Wondering if there is anyone on here that has retired early (FIRE Movement)

[Marble]

That "decent 20-30 minute early afternoon nap" sounds like a good part of the retirement program

For me...it's my attitude adjuster. My wife recently lost her job and she admitted she has been taking a short nap and really likes it. IMO, it resets the day.

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[bridgerbenson]

Good thread. Got me to reflecting. We moved to our small community of about 2600 people 18 years ago. I started out at $9/hr working for a carpenter. Five years later opened our own construction company with my brother.
Read “Rich Dad Poor Dad” about 8 years ago and got the real estate bug.

Had a pipe dream of having 10 rental units to manage and quit carpentering by 50 years old when our youngest kid graduates high school.
Currently at about 70 units partnered with my brother and transitioning out of construction into just managing our properties at 41 years old. Not really full “retirement” I suppose but beats the heck out of the daily grind of working for others.


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[Jon Boy]

Good thread. Got me to reflecting. We moved to our small community of about 2600 people 18 years ago. I started out at $9/hr working for a carpenter. Five years later opened our own construction company with my brother.
Read “Rich Dad Poor Dad” about 8 years ago and got the real estate bug.

Had a pipe dream of having 10 rental units to manage and quit carpentering by 50 years old when our youngest kid graduates high school.
Currently at about 70 units partnered with my brother and transitioning out of construction into just managing our properties at 41 years old. Not really full “retirement” I suppose but beats the heck out of the daily grind of working for others.


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Love it. I'm on the exact same path that you started on. Would love to talk to for some insight.

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[bridgerbenson]

Love it. I'm on the exact same path that you started on. Would love to talk to for some insight.

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Any time!


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[timekiller13]

Yep I could quit any time but don’t know what I’d do with myself couple buddies in same boat

How can you not find something to do besides work?

I can think of 8 million things I could do right now besides go to work.

 

[Knobbcreek]

I’m doing it through the old fashioned way(military retirement). I’ve got 16 in and looking to go for 26 years of service. Should put me at around 47-48 yo. Kids will be able to stay in the same high school and I can pull the chute. Been good at upping my contributions to the TSP(401k) and just keep on chipping away.

 

[5MilesBack]

That "decent 20-30 minute early afternoon nap" sounds like a good part of the retirement program

I've never been a "nap guy" from the time I was a toddler all the way up to 58 now. Just can't do it. There have been some days in the past when I really would have liked a nap, but every time I lay down.......it's like I'm wide awake.

 

[Antarctica]

Always loved this quote. Maybe its pertinent to the discussion, maybe not.

“To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea... "cruising" it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.

"I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.

What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade.

The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life? ”

-Sterling Hayden, Wanderer

 

[Gutshot007]

I've never been a "nap guy" from the time I was a toddler all the way up to 58 now. Just can't do it. There have been some days in the past when I really would have liked a nap, but every time I lay down.......it's like I'm wide awake.

20-30 minute nap is massive 8-10 hour recharge

 

[5MilesBack]

20-30 minute nap is massive 8-10 hour recharge

Maybe my coffee fulfills that. I don't know. Just can't do naps.

Kind of funny. Some years ago I had three shifts working for me 24/7. I'd come in about 7am and work, then after lunch I'd hit my stride and was really ready to roll.......right about the time one of my shifts was clocking out. That team leader was always saying "Oh come on man......I've been here since 4am, I'm ready to go home". I seem to gain energy and my second wind after lunch.

 

[Less]

This is a pretty good thread. Lot of good points made. I am 62, have worked my current job for 31 years. Have a pension & 401k plan. All of my property is paid for. My wife works and can retire in 4 more years with a pension. She is 53, she has some debt. We had a prenuptial agreement made by our lawyers before we married. Part of that agreement anything we had before we married couldn’t be touched in a divorce including retirement plans. All material things that we accumulated beside our retirement growth would be divided between the two of us. Some of the things we have bought since our marriage is our house and property.

If could have had my rather’s I had rather been born a billionaire but unfortunately for me I was born a old poor boy and have had to row my way through life with the rest of the slaves. No regrets or hard feelings. Was just the cards I was dealt. All & all I had a good life.

I was introduced to hunting & fishing in order to help put food on the table. I helped my father and brother feed my family by hunting and fishing. Didn’t realize just how lucky I was to have grew up doing that until all of the outdoor activities I cherished and enjoyed doing started changing for the worst.

At first when the things that meant so much to me started slowly disappearing. It was disappointing and I or nobody else could figure out what was the problem. And by theses things I am talking about. It was first our quail populations. Use to have a lot of quail along the Arkansas river. Trapping use to be really popular among a lot of outdoorsmen that is a thing of the past in my area now. Duck hunting man I loved that. I was very fortunate to have hunted water fowl in numbers that will never ever be again. Deer, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrels. Fish, I have caught tons of fish. What I am saying is I lived a life of hunting and fishing that will ever be again. No guide service or guide or no amount of money can buy someone those experiences. Because they are extinct. Gone for ever. Not for just me but all of us.

Actually took me a lot of years to learn just what caused all of this stuff to slowly fade away. Because the answer was right there in front of me everyday I would go to work. Had been happening before I was born. And you guys 40 years and younger I think will have a harder time understanding it than people my age and older will.

When I was born in 1961 the worlds population was 3 1/2 billion people. 20 years ago looking up the worlds population wasn’t as easy as to google it on my I-phone. Just in the last 10 years I have started seeing a lot of documentary’s about climate change and the things causing it. One of the main causes and subjects that has come up time and time again is the worlds growing population. About 3 years ago scientists were all in agreement earth can only sustain, feed and water 9 billion people. As of January of this year the world’s population rolled over to 8 billion people. The earths population has more than doubled in my 62 years of living. Scientist were saying up until this year that the world’s population would reach its maximum carrying capacity of 9 billion people by the year 2050. Today scientists says the earth’s population will be 10 billion by 2050 ? Well if the world can only sustain 9 billion people . I would guess it is really going to be crowded with a xtra billon people.

Now to my point about retirement. The year 2050 is only 27 years from now. With the earth’s population surpassing its carrying capacity by a billon people. I would be willing to bet the cost of everything from a loaf of bread to bottle water is going to get really expensive if you can find it let alone find any for sale period.

If I don’t draw out soon using my PP I have for Elk. I am afraid point creep is really going to be a problem by then and it’s really going to be hard on me to pack a Elk out at 89 years old.

 

[Crowmangler]

@Less ... is this Bill Gate's burner account?

 

[Less]

@Less ... is this Bill Gate's burner account?

Don’t know who Bill Gates is. Don’t care either.

 

[CJohnson]

Sometimes I wonder if ChatGPT has figured out how to sign up for forums.

 

[Less]

Don’t know who Bill Gates is. Don’t care either.

Sorry about that Crowmangler. I seriously didn’t know who Bill Gates was until I googled him. Didn’t know what a burner account was either.

 

[Crowmangler]

Sorry about that Crowmangler. I seriously didn’t know who Bill Gates was until I googled him. Didn’t know what a burner account was either.

No worries @Less... I was just being a smart ass.
Gates is big into the whole depopulation thing.. and just so happens he pushes the clot shot, eating bugs, synthetic meat & genetically engineered mosquitos, etc.
Guess that's what him & his BFF Epstein talked about on all those trips to pedo island.
Don't listen to the evil lizard people dude. Scientists are just as easy to buy off as politicians.
Ever notice their solution to every one of the (made up) problems always include you giving up your guns and paying more taxes?
You're a lot smarter than him anyway, as evidenced by your getting a prenup.
You just relax, have fun with your wife & enjoy all that the Creator has provided & be happy!
And remember... just cause you ain't paranoid, don't mean they ain't out to get ya.

 

[rentalrunner22]

Fully on the FIRE train. First of next month, I'll have hit my original rental cash flow goal and am looking to start my own business. Not interested in working for others anymore and don't want to be as frugal and retire in my 30s. Would much rather work on my own schedule for a potentially higher wage. Planning to semi retire / go into entrepreneurship in the coming months. Don't "need" my job anymore and it has actually made me better at my job by acting without fear (still respectful). DIY rentals hasn't been index fund passive by any means, but it works.

 

[rentalrunner22]

Awesome thread. I got turned onto Mr. Money Mustache and the "FIRE movement" about 8 years ago (I'm 32 now). My wife and I had been out of school for a couple years, earning good salaries, were both raised frugally, and didn't know what to do with all the extra income.

We both love travel, hunting, backpacking, and adventures in general but didn't place a high-value on material goods and having the latest-and-greatest. I think it's important to do some self-reflection about what you really value in life before committing to early retirement. There are people who define a major part of their self-worth from their career and professional accomplishments. There are others who are "working to live" as others have mentioned in this thread (I put myself in this camp). I can't possibly imagine being bored in retirement with everything there is to do and see in life.

We have maxed out retirement accounts most of our working careers, bought crappy houses that needed remodeling as our primary residences, fixed and flipped the houses ourselves, and kept our last house as a short-term rental on AirBNB. We had our first daughter last year and are already taking steps towards early retirement by only working 50 hrs/wk combined to avoid daycare costs and spend that time raising our daughter. We don't live on a Dave Ramsey "rice and beans" budget by any means and still spend $50k/yr excluding housing costs covered by the AirBNB income for a family of 3 in Denver.

We are on-track to have our expenses covered by investment income "FI" in 2-3 years by the time I am 35. I do plan to step away from my 30 hr/wk W2 job at that point to have the increased flexibility and autonomy over my own time.

A major aspect of the "FIRE movement" is would you really work your entire adult life (45 years from 20-65) if you didn't have to? And what financial decisions are you making that are forcing you into the 45 year working career (brand new $80k truck every 3 years, brand new bow/rifle every year, 3 vehicles instead of 1 for a family, oversized house in the suburbs that makes you drive an hour each way to the job you hate, crappy college degree that's income potential doesn't offset student debt, etc.) and are these purchases worth the time from your life you are spending at work to afford them.

I know this thread de-railed for awhile with everyone deep-diving into the methods of achieving early retirement, but I see "FIRE" as more of a mentality of being intentional with your financial goals and spending, and making sure those decisions are aligned with your values in life. It's amazing how much happier we are now then when we were aimlessly wandering with our finances. Just my 2 cents and YMMV.

+1 for Mr Money Mustache

 

[Less]

No worries @Less... I was just being a smart ass.
Gates is big into the whole depopulation thing.. and just so happens he pushes the clot shot, eating bugs, synthetic meat & genetically engineered mosquitos, etc.
Guess that's what him & his BFF Epstein talked about on all those trips to pedo island.
Don't listen to the evil lizard people dude. Scientists are just as easy to buy off as politicians.
Ever notice their solution to every one of the (made up) problems always include you giving up your guns and paying more taxes?
You're a lot smarter than him anyway, as evidenced by your getting a prenup.
You just relax, have fun with your wife & enjoy all that the Creator has provided & be happy!
And remember... just cause you ain't paranoid, don't mean they ain't out to get ya.

Appreciate you being understanding. I am not into depopulation thing or any that stuff Gates is trying to permote. I really don’t know nothing about the guy.

I don’t know how old you are but if you’re 40 or younger I can see where the increase of the population wouldn’t be as noticeable to you as someone closer to my age. And I am sure your right about scientists are as easy as politicians to buy off.

I guess I watch way too many documentaries pertaining to world problems in general like global warming and other things. Just watched one where that was about younger people that a big percentage of younger had rather live in cities than less populated areas. Said that they don’t even notice the world around them is getting more populated.

I can tell that it is more crowed because I can compare how crowded places like Colorado and other States I have lived in or spent time in are now compared to 30 & 40 years ago. Even in my home State of Arkansas. I can remember before the Arkansas river was dredge to straighten it out for barge traffic, before damns were built on it. Can remember before I-40 was built through here. Can remember when gasoline was 40 cents a gallon. When I was 8 years old you could buy a 16 oz coke and big baby Ruth candy bar for a quarter. 9 cents of that quarter was for deposit on the bottle which you got back when you returned the bottle so actually you got the 16 oz soda and candy bar for 16 cents. Doubt even someone 50 years old remembers any of these changes.

I hope you are right and that I am wrong about the population growth but I am 99 % sure I am right and these scientists are. I raise cattle and sort of relate them to the worlds population. You can only feed so many cattle with so many acres of land. Same with people, the world can only feed so many people.

When I first went to work for the company I work for now. They had just started the 401k offer to us 31 years ago. Gave us a big spill as to why we should contribute to it. They used comparison of how things were then and how they would be by the time we would reach retirement age 30 years down the road. They used the cost of hamburger, fries and large coke as an example. At that time 30 years ago you could buy all of that stuff for $ 6 at sonic. Today that stuff cost over $ 11.00 that’s just one of many things that has increased by leaps and bounds.

And because things are getting so expensive people are having to settle for less. One thing that comes to mind is these tiny houses which when they were first built intended to be used for small storage buildings for tools or what have you. I know of a family that lives next to me. A young man and woman living in a 12 x 15 foot mini house with 5 little kids. They built an out house and small building to shower in. And I see this every where. And I know that has to be hard on both the kids and parents.

It’s just my opinion of comparing how things are now to as far back as I can remember around 57 years back that all of this has a lot to do with over crowding.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I raised my kids in a 675 sq ft log home. I enlarged it so they could bring their families to visit. I don't buy any of the climate crap. Our temps and climate are well within the normal swing of the last 150 years. It has been warmer (12 million years ago) and colder (300,000 - 500,000 years ago). If it concerns you - move out of the city and be more self sufficient. Learn to survive with less. We have been for generations. I have seen hundreds of cabins in the back coutry that only had room enough for a bed and a stove and people lived there well through the 30s.