more capital.

American Capitalism, despite it's flaws, is hugely profitable!  That's because the US government collects taxes from the most successful market participants and uses those funds to protect and expand the marketplace for everyone.  If we took away the source of capital (debt) or tried to curtail regulations (the bathtub) or starved the taxes (theft!) the system would fall apart.  By advocating for these archaic policies, you are actively undermining the very things that have made America so successful.  Why do you hate America so much?

So no, you're not a nut for liking free markets.  You might be a nut if you want markets to be so "free" that they can become dysfunctional, in which case you're not really a "free market" kind of guy so much as you are an "anti-market" kind of guy.

Healthcare can work the same way, because healthy citizens participate in markets.  Sick people, injured people, hospitalized people, addicted people, depressed people, these folks don't work.  They don't generate profits for their corporate overlords, they turn from a national asset to a national liability.  Good healthcare, just like good education, can turn those liabilities into productive taxpaying worker citizens.  As long as they generate more value for the economy as an aggregate population, than they cost in healthcare, then it absolutely makes sense for the government to raise taxes to provide that care.   From a macro-perspective, it's just capitalism protecting itself.   This is a case where we apparently need more taxes and more regulation, not less.

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #113 on: April 20, 2017, 06:23:36 AM »
nereo, it looks like he is arguing a strawman, as nobody supporting "free markets" argues for markets that permit theft, blackmail, etc.  Would you please provide a link to your best post of the day so the rest of us can find it?  Thanks.

nereo

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #114 on: April 20, 2017, 07:17:41 AM »
nereo, it looks like he is arguing a strawman, as nobody supporting "free markets" argues for markets that permit theft, blackmail, etc.  Would you please provide a link to your best post of the day so the rest of us can find it?  Thanks.

you can click the link to follow back to the thread where the post was made (i.e. click ehre it says "Quote from: sol on April 18th...".
This works any time someone quotes someone else's post.  It doesn't work if they just hit the "quote" icon or type it shorthand with brackets.
His earlier post (#2008) and subsequent responses are necessary to gain the full context of the arguments being made.

Malum Prohibitum

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #115 on: April 20, 2017, 10:36:40 AM »
nereo, it looks like he is arguing a strawman, as nobody supporting "free markets" argues for markets that permit theft, blackmail, etc.  Would you please provide a link to your best post of the day so the rest of us can find it?  Thanks.

you can click the link to follow back to the thread where the post was made (i.e. click ehre it says "Quote from: sol on April 18th...".
This works any time someone quotes someone else's post.  It doesn't work if they just hit the "quote" icon or type it shorthand with brackets.
His earlier post (#2008) and subsequent responses are necessary to gain the full context of the arguments being made.
  Thanks, I completely missed the link in your post.

hobbes1

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #116 on: April 20, 2017, 11:42:38 AM »
great thread!

better late

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #117 on: April 20, 2017, 01:52:03 PM »
Following as well.

MichaelB

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #118 on: April 20, 2017, 02:28:12 PM »
P2F

intellectsucks

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #119 on: April 28, 2017, 11:59:53 AM »
Scantee commenting in the modern parenting thread:

My sense is that the parenting insanity of the current moment is mostly attributable upper-middle class parents' anxiety about their children's futures in our winner-take-all society. That anxiety fuels an (unconscious, I think) desire on the part of parents' to provide the very best in every realm so that their children will have a leg up compared to all of the other upper middle class children whose parents couldn't or didn't make the optimal choice. We see this crop up in all of the parenting wars about the "best" way to raise kids. Breastfeed/bottle feed. Stay-at-home/work. Attachment parenting/traditional parenting. Lots of activities/more unscheduled time. Public school/private school. And on and on. I think there is this sense that if we just make the right decisions and give our kids these just-so-perfect lives then they won't be at risk for falling down the economic ladder towards a lifetime of struggle.

To me, none of these decisions is all that important. There is no way to game the system, choose the exact right life, and ensure your kids will have struggle-free lives 20 to 30 years from now. What really matters is what has always mattered: being there for them, supporting and guiding them, helping them develop the emotional and intellectual tools to adapt and thrive in whatever environment they find themselves in as adults.

afuera

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #120 on: May 11, 2017, 07:56:06 AM »
This quote is from LWTG's journal where he talks about being happy along his journey to FIRE even though his journey looks different than others.  I feel like it can be easy to try and save more/earn more than everyone else on the forum and its always good to reflect on your journey and make sure you are doing what is best for your own situation and life.


I realized early on that "Keeping up with the MMMers" would not make me any happier (or successful) than "keeping up with the Jones".

CowboyAndIndian

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #121 on: June 08, 2017, 07:56:00 AM »
Quote from Mr Green illustrating the mental white noise of decision making pre-FIRE vs post-FIRE.


I actually meant white noise to be a little bit different than news. I mean all the little mundane decisions that you are forced to make daily that you don't realize how much they cumulatively weigh you down until you don't have to make them anymore.

My alarm just went off. Do I have a meeting today that I have to be in the office at a certain time or can I go back to sleep for a bit? Did I wear this shirt just a day or two ago? Can I wear it again today? If I time that light just right I'll get though it without having to sit. Do I speed up and try to tailgate the car in front of me a little because the guy merging is probably going to cut me off if I don't? Did I get in the right lane for where traffic slows down because it moves faster? Did I remember my badge getting out of the car? I have to remember to leave at 4pm because I have to be at this place at 5pm. This will give me enough time to get there unless traffic is hosed. I need to remember to check traffic before I leave work.

I think that illustrates the idea enough. Many of those questions/thoughts are always about ensuring that you can fit something into your schedule because you have work at a certain time and other obligations and only so much free time outside of those things. When 90% of your waking hours become "free time" it all just stops. All the sudden I didn't care if I made it through the traffic light. I didn't care about speeding up to try and prevent someone from cutting me off. I generally didn't drive as fast because I didn't feel pressed for time. I left for appointments a little earlier because I didn't care about waiting for 10 minutes. The grocery line was no longer frustrating.

Knowing that I had such limited free time created all those negative feelings and the noise of those thoughts and questions use brain power, whether we realize it or not. It's almost like death by a thousand paper cuts. Ironically, most folks will never know that this is how it really feels because they'll never stop working long enough for all those feelings and thoughts to dissipate, so they won't even realize they're burdened. I started to pity people who were screaming in their cars because traffic wasn't moving fast enough. They have no idea.

markbike528CBX

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #122 on: June 08, 2017, 09:53:32 AM »
Quote from Mr Green illustrating the mental white noise of decision making pre-FIRE vs post-FIRE.
+1

I've been reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle which could be summarized by Mr Green's post.
It is really hard to "be in the Now"  with all the micro-decisions in ones life.  Mr Green's post made it obvious why seekers of enlightenment retreat to a quiet place and are quiet.

bebegirl

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #123 on: June 08, 2017, 11:03:19 AM »
Advice for a 17 year old from Cyaphas


Wow! Amazing advice! Thanks for sharing! ))

neo von retorch

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #124 on: June 08, 2017, 11:19:53 AM »
Quote from Caoineag (with permission!)

My feelings on risk

I have been seeing a lot of posts about people wanting to plan out the future and worrying terribly about the what ifs if they retire too soon because something might change after their retirement and I understand those type of concerns so I have avoided posting anything too point blank in the forums about this but figured I would do a post here to explain why I have a hard time with people putting their lives on hold for what ifs. I may have posted something similar somewhere or not, I know I have certainly thought about it a lot and it might help anyone following my journal to understand my philosophy better. This post might be a bit morbid for some people so feel free to skip it.

*Personal details snipped*. One or both of us may not either so the earlier we retire, the more likely we are to experience it.

It is entirely possible that cancer will kill me. *Edited* Its also possible that one day I will get sick, or get in an accident and then my life will be over. Even if I beat the odds and reach old age, there is no guarantee that my husband will. Or any of the other people I know and love. Knowing this, means that I need to focus on making decisions I won't regret, spend as much time as I am able enjoying the life I have, the people I love and not worry about the unimportant things. Despite all the grief and pain we experience in life, life is beautiful, limited and precious.

I want to spend as much time with my husband making memories with him before anything happens to one or the other of us. Maybe we have to work later for a little bit because we retired now (whether for money, healthcare, etc) but at least we will have had some time to do things together that we wanted to do. We are good at being flexible and that is a skill that will serve us well in all the versions of our life that we may live.

Anyways, the point of this is just that you have to balance the risks of what ifs with the risks of if only. You will never be able to plan for all of it, you just have to do the best (for you, using your standards) you can with what you have and live life as fully as you are able.

dividendman

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #125 on: June 08, 2017, 01:24:05 PM »
To follow

BTDretire

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #126 on: June 08, 2017, 03:35:15 PM »
I just happened to run across this post which answered a question my husband and I had been searching all over the internet to find the answer to.  This seems to happen to me quite a bit on this site.  Someone posts an explanation of  a question I have that thoroughly answers the question so I can understand it perfectly!

Don't worry about the disclaimer from SSA saying "based on the assumption that you will earn $117,000 a year from now until retirement." Even if you quit working now and earn/contribute $0 from here on, your benefits will be very close to those estimates. You have already contributed, by far, the lion's share to Social Security for accruing benefits. In fact, you are now only accruing very small increases to your projected payments based on Social Security's progressive nature (it's complicated, but you are now getting back only pennies for all the dollars you contribute).

For comparison, your numbers and mine are fairly close. I'm a bit younger than you (48) , so your impact to stopping working now will be even less. I went through the detailed calculation of my actual benefit to figure out just how much impact that disclaimer would have, and here's the difference:

Estimated payment at full retirement age (67) and continuing to earn: $2235
Actual payment at full retirement age (67) with zero earnings from now on (i.e., ignoring the disclaimer): $2173

As you can see, the difference is negligible ($62/month out of $2235, so about 3% or less??). Definitely not worth continuing to work another 19 years for that! I could go through the other figures for early retirement and full retirement ages, but the result is the same: The difference between continuing to earn and stopping all earnings is negligible to the future SS payout.

Whoa!  That is good information to know! 

This is a great thread.  I'm glad I found it!

 I very recently calculated if I continue at my wage for 5 more years I'll increase my SS check
by $52 a month, if I retire and shift our business income to my wife she will increase her SS by $257 a month.

talltexan

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #127 on: June 09, 2017, 11:36:13 AM »
Following. Grimm Squeaker appears to be a clear MVP candidate.

Dicey

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #128 on: June 09, 2017, 12:02:26 PM »
Hey, neo, thanks for posting ^that^. Just read it and would have sought permission to post here next, so thanks and thanks. Great post, Caoineag!

talltexan

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #129 on: June 12, 2017, 07:02:50 AM »
Haven't read The Global Debt Trap, but from the synopsis you provided, it is not unique. It was probably written in 2009 at the bottom of the market to investors looking for a paradigm to understand what happened and what would happen next. However, it was a wrong / debunked approach.

Assumptions of classical, pre-depression economics:

1) Money has zero value unless the government guarantees to exchange it upon demand for (of all valuable things in the world this one thing) gold.
2) Government should not intervene in recessions/depressions because a "cleansing" process must occur. Metaphorically, this is a religious redemption.
3) Inflation occurs because the number of dollars in existence are like shares in a company, and to expand the number of dollars is to dilute existing shareholders.

Let's pick apart these assumptions one at a time.

1) Money only has value because people agree to use it as a medium of exchange. In that sense, it is the same as gold. Its value is in our heads. It is a token system for exchanging and storing the outputs of work. Many elements are more scarce than gold, yet not exchangeable for as much cash. FWIW, the value of the US dollar became more stable in the decades since the "gold standard" was dropped and the dollar became a fully fiat currency.

2) Read up on Herbert Hoover's response to the Great Depression, and what we learned. The "cleansing" that was expected only got worse, and "liquidating" everyone was a humanitarian catastrophe. Note how Ben Bernanke's response to the Great Recession was different than Andrew Mellon's response to what would become the Great Depression. You'll notice that books in this genre promote the discredited Herbert Hoover / Andrew Mellon set of assumptions. Most modern economists think government inaction exacerbated the Depression. http://potus-geeks.livejournal.com/450718.html 

3) To debunk this idea, compare a chart of M3 (one measure of monetary supply) against inflation. Do you see any relationship? As you can see, the amount of money in existence has exploded since that book was written, going from $8.5T to $13.3T.  Yet instead of experiencing hyperinflation like the theory suggests, the US has struggled to avoid deflation and get inflation consistently above 2% for several years.
M3 chart: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MABMM301USM189S
Inflation table:http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/
Most modern-day economists think inflation is related to the velocity of money, not the quantity of it in existence.

Bottom line... read up on economics. It can be counterintuitive. Pulp books like the one you read seem commonsense and paint a clear picture of economic villains and a predictable future, which is why they sell well, but if you invest based on those assumptions, prepare to be burned. Never accept a theory that the data does not support.

Solid understanding of macroeconomics here, guys.

oneday

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Bracken_Joy

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #131 on: June 26, 2017, 06:20:53 PM »
Bicycle_B gives Adventine some advice against willy-nilly spending

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/quick-slap-some-sense-into-me!/msg1584728/#msg1584728

Wow. Really glad you linked that here, I had missed that thread. SOLID advice, and just what I need to hear today =)

teen persuasion

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #132 on: June 27, 2017, 12:35:58 PM »
Loved this analogy, from the what comes after the ACA thread:

 
Why do republicans put so much time and money into pro-life efforts and then try and kill 22 million people?

It doesn't make any logical sense.

Because in their minds, once you are an adult, you can earn enough to live or else die. They don't see health care as a right.

"Kill 22 million people."  I love lines like this. Because they add fear to the discussion without any backing of reality.  Who needs reality when you have fear.  Just an FYI, our hospital system treats about 20% of its patient who are uninsured and no pay.

If we were really serious about making healthcare affordable we would be yelling at our congress people to allow CMS to negotiate on medication purchases.  We would be pushing to decrease law suit liabilities from big pharma and minimize the regulatory burden the FDA imposes so that we can have less expensive drugs.  US has a much more stringent drug approval process as compared to European countries.  We would be pushing our congress people to demand educating the public on death with dignity. We would push to decrease the regulatory burden and unnecessary personnel involved in the delivery of healthcare. But no, we just clamor about who will pay the bill.

We all pay in some form or another except the very very poor who still qualify for medicaid.  And even they suffer because only so many providers are willing to accept the piss poor reimbursement of medicaid.  But hey, at least we can comfortably say we did not kill 22 million people.

You're not wrong!

But this argument is like saying we should campaign our government representatives for a better sprinkler and alarm system while half of them are filing up the kerosene tanks on their flamethrowers. Yes, cost control is extremely important and we should fight for it, but let's make sure nobody burns the building down first.

Moonwaves

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #133 on: June 28, 2017, 01:01:52 AM »
This post from wwweb really stood out for me yesterday. From the thread Need a simple plan I can understand to live off my savings

Take a deep breath! You are in a great position. You and your wife are going to be fine. Take your time getting familiar with investing - it won't hurt to spend a few weeks just gathering information.

It sounds like you are confused about the mechanics of the 4% rule. Here is an simple example of how it works with some sample numbers.
1) You invest $1,000,000 in 70% stocks 30% bonds.
2) The first year you withdraw $40,000 from your account. The inflation rate is 2%
3) The second year you withdraw $40,800 (1.02*40,000) from your account. The inflation rate is 5%
4) The third year you withdraw $42,840 (1.05*40,800) from your account. The inflation rate is 3%
and so on. You have to handle the withdrawals (no one sends you a check). If the market falls, you still withdraw the calculated amount for that year.

As you do this the value of your investments will fluctuate. Sometimes they will double in value. Occasionally they will fall by 30% or more. They are likely to fall below their original value at some point. To follow the 4% rule you need to be able to stomach this. The worst thing you can do is invest your money in stocks, panic when the market falls 30%, and withdraw all your money. In my opinion, the most important thing you can do right now is get comfortable with the way the markets work. It is okay to take your time doing this. If you don't think you will be able to watch your net worth fluctuate by 30% or more in year, then all the advice to setup a Vanguard account is premature. Instead ask lots of questions and don't be afraid to ask for clarification if you don't understand something.

I hope this is helpful. If not feel free to ignore it.
Since I don't really expect to ever actually RE (I've gone for the moving to a low-paying, less hours job now to increase quality of life option), I've never really put any thought into, or read about, how the 4% rule actually works when you come to the other side of things and actually want to start withdrawing money. And I do struggle with concepts sometimes and need to have things explained in very simple, very practical terms. So it may be old hat for most mustachians, but I found this post really clicked and made sense of a whole lot of stuff that has gone into my head in the last few years but never entirely made sense.

Adventine

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #134 on: June 28, 2017, 04:28:53 AM »
Bicycle_B gives Adventine some advice against willy-nilly spending

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/quick-slap-some-sense-into-me!/msg1584728/#msg1584728

Wow. Really glad you linked that here, I had missed that thread. SOLID advice, and just what I need to hear today =)

I do go back to that thread every couple of days to reread! :)

Trifle

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #135 on: June 28, 2017, 04:33:54 AM »
Posting to follow.

CowboyAndIndian

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #136 on: June 30, 2017, 07:31:44 AM »
AxeCleaver on cultivating the habit of persistance.

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/cleaving-to-fi/msg1599217/#msg1599217

For those who do not read AxeCleaver's journal, you are missing a lot of wisdom.

DeskJockey2028

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #137 on: June 30, 2017, 07:49:01 AM »
Also posting to follow. Great thread!

Vindicated

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #138 on: June 30, 2017, 10:15:31 AM »
Quote from Mr Green illustrating the mental white noise of decision making pre-FIRE vs post-FIRE.


I actually meant white noise to be a little bit different than news. I mean all the little mundane decisions that you are forced to make daily that you don't realize how much they cumulatively weigh you down until you don't have to make them anymore.

My alarm just went off. Do I have a meeting today that I have to be in the office at a certain time or can I go back to sleep for a bit? Did I wear this shirt just a day or two ago? Can I wear it again today? If I time that light just right I'll get though it without having to sit. Do I speed up and try to tailgate the car in front of me a little because the guy merging is probably going to cut me off if I don't? Did I get in the right lane for where traffic slows down because it moves faster? Did I remember my badge getting out of the car? I have to remember to leave at 4pm because I have to be at this place at 5pm. This will give me enough time to get there unless traffic is hosed. I need to remember to check traffic before I leave work.

I think that illustrates the idea enough. Many of those questions/thoughts are always about ensuring that you can fit something into your schedule because you have work at a certain time and other obligations and only so much free time outside of those things. When 90% of your waking hours become "free time" it all just stops. All the sudden I didn't care if I made it through the traffic light. I didn't care about speeding up to try and prevent someone from cutting me off. I generally didn't drive as fast because I didn't feel pressed for time. I left for appointments a little earlier because I didn't care about waiting for 10 minutes. The grocery line was no longer frustrating.

Knowing that I had such limited free time created all those negative feelings and the noise of those thoughts and questions use brain power, whether we realize it or not. It's almost like death by a thousand paper cuts. Ironically, most folks will never know that this is how it really feels because they'll never stop working long enough for all those feelings and thoughts to dissipate, so they won't even realize they're burdened. I started to pity people who were screaming in their cars because traffic wasn't moving fast enough. They have no idea.

I loved this.  Thanks!

Steelers1982

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #139 on: June 30, 2017, 12:54:25 PM »
Sorry to dig this one up from the dead... but being a 34 year old who is recently into MMM... This hit the nail precisely on the head to how I currently feel.  Even down to the 15 years to retirement(although my goal is 13, 15 is probably my realistic number). 

Saw this on Pooperman's journal.

Dude...i know how you feel. I mentioned it in another thread about stache envy, but i said i dont have that, I have age envy. Seeing people 10 years younger thinking what-if, and seeing people 15 yrs older and wanting to fast forward time.

i feel like the process is:
1) discover mmm
2) obsess over mmm
3) murder spreadsheets for months and months and months
4) repeat steps 2-3 for many months
5) take a break from mmm
6) Your 10-20 year plan is set in place...
7) ...so now what? freakin sit and wait? it sucks!
8) come back to mmm to piddle around while you watch the calendar

I've come to the conclusion that next year my goal should be to do all the things i always talk about doing. Develop some REAL hobbies. Camping, fishing, woodworking, reading, gardening, etc. I need to develop these things to 1) pass this awful 15 waiting period til retirement, 2) actually live life, and 3) find something to retire to rather than from

But its tough. Everyday i think to myself, "self, you have a plan in place, now what?"....sounds like you are kind of there as well. Good luck!

shelivesthedream

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #140 on: July 01, 2017, 05:03:04 AM »
What if the world economy takes a sustained 30 year hit, you lose everything, and you have to get survival tips from the smelly dude on the freeway offramp with the cardboard sign?

What if you RE and wake up one day to find your spouse and his or her lover drained your accounts and ran off to Chile?

What if you drop dead at work choking on a bagel because you're working for the perfect, 100% guaranteed safe retirement savings?

What if you achieve the 100% bullet proof survival plan and the zombie apocalypse breaks out and you're stuck in a cornfield with a bunch of stupid teenagers chased by circus clown zombies?

What if you RE to fulfill your lifelong ambition work in an elephant sanctuary and one of the larger pachyderms sits on you?

What if there's a computer error and your ID gets mixed up with an illegal alien and Trump deports you to Mexico?

What if you truly are THE irreplaceable, key component of the workforce and your early retirement summarily ends world civilization?

What if you RE and all your relatives find out and all come to mooch off you?

What if you're on cruise control to RE when you eat tainted smashed avocado and you have to have your large and small intestines replaced at prohibitive cost?

What if aliens invade and you get drafted into the new United Nations Army and sent on a human wave attack armed with a sack of broccoli and a rock to save Disneyland?

What if you decide to imitate MMM and bicycle everywhere and get run over by the Nickelback Tour Bus?

What if you RE to do charity and decide to help the crazy cat lady next door only to find out she's, 1) A misanthrope and, 2) A witch, when she turns you into a Russian Blue?

What if you RE and live a long, hearty life doing whatever the hell you want, whenever the hell you want and change the world for the better by being epically chill?

What if? What if? What if? What if? What if? What if? What if? What if? What if? What if? What if? What if?What if? What if? What if? What if? What if? What if? What if? What if?


There are no guarantees.  You direct your life according to your values/desires, reckon the odds, plan as best you can, pray if you've got the faith, and go forth as boldly as you dare.

rpr

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #141 on: July 01, 2017, 05:44:16 AM »
Great collection! P2F.

Sydneystache

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #142 on: July 01, 2017, 05:45:12 AM »
Damn, beat me to it. I'm sure @EricL works in Hollywood :-P

My favourite is : What if aliens invade and you get drafted into the new United Nations Army and sent on a human wave attack armed with a sack of broccoli and a rock to save Disneyland.

Sooooo Alice in Wonderland that even my DS had a chuckle. Why save Disneyland?

shelivesthedream

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #143 on: July 01, 2017, 07:04:03 AM »
Damn, beat me to it. I'm sure @EricL works in Hollywood :-P

My favourite is : What if aliens invade and you get drafted into the new United Nations Army and sent on a human wave attack armed with a sack of broccoli and a rock to save Disneyland.

Sooooo Alice in Wonderland that even my DS had a chuckle. Why save Disneyland?

My favourite is: what if you are truly THE irreplaceable component of the workforce and your retirement precipitates the end of world civilisation?

Everyone secretly thinks they're special :)

With This Herring

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #144 on: July 01, 2017, 01:20:12 PM »
Everyone else may know about this one already, but member MacGyver has kindly coded a line of javascript that will let you filter the "Unread posts since your last visit" page AND the "New replies to your posts" page to exclude journals.  This is great if you like to read just a few journals but aren't interested in all of them when you go to the unread pages.

PtboEliz:

I created this Javascript bookmarklet (see toggle-journal-posts.txt attachment) to toggle unread posts from the Journals category.

Add a bookmark to your browser with the contents of the [.txt] file as the URL for the bookmark. Then, when you're on the Unread Posts (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/unread/) page, clicking the bookmarklet will show or hide any post that is in the Journals category.

The source to the bookmarklet is in the second attachment (toggle-journal-posts.js). I ran the source through https://jscompress.com and http://mrcoles.com/bookmarklet/ to create the bookmarklet code in toggle-journal-posts.txt. You can edit the source file to add additional categories that you want to toggle by updating the "exclude" array. Run the source through JSCompress and the Bookmarklet generator again before re-saving your bookmark.

Enjoy!

I've updated the script to allow one to exclude both posts/topics and categories from any topics page (i.e. Unread, Journals, Off-Topic, etc.). I've also added some instructions and comments to the original source for those wanting to modify the script.

Enter the full URL to the post/topic or category that you want to hide from the topics page. For instance:

exclude = [
   'http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/',
   "http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/off-topic/a-merciful-break-in-the-heat/",
];

Will hide any post within the Journals category and the post "A merciful break in the heat" (the last post in the Off-Topic page).

Enjoy again!
When done editing your list of excluded items, compress your source using JSCompress (https://jscompress.com), convert the code into a Bookmarklet (http://mrcoles.com/bookmarklet/), and save it to your bookmarks/favorites list.

One click later, and you'll be toggling visibility on those posts/topics and categories in your exclude list.

Bolding added for emphasis.

The files are attached to the original two posts (which you can access by clicking on the link at the top of either quote).

nouveauRiche

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #145 on: July 03, 2017, 01:29:24 PM »
I just thought this from aceyou was pretty neat:

When I was younger, even in high school, I remember contemplating how people had very different incomes, but all seemed to retire at the same time, which seemed illogical to me.  I'd ask myself, "isn't it weird that everyone who makes 3 times more than average chooses to buy 3 times the stuff, rather than retiring 3 times earlier".  I'd think about why high earners never seemed to choose to live in tiny houses, buy used cars, and just get out in a few years.  But since I was unaware that anyone was doing it, I more or less just went with the flow. 


teen persuasion

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #146 on: July 04, 2017, 10:51:14 AM »

My favourite is: what if you are truly THE irreplaceable component of the workforce and your retirement precipitates the end of world civilisation?

Everyone secretly thinks they're special :)

My favorite, too.  I realized just how replaceable we all are when my director died unexpectedly quickly in 2014.  We kept the place running, but there were lots of unknowns that Rose just quietly handled, and we had to reinvent the wheel, over and over.  Two and a half years later, two directors later, and I find I'm the only staff member left from "before Rose died", hell, the only staff member with more than one year experience.  I still feel like the "new" person, as the staff I started with had worked there for decades.  The board of trustees is also turning over, so lots of loss of continuity and institutional memory.

But the library lives on!
« Last Edit: July 04, 2017, 10:53:55 AM by teen persuasion »

arebelspy

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #147 on: July 05, 2017, 01:07:29 PM »
How the One Percent Lives

Little FL fell asleep in the car on an outing this weekend, and so as not to wake him, we drove around for a while. Our aimless driving took us to Plandome, a very rich NYC suburb on the north shore of Long Island.

It was one display of extreme opulence after another: gated estates surrounded by rolling parkland, or big, gorgeous mansions on hilltops shaded by old trees. And I had the thought: I could have a life like this.

OK, maybe not the giant multimillion-dollar estates, but I could afford a decent luxury house, say around $1 to 1.5 million. Even in the HCOL NYC suburbs, that would go far. I realize that I'm a high earner compared to a lot of people, and I don't deny it's a privilege to make that kind of salary.

Even so, the asterisk is: I could buy a house like that if I was willing to cash out my stash for a down payment and devote my salary for the next 30 years to paying off the mortgage. And that's not even counting taxes, upkeep, or any other expenses (a groundskeeper to mow the lawns and trim the hedges? maids to clean those hardwood floors and granite countertops? a luxury car to "go with" the house? country club membership to get to know the neighbors?).

With that thundercloud of debt hanging over my head, I'd have no choice but to accept any long hours or poor treatment my bosses might dish out. I'd never be able to go part-time or quit, and if I lost my job I'd be screwed. That's not the life I want to chain myself to.

But many high earners do accept that bargain. The people who own those houses are making a ton of money, but a lot of them are spending all or almost all of it just to demonstrate status, to prove they've "made it." They're mortgaged to their fingernails, working such long hours that they hardly ever see the mansions they're working so hard to afford.

This is how I know Mustachianism has gotten into my head. I'm not some Buddhist monk. When I see something nice, I still get that knee-jerk reflex of "I want it!" But after the first flush of wanting fades, I ask myself how many years of my life I'd be willing to trade for it. For a house like this, the only answer is "Not that many."

It also helps to remind myself what else I could do with that money. The cash that would buy one of those houses, if invested, would be more than enough to fund decades of comfortable retirement almost anywhere else in the world. It would be working for me instead of against me, growing and compounding rather than costing me in interest. This way of thinking makes those mansions seem like such a bad bargain, it's hard to believe that so many people are willing to make it.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Sydneystache

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #148 on: July 05, 2017, 04:37:28 PM »
The thing is, that Plandome McMansion is the start of it. You cannot live in that neighbourhood foregoing other expenses your neighbours use: maid, chauffeur, golf club memberships, private schools etc.

Love how Firelane talked himself out of his luxury prison!

deborah

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #149 on: July 09, 2017, 09:40:38 PM »
From the "cheap things that make you happy thread"...
Homemade hot-chocolate

Marshmellows over a fire

Oh I forgot.... reading the MMM forum ;)

All this.

Plus, hanging out with you.

You're cheap and you make me happy. :D