Realized some thing yesterday

[brewer12345]

DW and I were talking about her sister and the mess that she is in. I pointed out that the mess was of her own choosing and that she could get out of it any time she chose.

That's when it hit me: I have finally reached the point in my life where I can pretty much get out of anything that I find really and truly worth escaping. Job sucks and making me miserable? There are other jobs. Can't stand to be an employee? I am more than capable of starting a business. Tired of where I live? A PITA, but not that hard to change. The list goes on and on.

Makes me wonder what other restrictions I have placed on myself that are pretty much exclusively in my own head...

[Jay_Gatsby]

I hate to ask a seemingly stupid question, but to what "point" are you referring? If you're FI, then I would agree with you -- to a point. FI does give you freedom, but just like money, you need to use such freedom wisely and with frugality. Any number of activities can put an FI person right back into the workforce.

On the other hand, I agree in principle that most people can get out of any financial mess in which they find themselves. There will be a heavy price to pay, but that's the toll for the highway back to financial health.

[brewer12345]

Nope, I'm still a working stiff. But, I'm done with my education, I have completed necessary professional designations, I'm married to a companion for life, and I have accumulated enough assets that I have no worries about not making the mortgage if I were to be out of work for, well, years.

[retire@40]

You're probably starting to taste the milk and honey at the end of the rainbow. (I think I just made that saying up)

Brewer,

Yup, once you get to this point you understand the true meaning of *"If you've got your health, you've got everything"

- mostly because you are not in control of this. Yes you can do certain things to be healthy, but in the long run we are all dead!

[wildcat]

I think everything evolves around a person's financial situation. *I don't have the freedom to go where I want and do what I choose. *So I pretty much have to go where an employer wants me to go. *Tired of where I live? *Hell yeah! *I can relocate to a desirable location and take a low paying job that doesn't provide much of a payback for a couple years of graduate school. *So to me, again, the ability to change one's situation in life (aside from those that bury themselves in debt, i.e. one's own doing) depends on one's financial situation. *Lucky if you do have the freedom.

[unclemick]

Talk about prisons of the mind - I was layed off Jan 1993 - took a temp job in Dec 1994 - back at work(same plant, different job) - was when I realized - I didn't have to be there - realized I was FI.

[atlanta]

I have reached FI but am still working. I am concerned primarily about health insurance and unknown significant costs that might derail my early retirement.

[retire@40]

Originally Posted by wildcat

So I pretty much have to go where an employer wants me to go.

That's depressing. Almost inhuman.

Originally Posted by atla

I have reached FI but am still working. I am concerned primarily about health insurance and unknown significant costs that might derail my early retirement.

The unknown will always be an unknown. - Does this mean you'll never retire?

[atlanta]

Cut Throat

What was it that made you decide to retire?

Originally Posted by atla

Cut Throat

What was it that made you decide to retire?

When I was working there was always an event about every 3 or 4 years that pissed me off enough, that if I had enough money to retire, I would have.

When I was in your financial position, and my Boss decided that my position was going to 'change' again, I went home and ran the numbers. A couple days later I told him that things indeed were going to change! - The look on his face - Priceless!

[wildcat]

That's depressing. Almost inhuman.

Yeah Yeah we know RE@40 is self-employed and likes telling everyone about it. Doubt you were self-employed the day you left school friend.

[Nords]

Originally Posted by wildcat

Yeah Yeah we know RE@40 is self-employed and likes telling everyone about it.* Doubt you were self-employed the day you left school friend.

Don't encourage that kind of behavior, Wildcat... just ignore it and it'll go away...

[P.S.]

Hmm, this may sound slightly heretical to ER/FI types, but one can think of it as character building to go through certain experiences in life- the venal boss, unpleasant work/living locations...it makes the prize that much sweeter, the heart that much more grateful.

Originally Posted by P.S.

Hmm, this may sound slightly heretical to ER/FI types, but one can think of it as character building to go through certain experiences in life- the venal boss, unpleasant work/living locations...it makes the prize that much sweeter, the heart that much more grateful.

Yup, I used to say this while I was working. "This will only make my retirement that much sweeter".

[Arif]

Hmm, this may sound slightly heretical to ER/FI types, but one can think of it as character building to go through certain experiences in life- the venal boss, unpleasant work/living locations...it makes the prize that much sweeter, the heart that much more grateful.

I call it motivation and I am sure most on this board wouldn't change it for the world. I can't say I regret anything that I have done thus far because of the lesson it taught me. Sure I hated it while I was going through it but hindsight as it is I am stronger and a little wiser.

Case and point. We bought a day care business when we were in our mid 20s and planned to keep it as a side business. Long story short we didn't do enough due diligence and the owner lied about the income etc. WE ended up with 50k in debt which we paid off in a year ( I volunteered for a deployment to earn extra $).

After that fiasco we dusted ourselves off and started buying real estate aggreassively and never looked back. If things had worked out with the business our networth would have been 20% of what it is now.

We're living proof that you can get out of any financial setback.

[unclemick]

Hmmmm

By some - I was considered a character working in R&D - a character - when I was layed off - a character when it dawned on me - work was not necessary and really a 'official high class' character when I took the test on a temp job - lefthanded INTJ.

I plan to overcome this and become a crusty old curmudgeon.

In time.

Heh, heh, heh. Sometimes life is stranger than fiction.

[azanon]

I look forward to getting where brewer is.

I'm vulnerable.* By that, i mean i'm relatively highly educated (MA biology) but my job is very niche specific, and if i lost it, I probably couldnt get employeed even within my homestate doing what i do.* I would have to look US wide.

Even though i'm a federal employee, i do not feel immune to being fired, laid off, whatever.* *I hate knowing that i'm not FI yet, and how hard it was to get to where i am today.

Probably my primary drive for working towards FI, is to eliminate that vulnerability;* that state of knowing i'd have to sell my house, significantly alter my lifestyle, etc if i were to lose my job.* I literally hate knowing i'm dependant on something that isnt guaranteed.* This is why i am scraping and clawing every dollar i can into my retirement accounts.* *

I cant wait until the day comes that i know i have it made financially, and I have no need to worry about my job anymore, whether i choose to continue to keep it or not.

[REWahoo]

Originally Posted by azanon

I cant wait until the day comes that i know i have it made financially, and I have no need to worry about my job anymore, whether i choose to continue to keep it or not.

Getting to that point (FI) is a wonderful feeling. But I have noticed many of those aspiring to get there use the term "the day" as if you will wake up some morning, run the numbers and be $1.00 over your goal and be able to say, "At last, I'm finally FI! ".

Barring any windfall that might come your way, I suspect you will not have a "eureka!" moment, but rather your realization of financial independence will come upon you a little more gradually, as it did in my case. You will run the numbers over weeks and months and say, "I'm almost there", then "I think I'm there", and finally, "Yep, I'm positive I'm there. And I've actually been there for a while but thought it almost too good to be true."

Or maybe I was just too conservative and afraid to admit enough was enough... REW