Not trying to start/add to the flames rumbling underneath the surface, but I wonder if the ERE website shouldn't instead be more described as "ESL" (Extremely Simple Living)?
It should have been called "SELF-SUFFICIENCY DIY ETHICS PERSONAL FREEDOM LOW ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT AND FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE" dot com or something. The word retirement has so many unfortunate connotations depending on who's using it. Very many can not see past their own definition. It's my theory that the definition of retirement is generationally dependent---that is, how old one is/or think. Unfortunately, when I started the blog 4 years ago I never had any idea that one word would turn into such a big issue. If I had to start another blog today I'd title it something meaningless ... like penguinmuglock ... to avoid this issue.
But when someone sets out for such a hallmark standout goal of retiring in their early 30s, and makes a point of doing it on such a shoestring budget, then 'returns to work out of boredom', it would be like someone training for a marathon, then running the race's first 2 miles at a 4:25/mile pace, and then quitting because they were so far ahead of the pack that "it wasn't worth the challenge of continuing". In all probability, they wouldn't have been able to continue that 4:25/mile pace for the rest of the 24.2 miles...
Well, first of all ... I never intended to be a figurehead in any way ...
And I'd say it's more like someone who trains, completes and wins a big marathon, say the Boston one. Where's the challenge after that? Sure, one could do the same thing all over again and win it again next year. This, however, is a different challenge. Winning it the first time shows that it's possible to win it. Winning it the second time just shows that one is capable of repeating oneself. Winning the first time allows for personal growth/many insights. Winning it the second time ... is far from the same.
Or okay, say you win it the second year as well. Do you want to repeat the drill the third year?
It seems to me more like you're suggesting that because I won it once, I should keep competing in that same marathon for the rest of my life? Where's the challenge in that? Maybe that's enough for some, but I found it's not for me.
So look, the temperament (typical participant) of the E-R board and the temperament of the ERE are different. Just like the temperament is different on bogleheads (who largely don't understand frugality) or simpleliving (who largely don't like investing) or permaculture (who focus on natural assets), etc. And this means people have problems understanding each others motivations. Yes, I realize I'm hugely generalizing the various forums here, but I've also seen enough "statistics" to have a good idea of where people are coming from.
One of the reasons I started the ERE board was because some people didn't feel they quite fit in over here on E-R and told me so. Nobody on E-R quite understood the different motivations over on ERE. I resisted setting up the ERE boards for a while (why duplicate the effort) but eventually gave in.
I really do suspect it's generational. E-R are mainly baby boomers who see retirement as a big long party of traveling and having fun following some, hopefully, meaningful career. Your reason for E-R is to make that party last longer.
ERE is predominantly Gen-X oriented. It's not about [your kind of] retirement as much as it's financial independence: the freedom from having to put up with career b.s. and find work or something else that interests us. These goals and life orientations are QUITE different. "Partying", that is, traveling, keeping in shape, or experiencing stuff is just not satisfying enough. There's no "contribution" in those activities.
Finally, there's a need to separate the message from the messenger. (This is a good part of the reason why I'm pulling back from this.) The math is what the math is. My SWR is 2.22% and even enormously rising health costs are not going to destroy that. My going back to work does not increase my SWR and 2.22% is very low ... even for 60+ years of withdrawals. I think many on E-R are just fine with SWRs of 3% or even 4%.
Also, I'm not the only one doing this. Also, the math proves it works. It would not be a very intelligent use of my time to demonstrate the proof of concept in time. It would be like running 2 miles per day for 50 days and making the claim that if I keep doing that for another 50 days, I'll have run 200 miles total. Stopping after 50 days does not disprove that someone who had continued wouldn't have gotten to 200 miles in 100 days. I mean, go ahead, you know my SWR, you know my budget, you can then derive my networth. Go plug that into firecalc under some extremely conservative assumption. I'm using the same tools as you guys.
Some think I'm tired of not spending money. I don't know what more I can possibly say to refute this. The way we live is a different lifestyle. It's not some sacrificing/reduced version of the consumerist/materialist lifestyle. (This is the point E-R and ERE often misunderstand each other, I think).
When I go back to work, we'll have to move. We'll sell the RV and move into an apartment. I expect our rent to go up by $100-300 total. Conversely, RV insurance and maintenance will go away. We'll be driving less (or not at all) since we'll be inside the city instead of outside. Since we're moving east, CPI will go down and food will be cheaper. Overall, I expect to stay under $600/month.
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