Nords and CFB are two big posters on this board who seem to consider themselves early retired, yet both have or had spouses working full time and providing health insurance. I haven't seen anyone on this board challenge them on their early retirement status. They are male, while Madison is female. I hope that SAHM sterotypes aren't a part of why Madison is being picked on here.
Dude, let me help you get your facts straight.
My health insurance is the military's Tricare Prime for retirees, in my name, and I'm providing healthcare insurance for the family.
Spouse resigned from active duty in March of 2001. She drilled with the Navy Reserve until July 2008 with approx five of those years being in a pay status. Drilling consisted of the "traditional" one weekend a month and two weeks per year, although one year she managed to string together a whole 28 days. She's retired now awaiting retired pay which starts in 2022. Her pay often funded her Thrift Savings Plan account up to the limit ($15,500 now, used to be less), sometimes her IRA, and occasionally mine.
Our ER plans were built on my 20 years of active duty, her ~18 years of active duty, my pension, and her pension. Her Reserve money is not part of our FIRECalc calculations nor counted as part of our ER portfolio.
I've also learned not to point out to her that our gains in Berkshire Hathaway and some other stocks far exceed anything she earned in the Reserves. I especially learned not to point that out during the first week of her two-week active-duty stints.
I hope that SAHM sterotypes aren't a part of why Madison is being picked on here.
She gets just as much credit for her facts as you do for yours. Gender isn't relevant, any more than religion or political party or skin color.
I'll also point out that MMND quickly played her own gender card and has a history of doing so on more than one discussion board. At the time she was marketing a book and had made a TV appearance... don't even get me started on Montel Williams.
I'll let CFB speak for himself, but he was ER'd before he married and also does not include her income in his ER budget. I'm not sure that she's working full time-- she's been part-time for months-- but I believe that her employer does provide their health insurance.
I think that most Cubicleville residents would have a difficult time getting excited about "ERing" to Madison's lifestyle. And Laura's choice of words (from someone who presumably has built a large inventory of words among which to choose) confirms my opinion of that magazine. We'll have to see if she decides to mine any of the experiences of this board's ERs.