ER stereotypes!

[justin]

I am the "brewer type" (piling it up as fast as I can so I check out as soon as possible. My subtype: piler that still enjoys life). I have a financial goal in mind (accumulating financial assets worth 25x current living expenses) and the day Quicken tells me I'm there, I will bid farewell to the working world and call myself retired!

Ditto here. I'd rather work 8 more years and enjoy life outside work than work 7 more years and worry about every penny I spend. That last year will be rough though...

 

[Fred333]

Yea I would rather like to get a nice amount saved up and then get a nice part time job to spend more time home.

 

[dmpi]

What about the "pension" hostages? Some of us have to wait 'til a certain "age" to be eligible to bail with pens/bennies? (ie, lowly paid civil cervants...without fat incomes to pad after tax accounts) There are a few of us here too

Count me in as one of them too. I'm just waiting for 55, so I can get a full (reduced) pension.

Also there's a part of me that just want to see how rich I can get.

 

[DblDoc]

Another "brewer type" here. Stashing as fast as we can and when the SWR, comfortable living expenses, health care cost lines intersect we are done.

DD

 

[Tom52]

I saw my reflection in mirror #6. Medical insurance is the deal breaker for me and I can see no way around it.

 

[Gekko]

I think I'd have to say, I'm definately a piler. I'm piling it up as fast as I can, with the objective of semi-retirement / career transition in about 10 years at 55. I'm also piling it on as fast as I can because knowing that I "could" pull the trigger actually makes w*rk a lot more tolerable. There is nothing worst than feeling trapped.

In the meantime, I've decided its okay to spend some money on having a blast. Right now I'm in the work hard, play hard mode. Hopefully, it will make the next 10 years of w*rk enjoyable. When I get close to the time, I'll probably be one of those "one more year" types.

 

[DangerMouse]

We have been in the Brewer category.

However there is another category not previously mentioned - those who have worked hard all their life and don't have an identity outside their employment. This is the category that my husband falls into. He has put so much into his various jobs that he has forgotten himself along the way.

Also for him he is scared that even though the numbers show we can make it, he is scared that he will end up like his parents, in their 80s with nothing besides the state pension and a house. As I keep reminding him, his parents have always lived beyond their means and continue to try and do so. We are nothing like them.

 

[Eyerishgold]

You forgot: piling it up as fast as I can so I check out as soonas possible. Subtypes include the piler that still enjoys life and the piler that worries about using a tissue because of how many seconds it might tack on to their working life.

Sadly, I realize that in brewer's example, I fall into the latter of the two subtypes. I don't like being there. I think I'll have work on becoming a piler that still enjoys life.

This may sound crazy but I may even go to Nordstroms and buy a pair of $59 jeans.

 

[slepyhed]

I simply don't have enough yet. But I'm piling it on and it won't be too much longer - maybe 5 years?

I fear that I may fall into the "One more year" trap. Do you settle for "enough", or stick it out for the gold?

Is it greed? Yes, but not the kind of greed we usually think of. Its a victimless greed. That's what makes it hard to resist.

 

[SecondCor521]

For the moment I'm a brewer-style kleenex counter. But when I get closer to FIRE, I may morph into a #3, with a little bit of #4 if I decide I want to cover my kids' college expenses better. May end up being a Cattusbabe heir-style FIREee as well.

2Cor521

 

[Sandy]

Hey! I resemble that remark.

I am sure I qualify for a several of those categories. Or at the very least, the concerns creep into my thoughts.

Actually, I am very confident in my plan. But that is easy when my planned ER date is a few years away.

Ditto.

 

[happy2bretired]

I fall under #1. When I was working a friend and I would often talk about needing an assistant to work for us at home since we didn't have enough time to accomplish what we wanted at home. Now, I have time and I still don't accomplish much But, it sure is nice working for myself now. There is always something that needs to be done and I really do have congratulate myself for being able to get every thing done at work and home during my working years. Don't know how I managed that really. (pat on back)

 

[W2R]

This may sound crazy but I may even go to Nordstroms and buy a pair of $59 jeans.

Hey, if you want them THAT badly, then as a diehard LBYM'er (who read the thread about the jeans), I give it my blessing.

Go get 'em!

 

[landover]

Is there an entry for type which includes people who do not like to work. I keep on reading many posts mentioning relatives not working, living with parents, in garages, that is also a type of early retirement with extreme LYBPM (Potential Means) some times .

 

[unclemick]

Sooo - what is the catagory for the cheap b./frugal who stay that way in ER and Mr Market/portfolio runs away from them in the first decade of ER?

Lucky no. 7? heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh

Bumping up spending too much gets one out of the groove/habit pattern and actually feels uncomfortable. It's a habit thing, I guess.

Slow drift upward seems better.



P.S. started 5% variable in 2006 - just getting wild and frivolous in my old age - probably buy some more hobby stocks - unless I find a kayak I like.

 

[ziggy29]

Not there yet, but right now I imagine myself as a #6. I'm not afraid of getting a part-time j*b at some point if I need a little more cash, but I am afraid of the world (and cost/inflation) of individual health insurance.

Until then, I just max out my 401K and our two Roths, take the 401K company match of $4000 a year, and let it ride...

 

[barbarus]

Oh, I should also say #3 for me, fo' sho', (bet you couldn't have guessed if you've read my posts).

Just had a couple of CDs come due. If Ben had just waited three weeks to initiate the "Bernanke Put", I'd be a wealthy man.

Have to settle for lower rates. Maybe it's time to jump into futures trading.
You can't help but make big, quick profits in commodities. Right? Brewer? Nords? HaHa?

Who is Ben B. some may ask.
The Deal: Recent Fed cut is reckless relief - Sep. 28, 2007

 

[Alan]

What about the "pension" hostages? Some of us have to wait 'til a certain "age" to be eligible to bail with pens/bennies? (ie, lowly paid civil cervants...without fat incomes to pad after tax accounts) There are a few of us here too

I'm also in this situation, but I'm also a 6. I have enough to quit now and wait for pension at 62 except for that BIG worry of health insurance which I'd also lose if I quit before 55

 

[Moemg]

How about the paranoid that I don't really think I have enough type ? That's me !

 

[Ronstar]

What about the "pension" hostages? Some of us have to wait 'til a certain "age" to be eligible to bail with pens/bennies? (ie, lowly paid civil cervants...without fat incomes to pad after tax accounts) There are a few of us here too

My wife is in this situation, but I'm ready now - I guess that makes me a 4

 

[unclemick]

How about the paranoid that I don't really think I have enough type ? That's me !

It's not paranoid if Mr Market is out to get you. Yeah, yeah I know it's not a person.

Lefthanded, mildy insane, 14th yr as a semi-professional/almost the pro's - ER.

Remember the alternative is W#*k!

heh heh heh - that may be driving the f in my frugal. Remember sanity is overrated! You can be crazy and agile, mobile, and hostile like Bear Bryant's linebacker - when it comes to spending.

 

[HFWR]

Nord's - Ya forgot the Godfather/Budda enlightenment method - an offer you can't refuse - as in layed off, canned, put out the door - and then while you 'out on the street(in your own mind)' discover that you are adapting/coping fairly well - and sour grapes/enlightenment strikes - piss on it, I ain't working no more.

As noted earlier this year on this very forum, I have but one [-]life[/-] month left to give to my [-]country[/-] megacorp, then I have to decide what to do the the rest of mi vida loca... At least they're paying me to go away!

Not sure, may have to be dragged back to w*** kicking and screaming...

53, port just crossed $400k, FireCalc shaking it's head...

 

[Hillbilly]

2. Rich's previously-diagnosed "Just One More Year" syndrome. Subsets include:
- Paralysis by analysis ("The real SWR must be 3.289745%, but only with AAA-rated bonds", and "FIRECalc doesn't account for...")
- "But what if the sky falls?" and its alter-ego
- "This must be absolutely positively totally safe or I can't retire. Ever."


And, on a more serious note:
6. Medical hostage. Unfortunately I don't have a flip answer to this problem. If you're working to maintain affordable healthcare for you and/or your family (because you can't get it anywhere else) then you're doing exactly the right thing.

Nords: I'm a no 6 to my "full BS bucket" point. I keep a backup plan if all things go bad at work that will solve no 6. DW understands the issue and has given full support (it includes one option of moving to an adjacent state).

So, on my good days, I practice being a no 2 using FireCalc, 25X expenses, etc. Basically, I'm working for toys, employer paid insurance and rolling the score up more. Otherwise, if the "BS bucket" stays under full and since I've met my FI goals, I await (aka Medical Hostage) until I'm 50 where I can ER and keep our insurance which would run around $1000/mo (today's price).

It took quite a bit of studying to get an effective and feasible plan together for no 6. It is not popular by any means but will get the issue resolved. If you don't have to go there, I would not recommend it by choice. Of course, mine was without choice. You just deal with it best as you can.